Grass Valley Demonstrates the Potential of Hybrid IP/SDI Production for Sports at the University of Illinois

The new control room of the Interuniversity Athletics Division of the University of Illinois, Fighting Illini Productions, benefits from native 2110 cameras Grass Valley running on an IP/SDI infrastructure to support its American football and basketball productions, demonstrating the solvency of these new environments to create top-level content.

The University of Illinois project, in which Grass Valley and the integrator Tab M Solutions worked hand in hand, is based on a hybrid architecture SMPTE ST 2110/SDI which allows the producer to maintain the common SDI workflows, as well as begin to benefit from the possibilities offered by IP environments.

The implementation includes five cameras Grass Valley LDX 150 with super slow motion licenses, a wireless system LDX 135 RF and a camera control server CCS-ONE. The LDX 150 is implemented natively on ST 2110, which eliminates the Baseband CCU traditional and allows direct connectivity from headquarters to the central IP switch, while the CCS-ONE centralizes the shading and enables remote supervision processes. By eliminating traditional CCUs and reducing hardware density, the design reduced rack space requirements and thermal loading, while simplifying integration within existing control room space.

Derryl Myles, associate director of athletics Fighting Illini Productions & Technology, is more than satisfied with a hybrid approach that, he emphasizes, will allow them to continue growing “in the long term”: “The hybrid architecture allows us to incorporate IP strategically, while maintaining the usual workflows, and the LDX 150 cameras provide the image quality, flexibility and performance we need to meet the expectations of the Big Ten and our fans.”

Kevin Tucker, partner and technical director of Tab M Solutions, explains why the hybrid approach may be the ideal gateway for these environments at organizations like the University of Illinois: "The 2110/SDI hybrid architecture retains operational familiarity while leveraging IP where it creates tangible benefits. Deploying LDX 150 cameras natively on top of 2110 reduced rack space, thermal load, and integration complexity, while creating a scalable foundation for future expansion."

"The Fighting Illini now has a production control room and hybrid infrastructure that positions it perfectly to meet today's needs, while providing the scale and flexibility necessary to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. We are delighted to support them on that journey," concludes Greg Doggett, vice president of sales for NAM Sports in Grass Valley.