Blackmagic supports GOLD softball championships live-streaming
Details
Michelle Clancy
| 26 August 2019

GlobeStream Media chose Blackmagic Design to live-stream USA Softball’s GOLD National Championships.

The broadcaster used a variety of Blackmagic Design products, including URSA Broadcast cameras and an ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K live production switcher, to capture more than 500 hours of fibre channel broadcasts across nine softball fields.

Held at the Heritage Yards softball complex in Plano, Texas, the six-day-long tournament featured more than 70 softball teams from across the United States competing in both the 18 and under (18u) and 16 and under (16u) age divisions. GlobeStream Media streamed 247 softball games over the course of the tournament.

The complete Blackmagic Design workflow included URSA Broadcasts and Micro Studio Camera 4K; Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converters and Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converters; ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K and ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K; ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel and ATEM Camera Control Panel; Smart Videohub routers; HyperDeck Studio Mini and HyperDeck Studio Pro recorders; SmartScope Duo and SmartView 4K monitors; Teranex Mini Audio to SDI converters; Blackmagic Audio Monitor; MultiView 4; and DeckLink capture and playback cards, including DeckLink 8K Pro.

To stream individual games during pool play and early bracket rounds, GlobeStream Media relied on a Micro Studio Camera 4K mounted behind home plate.

"When USA Softball and the City of Plano approached us about live-streaming the tournament, one of the initial discussions was about where the cameras were going to be,” explained president and co-founder of GlobeStream Media, Brett Casadonte. “On each of the nine softball fields at Heritage Yards, they wanted a single camera mounted on the backstop to provide an elevated wide shot of the field from behind home plate. We knew right away that the camera needed to be small and lightweight, yet still provide a high-quality image, so our attention immediately turned to the Micro Studio Camera 4K.”

For each division’s consolation and championship games, GlobeStream Media switched to a four camera setup, using three URSA Broadcasts with Camera Fiber Converters and Studio Fiber Converters to capture the action, along with the Micro Studio Camera 4K.

“We went with Blackmagic Design cameras because first and foremost, they produce a very good quality image. Equally import, however, is workflow. Using the Camera Fiber Converters and Studio Fiber Converters, we were able to take a standard SMPTE fibre cable and deliver camera control, tally and talkback, plus power and return programme feed to our camera operators over a single cable,” noted Casadonte. “The time and cost savings in setup were tremendous and allowed us to easily convert a softball field setup for a single-camera live-stream in the morning to a four-camera, multi-cam broadcast in the afternoon. If we had to run separate power cables, XLR cables for crew comms, tally cables and a pair of SDI cables for video in and out, the conversion simply wouldn’t have been possible.”

For the rest of its live-streaming setup, GlobeStream Media connected the Studio Fiber Converters to a Smart Videohub 20x20 that sent the camera feeds to an ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K for switching. The team also relied on a SmartView 4K, HyperDeck Studio Minis for recording primary and backup versions of the programme, SmartScope Duo for signal monitoring, ATEM Camera Control Panel to manage colour for the cameras, and several DeckLinks.

“ATEM switchers have been a main stay on all of our productions, and it’s not a stretch to say we’ve built our business on them. When the ATEM Camera Control Panel came out, it was a great addition that made outdoor live sporting events so much easier,” said Casadonte. “With it, we’re quickly able to fine-tune colour and exposure on our cameras so that the look is consistent and seamless across our production.”