Sports
Mimai Heat Move Into High-Definition with Sony XDCAM HD System
New XDCAM HD422 System Is Basis for Franchises' Move to Full HD video Production
The media production department for the National Basketball Association's Miami HEAT got its first taste of high-definition video this fall during the 2008 NBA Europe Live Tour, a series of exhibition games the league organized to expand the sport's visibility to international audiences.
Recognizing the opportunity to capture a unique moment in the franchise's history, the department sent two ENG crews equipped with a Sony XDCAM® HD camcorder and Sony's HVR-Z1U HDV camcorder to document the entire trip.
The HEAT played one game in Paris and in London, and the footage that was shot with the XDCAM PDW-F355 camcorder was used as an episode of Inside the HEAT, the team's flagship anthology series that aired on Fox Sports Net's regional network in the southeastern region and on NBA TV.
Their positive experience in Europe convinced the group that HD production was the right move for the future, according to Ed Filomia, Senior Director of Broadcast Services for the HEAT Group. They recently took delivery of Sony's newest optical disc camera, the 2/3-inch XDCAM® HD422 PDW-700 camcorder, and the PDW-HD1500 deck, which Filomia said will become the group's primary HD production system.
He and his team may be new to HD, but they're not unfamiliar with the XDCAM system's benefits.
The HEAT Group first started using XDCAM standard-definition technology in 2005, during the team's "RED ZONE" playoff run that season. "We had a camera and a few decks that we used to shoot, archive and preserve those games, and we've been acquiring on the XDCAM platform ever since," he said.
Even though all HEAT acquisition went HD starting with the Europe trip, the group is still editing and airing in standard definition.
"Our facility is SD," Filomia said. "But having an HD master is very important to us. We want to preserve our history in the highest resolution. So, for example, one thing we're doing with the HD1500 deck is recording the truck feeds for every game so they can all be mastered in HD."
Filomia said that the workflow benefits of the XDCAM system have saved a lot of production time and resources over the years, but one of the technology's biggest benefits is its long-term archival capabilities.
"The HEAT franchise is 21 years old, and the first five years of our existence were recorded in ¾ inch," he said. "As soon as we got the XDCAM deck, we started dumping all that history onto optical disc so we would not only have it in a digital asset but also be able to preserve it in high quality for the next hundred years."
He said that the system has allowed him to create a complete digital storage environment without the large capital expense typically associated with such an effort.
"While we're an SDI house, I prefer to stay in a fully digital IP workflow rather than have to open a capture window and digitize files for every new project," he said. "The XDCAM system lets us do this in a very cost-efficient manner."
The group's plans for the new XDCAM HD camcorder will be similar to the SD camera's role - shooting content for in-arena and website use, as well as for the team's Inside the HEAT program that is played on the LED board during games and on Fox Sports Net.
"Essentially, our group is the team's in-house ad agency," Filomia said. "We put together all the content you see in the arena on our board, and we also use our production tools to take care of all our adverting needs - TV and radio, and the Internet. And the majority of this content is captured on the XDCAM system."
The XDCAM system is also used to distribute content to digital signage displays located throughout AmericanAirlines Arena, the HEAT's home court.
In addition to the new PDW-700 camcorder, the group will be using an XDCAM EX Series PMW-EX3 solid state compact camcorder to complement its optical technology. Later in 2009, there are plans for the arena to undergo a complete HD renovation, with Sony studio cameras, switchers and display technology planned for installation.
But everything will still be based around the XDCAM HD system.
"My ticket holders, my premium seat holders, are already living in an HD world," Filomia said. "So it's important that we keep them in that world when they're here. Our HD capabilities with the XDCAM system have made a dramatic difference in the way we approach video production. It's a whole new world for us."
New XDCAM HD422 System Is Basis for Franchises' Move to Full HD video Production
The media production department for the National Basketball Association's Miami HEAT got its first taste of high-definition video this fall during the 2008 NBA Europe Live Tour, a series of exhibition games the league organized to expand the sport's visibility to international audiences.
Recognizing the opportunity to capture a unique moment in the franchise's history, the department sent two ENG crews equipped with a Sony XDCAM® HD camcorder and Sony's HVR-Z1U HDV camcorder to document the entire trip.
The HEAT played one game in Paris and in London, and the footage that was shot with the XDCAM PDW-F355 camcorder was used as an episode of Inside the HEAT, the team's flagship anthology series that aired on Fox Sports Net's regional network in the southeastern region and on NBA TV.
Their positive experience in Europe convinced the group that HD production was the right move for the future, according to Ed Filomia, Senior Director of Broadcast Services for the HEAT Group. They recently took delivery of Sony's newest optical disc camera, the 2/3-inch XDCAM® HD422 PDW-700 camcorder, and the PDW-HD1500 deck, which Filomia said will become the group's primary HD production system.
He and his team may be new to HD, but they're not unfamiliar with the XDCAM system's benefits.
The HEAT Group first started using XDCAM standard-definition technology in 2005, during the team's "RED ZONE" playoff run that season. "We had a camera and a few decks that we used to shoot, archive and preserve those games, and we've been acquiring on the XDCAM platform ever since," he said.
Even though all HEAT acquisition went HD starting with the Europe trip, the group is still editing and airing in standard definition.
"Our facility is SD," Filomia said. "But having an HD master is very important to us. We want to preserve our history in the highest resolution. So, for example, one thing we're doing with the HD1500 deck is recording the truck feeds for every game so they can all be mastered in HD."
Filomia said that the workflow benefits of the XDCAM system have saved a lot of production time and resources over the years, but one of the technology's biggest benefits is its long-term archival capabilities.
"The HEAT franchise is 21 years old, and the first five years of our existence were recorded in ¾ inch," he said. "As soon as we got the XDCAM deck, we started dumping all that history onto optical disc so we would not only have it in a digital asset but also be able to preserve it in high quality for the next hundred years."
He said that the system has allowed him to create a complete digital storage environment without the large capital expense typically associated with such an effort.
"While we're an SDI house, I prefer to stay in a fully digital IP workflow rather than have to open a capture window and digitize files for every new project," he said. "The XDCAM system lets us do this in a very cost-efficient manner."
The group's plans for the new XDCAM HD camcorder will be similar to the SD camera's role - shooting content for in-arena and website use, as well as for the team's Inside the HEAT program that is played on the LED board during games and on Fox Sports Net.
"Essentially, our group is the team's in-house ad agency," Filomia said. "We put together all the content you see in the arena on our board, and we also use our production tools to take care of all our adverting needs - TV and radio, and the Internet. And the majority of this content is captured on the XDCAM system."
The XDCAM system is also used to distribute content to digital signage displays located throughout AmericanAirlines Arena, the HEAT's home court.
In addition to the new PDW-700 camcorder, the group will be using an XDCAM EX Series PMW-EX3 solid state compact camcorder to complement its optical technology. Later in 2009, there are plans for the arena to undergo a complete HD renovation, with Sony studio cameras, switchers and display technology planned for installation.
But everything will still be based around the XDCAM HD system.
"My ticket holders, my premium seat holders, are already living in an HD world," Filomia said. "So it's important that we keep them in that world when they're here. Our HD capabilities with the XDCAM system have made a dramatic difference in the way we approach video production. It's a whole new world for us."
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