SuperSport’s sweet new addition to its OB fleet at their new SuperSport OB City premises in Strydom Park, Johannesburg, is an engineer’s dream and the technology makes it the perfect platform for live broadcasts.
The new OB 4 HD was commissioned last year; the impressive coachwork was carried out by ASGB in Colchester, England before being equipped by Sony South Africa Broadcast & Professional Division at the Sony Basingstoke Head Office UK.
Particularly interesting is the careful thought given to the audio requirements and the selection of top class equipment fitted. The core of the audio production chain in an outside broadcast unit is obviously the audio mixer and the SuperSport engineering team chose to continue doing business with award winning UK-based Calrec Audio Ltd.
Calrec manufactured the world’s first stereo broadcast console back in 1977 followed by another world first, a digitally controlled assignable mixing console in 1981. OB4 pushes all the limits of possible space capacity too. Space is always an issue in an OB van so the Artemis Beam was chosen over the bigger Apollo module but without compromising on the requirements needed for today’s multi channel broadcasts. Artemis is equipped with an enormous routing and processing capacity which certainly belies its mid-size footprint.
Hydra2 is the Artemis’s backbone, linking the control surface to a 8192² router. The Artemis configuration in OB4 offers 128 channels in 12 layers with eight main outs allowing the broadcaster to push out eight simultaneous 5.1 surround sound mixes plus it mix down in stereo and mono at the same time. A typical example would be a rugby match where Sky Sport New Zealand requires a 5.1 mix, SuperSport needs a stereo mix for SuperSport One and a 5.1 mix for the HD channel and other broadcasters require only a mono mix. The flexibility of the Artemis provides all these seamlessly and simultaneously. The implementation and use of Madi technology throughout, also gives audio engineers the opportunity to sub-mix off the main desk with another desk if required, allowing production teams to become more creative with their approach to the final product.
Genelec are the preferred suppliers for audio monitoring with 5.1 being standard both in the audio and production areas. The use of CD players and mini disc for music, jingle and effects playback in the OB vans has been replaced by hard drive playback systems using South African designed software solution called QuickFire™. Real-Time Coffee Shoppe Interactive Multimedia Solutions originally designed the playback system for a popular international TV game show where instant cueing was critical to enhance the mood atmosphere in the production of the programme. The system has become so successful that it has been adopted by numerous broadcasters around the world.
For comms SuperSport’s decision-makers, opted for a solution from RTS/TELEX. The nerve-centre of the installation is a 144 x 144 Advanced Digital Audio Matrix (ADAM) from RTS linked to numerous keypanels, microphones and headsets securing communications both inside the control rooms and out. This system is fully compatible with OB6 and can be cascaded allowing inter-communications between the two vans at larger sporting events such as the Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Tournament.
In terms of the greater outdoor audio experience, SuperSport has upped the anti with the purchase and implementation of Schoeps Super CMIT microphones allowing the viewer at home to enjoy enhanced close ball effects.
These digital microphones were first introduced by Schoeps as a test in 2010 at the World Cup Soccer championship. The resultant success earned them great accolades.
These mics have higher directivity than a long shotgun but also greater sonic neutrality, because both their directionality and the additional suppression of diffuse sound are evenly maintained across most of their frequency range. These digital microphones have changed the whole ambiance of televised live events and the atmospheric vibe is felt at home by the viewer thanks to this digital technology. The preservation of the digital signal as much as possible is important in the production chain and in a typical sporting event for example Calrec Hyrda I/O boxes are placed on the edge of the field close to the mic sources with a short copper link back to the van.
Digital technology is used throughout the van, and although every millimetre of space has been utilised, it is thanks to changing technology that SuperSport is able to cram more and more features into this limited space. What previously used to fit in 4U rack units now comfortably sit in 1U boxes, allowing more “bells and whistles’ to be added, giving the home sports enthusiast a greater experience…schweet!
By Ian Dormer
ProSystems magazine – 3rd Quarter 2012
