The Vinovo racecourse in Turin is home to some of Italy’s most prestigious harness racing events, including the Gran Premio Costa Azzurra and the Italian Harness Derby. The venue hosts around 50 race days a year, with on-site live production facilities that have been capturing the action for more than 30 years.
In addition to traditional broadcast coverage, the facility also captures footage for betting partners, racecourse display systems, and for race stewards to monitor events in real time and review incidents via replay footage.
“We are not a 24/7 broadcast service. Our control room is activated about once a week for the races. But horse racing imposes very strict operational requirements,” explains Silvano Ferraris, engineer and director of the Vinovo racetrack. “One of our top priorities is to provide the race stewards with precise analysis tools that allow them to monitor the race in real time and immediately access synchronised multi-camera replays. At the same time, we must guarantee a stable, low-latency live feed for betting platforms and LED walls while supporting television broadcasters with editorial content suitable for race coverage.”
In 2025, to keep pace with the demands of its multi-output operations, Vinovo and integration partner Manco completed a major overhaul of its television production suite, replacing the legacy standard-definition system with a 4K Blackmagic Design workflow featuring an ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K live switcher and a Blackmagic Replay system.
Ferraris explains that the new UHD capabilities are helping race stewards to see a more accurate picture of any irregularities during the race in review processes. “The transition to 4K has given us a more modern, integrated, and robust infrastructure. The new system has improved operations throughout the entire production workflow and offers a higher level of detail in the images, reducing room for interpretation during decisive moments.”
The investment in the complete renovation of the broadcast control room was made possible in part by the General Directorate of Horse Racing within the Ministry of Agriculture, which oversees the sector in the country. “This provided additional funding to racetracks like ours, allowing us to accelerate investments in new production technologies, and improve the overall quality and reliability of race coverage,” added Ferraris.
A custom multi-camera setup for race coverage
For race coverage, the new multi-camera system uses seven Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 cameras paired with Fujinon XA20sx8.5BERM-K3 20x and Canon J33ax11B4 lenses with duplicators. Two URSA Broadcast G2 cameras are positioned on either side of the home stretch near the finish line, near the stewards’ observation point. “One follows the pack with a wide shot along the entire course, while the second captures close-ups of the leading horses all the way to the finish line,” Ferraris explains.
The other cameras are strategically distributed around the course to monitor any changes in trajectory and contact between horses, with two low-angle camera positions on the turns. One of these is also used for live segments and for the race commentary team.
The seventh unit is used as an ENG-style radio camera – mounted to a car moving alongside the horses – equipped with a Hollyland wireless transmission system which sends the live signal to the control room in real time.
“One of the key aspects of the fibre-optic system is its simplicity,” Ferraris points out. “With a single SMPTE cable, we connect the control room and cameras, carrying power, control, and all audio and video signals.”
The system also includes a Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera with a 7–14 mm wide-angle lens. “We use it as a fixed camera from an elevated position to get a wide angle view of the track.”
Managing multi-output live production
One of the main challenges facing the live production is the diversity of output: the system must simultaneously manage multi-output distribution, instant replays, and real-time review footage for the race stewards. In the control room, located in the grandstand, an ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K is used in tandem with an ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel 20 to handle up to 40 video sources, allowing the programme signal to be routed to multiple destinations in real time.
Ferraris: “One HD feed is dedicated to the distribution systems that feed the main transmitter, the backup transmitter, and the ‘International Web’ channel, from which the signal is then distributed to broadcasters and betting platforms.”
A separate output feeds the 9x5m LED wall installed inside the racetrack, while additional return feeds are sent to the production stations, including the commentator’s station, synchronised with the live broadcast. Signal routing is managed by a Blackmagic Videohub 40×40 12G, which allows for flexible routing of sources to the control room, the stewards’ booth, the LED wall, and the production stations.
Ensuring continuous recording from all cameras and to make content immediately available for replays and reviews are several HyperDeck recorders. “We record the feeds (including the ISO feeds from the main cameras) on Four HyperDeck Studio HD Pro units and two HyperDeck Studio HD Plus units, while two HyperDeck Studio HD Mini units are dedicated to backup,” says Ferraris.
For the officials, two multiview feeds,each dedicated to four cameras or signals have been set up directly within the judging booth, displayed on two separate monitors and recorded using two HyperDeck Shuttle HD units. “They can follow the race live and immediately review the action from multiple perspectives. Basically, it’s our VAR,” he says. “Immediately after the race ends, we need to be able to review slow-motion replays and any potential irregularities from different angles.”
The review footage is captured by the HyperDeck-powered replay system, which records camera feeds and makes them immediately available in DaVinci Resolve via a centralised infrastructure connected via a 10-Gigabit network. DaVinci Resolve Replay is then deployed to select different angles and create multi-camera replays just moments after the action. Ferraris explains, “We start right away with the first shot, and while it’s on air we can already prepare the next pieces of footage from the other cameras.”
The team also uses DaVinci Resolve to prepare segments to be aired during race days, create graphics, and edit promotional videos using footage captured during the events.
Supporting a new generation of operators
For all of the newfound technological capabilities afforded by the control room upgrade, Ferraris says the benefits will also be enjoyed by the next generation of production talent who are cutting their teeth on the new systems.
“Many of our operators are very young and start here while they’re studying, gaining hands-on experience working with professional, real-world systems,” he explained. “I enjoy experiencing that process with them: they’re learning something meaningful, and I’m staying young!”
From a technology and human perspective, Vinovo’s live production upgrade project looks set to leave a lasting legacy.
