Timeline TV uses Ursa Broadcast cameras to remotely produce the English women's soccer league

For remote production, Timeline engineers design a system based on a Blackmagic 3G-SDI Shield for Arduino card using the SDI control protocol for Blackmagic cameras.

Timeline TV has implemented a customized solution for remote productions with tarjetas Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield and cameras Ursa Broadcast of Blackmagic Design in order to cover the league of women's football in England (WSL).

In order to meet the requirements to cover the live matches of the 2018/2019 season, the first as a full-time professional league, the Timeline team had to redesign mobile system with multiple cameras in order to be able to deploy it in any stadium in the country, while transmitting the content with the quality expected by its production partner Whisper Films.

The CEO of Timeline, Dan McDonnell, explains that the Ursa Broadcast model was the best choice. “We are proud to be able to deliver professional quality for our creative partners, and the Ursa Broadcast camera with B4 lenses delivers excellent images both on and off the field,” he said. The Ursa are using in these broadcasts objectives of Fujinon y Canon.

Thanks to the fact that the model Ursa Broadcast is very easy to controlr, the television channel's engineering team had the opportunity to develop their creativity. “Platforms to control cameras remotely were essential, and we required a new approach to data transmission, all while keeping the field procedure as simple as possible,” says Dan. “There was no other option on the market that offered us the same flexibility, quality or control, unless we installed a complete mobile system.”

Timeline engineers built this system around a Blackmagic 3G-SDI Shield for Arduino card using the SDI control protocol for Blackmagic cameras and developed a solution IP transmission and a bonding of 4G signals based on the H.265 codec. This, which fits into a backpack, consists of a transmitter and the necessary camera control systems in order to transmit the live feed back to the main office at Ealing Studios, where coverage of the events takes place every weekend. matches.

Reliable and consistent signals

"We achieved eliminate the need for a static router, which is usually situated with a camera control unit to transmit the signals. Both the high resolution ones from the cameras and an additional low resolution one that contains all the necessary settings are sent. Working with IP channels provides reliable and consistent signals that are sent from wherever we are, regardless of location, and this combined with Blackmagic's open protocol has given us the flexibility to design a solution for high-quality remote productions that meets the strict requirements for live sports coverage,” says McDonnell

Timeline will continue to broadcast the women's football league using the remote solution, but it should be noted that the efficiency and technical capabilities can be easily transferred to other sports leagues or championships and event tours.

“The ability to control a multi-camera system entirely using IP signals means we can produce extensive coverage of popular events from anywhere in the world without needing a large on-site team. Once the operators are in place, simply turn on the receivers and cameras, and we are ready to work. The balance between speed, flexibility and quality at an affordable price has only been thanks to Blackmagic Design,” he concludes.

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