EVS To Provide 4K Zooming For Super Bowl 2014

EVS is being utilized by FOX Sports for live production equipment, including 4K replay systems with integrated zooming capability, for its broadcast of NFL Super Bowl XLVIII and associated pre- and post-game activities.
The EVS workflow provided for this year's game connects MetLife Stadium in New Jersey via a high-speed, 10GbE network connection to remote operations in Manhattan where FOX is broadcasting live as part of 'Super Bowl Boulevard', a series of football-themed experiences in Times Square taking place the week before the big game. The workflow also enables production personnel at FOX Sports' Los Angeles studio to easily browse content and instantly select from key game highlights in real time.
"EVS solutions are especially critical to this year's Super Bowl broadcast due to our expanded coverage at multiple locations and 4K, which is critical to replay clarity and to the enhanced viewing experience we're providing for our audience," said Jerry Steinberg, sr. vice president, technical operations, FOX Sports.
For Super Bowl XLVIII, multiple 4K XT3 servers are being deployed for FOX Sports' game-day coverage, as well as pre- and post-game programming. Xsquare and XTAccess solutions will manage file delivery and transcoding, while the LSM Connect tablet solution for advanced clips and playlist management will be used in conjunction with the the industry-standard LSM Controller.
Approximately 30 EVS IPDirector production management suites will be used across the multi-site network for ingest control, metadata management, on-the-fly editing and playout scheduling. This year, Ultra-HD will figure prominently as EVS' Epsio Zoom for 4K zooming extraction provides clearer close ups of content such as controversial calls and key replays and brings viewers even closer to the action.
"EVS has worked with FOX Sports for many of their high-profile sports broadcasts, including Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and prior Super Bowls," said Frederic Garroy, SVP, The Americas, EVS. "FOX is committed to providing the highest quality coverage, and we're thrilled to be part of the more immersive experience provided by 4K for this year's Super Bowl."
(CD/JP)