NEP Visions has won the contract to supply host OB technical facilities for the first ever live 3D coverage of the Wimbledon lawn tennis championship, writes David Fox.
Visions will work alongside the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), Sony and CAN Communicate to deliver live 3D pictures around the world of the men’s and women’s finals matches.
This project represents Visions’ first live 3D broadcast, utilising its new 3Gbps Gemini OB units.
Six Element Technica 3D camera rig systems will be installed around Centre Court, utilising Sony P1 cameras, HDFA200S and MPE-200 control systems.
Visions will utilise the newest trucks in its fleet, Gemini I/II, to provide the 3D feeds for broadcasters, including the BBC, while also broadcasting to cinemas worldwide.
The facilities in Gemini comprise two full three-tier production spaces and two Calrec Apollo sound desks for cinema and television sound mixes. Special consideration has been given to the workflow with regard to the EVS systems and on-site editing and graphics in 3D, with the convergence operators situated adjacent to the EVS operators to aid the production process. For 3D image processing it is using Sony’s MPE-200 systems.
“Successful tests on Centre Court have already taken place, and we are very much looking forward to this exciting 3D broadcast,” said Brian Clark, Commercial Director, NEP Visions.
Visions is also providing HD trucks and flypacks to NBC and ESPN for their US Wimbledon coverage.