World Cup, part 2:Satellites cover the action
Gerald M. Walker
06/30/98
World Broadcast News
Copyright 1998 Intertec Publishing Corporation, a PRIMEDIA Company. All rights reserved.
What a difference four years can make. Since the last World Cup, which was held in the United States, there are more satellites in the sky and more ways to get the match coverage from the venues in France to the broadcasters around the world. Besides the increased capacity and the advanced technology, another change that is evident in Europe this year is the impact of deregulation.
When a major international sports event like the World Cup is unfolding, it is no time to take chances on new and untried technology. Not with an avid audience of billions watching every minute of the action. That was certainly the attitude in 1994 when the World Cup was under way across a less-than-avid United States. Who would risk untried ATM networking? Fiber-optic links at the IBC were considered radical enough. Digital video compression? Don't be silly.
That has all changed. But one of the unique aspects of the satellite coverage in the United States was that, for the first time, operators were functioning in an atmosphere of regulatory freedom. The challenge to broadcasters then was dealing with an abundance of choices. Now, that regulatory freedom has reached Europe, one of the satellite operators that has taken full advantage of this change is PanAmSat.
Once considered an upstart in the world of satellite communications, PanAmSat has become a full-fledged member of the satellite broadcast family with five spacecraft - PAS 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 - booked for the World Cup. "We used to be on the outside, with our noses pressed against the glass," says Michael Antonovich, vice president, general manager of broadcast services for PanAmSat. But the 1998 World Cup, he adds, "Is going to be our biggest event, ever, with as many as 13 uplink paths and vehicles available to over 25 satellite paths."
PAS-2 over the Pacific Ocean is not used directly. PanAmSat is "daisy-chaining" signals through its Napa gateway, passing signals through a digital transport, so that even though it is not first hop, it is first generation.
Following up on an idea from the 1996 Summer Olympics, the company has a big bungalow within the confines of the IBC. PanAmSat is the only satellite operator with its own bungalow and dish farm transmitting from inside the IBC for rights holders, according to Antonovich.
"The World Cup is really a technology showcase for us," he comments. "We're doing everything from ATM switches to 45Mb/s component 4:2:2 systems to deployment of three 5:1 mobile MCPC systems. We're delivering 'first generation' 8Mb/s MPEG -2 video around the world through Napa to PAS-2 and through Singapore to PAS-4. It's one hop from Tokyo to Los Angeles."
The ATM switches are embedded in the MCPC systems so that full duplex, four wire voice communications, fax and Internet traffic is possible. Internet type traffic is just starting to take off at this World Cup.
Are there any risks in pushing the technology envelope? "No," says Antonovich, "these are all technologies that we employed at Nagano [Winter Olympics], so people are comfortable enough with them to know that these are robust technologies. At the 1994 World Cup, we were only a four-satellite system. Now we are 17, going on 25."
On the ground Some of the unilateral customers are using SNG vehicles to follow their national teams around France. Beyond operating its own camera positions in the venue cities associated with uplink trucks, PanAmSat is operating its own independent work-space at the Mercure hotel across from the IBC. There are live-shot camera positions on the roof and complete production capability inside for non-rights holders.
Because its entry into World Cup and Olympics transmission is relatively recent, PanAmSat has become something of a specialist in serving the needs of non-rights holders. These are broadcasters that can only do color stories or snippets. "That's a significant part of the business," Antonovich states, "because there's always a broadcaster with his nose against the glass during a World Cup - people who have to cover it, but are not rights holders. There are so many more outlets for sports transmissions these days, from following national teams or for cable channels, that the demand is tremendous."
In all, the operator has three Mediapro trucks to follow national teams and unilateral paths. There are four Mediopro Transportables at the stadium venues with PAS-3 SCPC paths to Europe and the Americas. Two Deutsche Telecom 4.5m jumbo trucks are at the IBC, with eight uplink transmitters for Ku-band paths to PAS-3 and PAS-5. In addition, there is one British Telecom transportable at the Mercure workspace with Ku-x-C SCPC paths to PAS-3
PanAmSat has two France Telecom gateways at Rambouillet to PAS-1 and PAS-4. And there is a teleproduction and uplink to PAS-1 from Le Palais de Congres, an independent company in Paris. WBN
Virtual soccer?
Many broadcasters are using virtual reality systems to enhance presentations of the World Cup. At NAB, Orad introduced the new SoccerSet. This addition to the company's virtual sports products allows the integration of the sports commentator into the event. Broadcasters will be able to provide match highlights where the commentator is seen walking on the playing field among "frozen" or animated 3-D models of the players while providing analysis of the match play.
SoccerSet converts a video clip of a match highlight into a pre-rendered virtual set using Orad's CyberSet E. Alternatively, CyberSet O users can convert the video clip into an animated 3-D set for even greater visual results. The SoccerSet replay can be constructed quickly using a production suite supplied by Orad. Once the virtual set of the highlight is prepared, the commentator can enter the playing field virtually. Using the same technology that was designed for Orad's Digital Replay and Virtual Replay, the SoccerSet can be used to track, highlight and identify players and the ball, as well as generate views of the highlight from any angle by extracting 3-D models from video sequences.
According to Orad, 40 to 50 stations have purchased virtual sports systems for the World Cup. In Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca are both using Orad systems. With the Virtual Replay tool, Televisa is recreating plays from unconventional angles. Televisa is also using Digital Replay measurement and tracking capabilities. The ball and players can be highlighted and tracked throughout the play, as well as displaying various distances and velocities.
Radamec Broadcast Systems has announced that ITV Sport is using Virtual Scenario as part of its coverage of the World Cup. The four-camera "VR" studio system is used for all of ITV's studio-based sports programming, including preview and highlight programs. "With such a short set-up time in Paris, a system that is quick and easy to use was essential, and because live video will be used within a large virtual window in the set, Virtual Scenario was the obvious choice," says David Wood, senior program director for ITV Sport. GMW
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