Richmond Flying Squirrels invested in LDX 110 cameras and Creative Grading to enhance live content and fan engagement through upgraded streaming and in-venue experiences.
A shift is occurring among regional sports teams, who are investing in modern broadcast infrastructure in order to enhance live content and increase engagement with their audiences through streaming and in-venue experiences.
An example is the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the San Francisco Giants that has deployed five Grass Valley LDX 110 cameras to upgrade their production environment. Making this change has raised the quality and consistency of the club’s game broadcasts and livestreams, giving the Flying Squirrels more confidence in their ability to deliver a dynamic and engaging viewing experience for fans.
Optimal Imaging
The cameras have 2/3in native UHD CMOS imagers with global shutter operation, built in a single-imager configuration, a design that makes it possible to balance between performance and cost for various applications. It has many of the same features from the top-of-the-line models – such as NFC support, integrated HDR/SDR LUT processing, installing options on a daily basis, and creative grading – but in a more cost-efficient package.
The five cameras include one LDX 110 unit in a wireless configuration. This model is optimised for use with all types of wireless applications and has a universal interface for direct integration with 3rd party wireless transmission systems.
The result is a combination of image quality and broadcast-grade performance with operational flexibility – factors the club needs to support comprehensive live coverage throughout their home ballpark, CarMax Park in Richmond, Virginia. The deployment reflects the club’s focus on raising the quality and consistency of its live game coverage while also improving CarMax Park’s capabilities for live sports and event productions.
Flying Squirrels General Manager Anthony Oppermann said, “Our overall broadcast and live event production is on a completely different level now. We’ve received very positive feedback from our fans and MLB partners on the quality of the broadcasts, livestreams and in-game presentation.”
Creative Grading – Getting the Look
The new workflow takes advantage of Grass Valley’s Creative Grading system, which is used to maintain a consistent, distinctive look throughout each game. It supports continuous image quality optimisation while preserving the creative vision behind the production. Also, its software base allows engineers to work from anywhere via IP or cloud.
Its graphical interface links the software control panel to a tablet where operators can make rapid adjustments without distractions from the live action, helping them stay focused on the critical moments such as high-speed plays and emotional crowd and player reactions.
By grouping parameters into logical bundles, each adjustment can be visually represented in real time as engineers quickly adapt to changing light conditions or visual styles. This kind of snapshot-based visual matching means users can capture, compare and apply different looks between multiple cameras, or simply maintain brand consistency.
Connectivity
Connectivity options include XCU Base stations, taking further advantage of using the LDX 110 cameras as cable cams, in Steadicams and in pan/tilt head operations. The XCU base stations serve as a transmission system that supports the high bandwidth the LDX cameras – including high-speed and 4K-capable cameras – need without compromising productions.
The XCU hardware supports full SDI video and is now available with two different cradles. The 12G SDI cradle supports all baseband functionality up to 3G and makes four extra 12G SDI outputs available. The IP cradle also supports up to 3G, but has four 10G IP connections. IP functionality can be activated with a license. No new equipment or IP cards are required.
Using the rack-mounted cradle design involves removing the XCU to transfer camera systems between different productions or to add cameras to a production, very quickly. All settings are stored in the cradle, so when a different XCU slides in, it is automatically configured with the same settings as the cradle.
Minor League, Major Infrastructure
This upgrade has positioned the Flying Squirrels among a small group of Minor League Baseball organisations operating with broadcast infrastructure typically associated with larger sports markets. The improved on-screen presentation has strengthened the club’s ability to deliver an engaging, visually consistent experience across streaming, broadcast and in-venue coverage.
“Fans expect a high-quality viewing experience regardless of market size,” said Greg Doggett, Vice President Sports, North America at Grass Valley. “The Richmond Flying Squirrels are showing how regional sports organisations can adopt the same calibre of technology used across top-tier live sports to deliver stronger coverage, more engaging broadcasts and greater long-term operational value.” www.grassvalley.com
