![]() “It eliminated a lot of the baseband-video issues, and it was very complementary to the software platforms that we’re using and the I2 network we use to transfer everything around. “NDI is not something that is necessarily used very much in broadcast, but would not have been possible without it,” says McKinney. Located at Pac 12 Networks HQ, Jackson Haselnus handles live production of a University of Utah volleyball game. The NDI video-over-IP transport protocol played an integral role in development of this stack and the overall SDP ecosystem. With vMix in place, McKinney and company began building a transmission stack that was portable, easily moved, feature-rich, stable, and flexible for multiple sports. The vMix-based model was presented to senior leadership, and the project was approved for testing. So McKinney persevered, and, eventually, his team discovered vMix, a live-production solution offering an open structure that allowed unlimited customization at a low price point. So the only solution for us was to find a several individual products and build it ourselves.”ĭespite initial development hurdles, the idea of a Software Defined Production model that was separated from control surfaces like switchers and audio boards promised a powerful and flexible approach. And most of them ended up costing more than our existing Multicams anyway. “We evaluated a variety of software platforms.” he continues, “but none of them could do exactly what we wanted end to end. Unfortunately, it didn’t exist.ĭavid Hasselfeld is Pac-12 Networks’ first SDP operator. We went out to look for a system that would accomplish all of our goals. ![]() “We needed a way to reduce the cost point, not only for our own productions but also for our universities’ productions. “Essentially, we were looking for Multicam 2.0,” McKinney explains. ![]() They began searching for a production stack that would allow multiple cameras and mics on campuses to be connected to a remote-control room without a truck onsite. McKinney and Senior Director, Remote Operations, Sarah Backerman were brainstorming on how to streamline the Multicam model by eliminating the production truck and finding another solution using Internet2 (I2) connectivity (which links more than 140 Pac-12 venues across the country) and campus resources. ![]() Early Development: Searching for Multicam 2.0Īlthough COVID drastically accelerated its development over the past two years, SDP was conceived prior to the pandemic. The model is already in full operation, and Pac-12 Networks is on pace for 225 productions this year and looking to expand to 400+ productions next season. The SDP ecosystem is built on vMix live-production software and tied together via extensive NDI IP connectivity. This SDP prototype room became Pac-12 Networks’ Production-Control Room X at Pac-12 Networks headquarters in San Francisco. And it’s a truly software-defined approach because it is separated from control surfaces like switchers and audio boards.” “SDP is essentially the next iteration of this but streamlined even further with the idea of having just the transmission stack onsite and no truck. “Pac-12 Networks has been exploring new, efficient ways to streamline the entire production package since its inception with the Multicam model by Leon Schweir ,” says Don McKinney, senior director, production operations, Pac-12 Networks. Now the conference-owned network is taking it to the next level with its new Software Defined Production (SDP) model. Its groundbreaking Multicam production model was a precursor of the remote-production revolution the industry has experienced in recent years, and the centralized-production model has allowed Pac-12 Networks to produce thousands of live events from its San Francisco headquarters for a fraction of the cost of traditional production. Upon launching in 2012, Pac-12 Networks instantly established itself as a pioneer in remote-production techniques.
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