Sony PlayStation’s new global live esports competition aims to blend high stakes tournament play with a studio style broadcast.
PlayStation Tournaments: XP producer High Viz Media is deploying a video workflow built around the ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher and ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel for live streaming event coverage to Sony PlayStation’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Working closely with High Viz Media, freelance broadcast producer and director Sam Deans took charge of directing the production and vision mixing, noting a number of challenges, including the high volume of video signals used. “We had 42 video inputs actively used in the vision mix. We also had just 36 hours in the venue, including rig and derig. It was an incredibly ambitious turnaround for such a massive and complex production,” he says.
The fact that ATEM Constellation 8K does not require inputs to be referenced or locked to a specific resolution or frame rate was particularly useful when dealing with gameplay feeds. “Additionally, the switcher’s ability to work with the embedded audio signals of its video inputs is a big deal when it comes to esports and gameplay capture,” states Deans.
The team also used the ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel, which enabled them to handle the large volume of video inputs. “The mix of downstream graphics and custom control systems made use of the ATEM’s API workflow, enabling complicated multi M/E cuts between matches,” says Deans.
As well as the 12 custom PlayStation 5 (PS5) gameplay pods, each equipped with video, audio and network systems to capture player action, the broadcast team also managed a live commentary studio. A co-streamer area allowed five Twitch creators to stream with alternative styles, using streamlined production setups with access to the main broadcast’s gameplay and camera feeds.
That workflow relied on DeckLink Duo 2 capture and playback cards for ingest into vMix Software to operate an all-in-one software vision mix, while a Blackmagic Videohub 40×40 12G SDI video router was employed to distribute the host broadcast signals to all five co-streamer setups.
Graphic overlays were added to each PS5 feed before it reached the ATEM Constellation 8K using DeckLink Quad 2 capture and playback cards, processing three gameplay feeds across four PCs with vMix. “These cards are ideal since any SDI port can be an input or output, making it a powerful and cost-effective way to add 12 graphics channels to a production,” says Deans.
