EVS is extending its C-Cast second screen platform to assist in the remote production of live events. The application, currently in test with unspecified broadcasters, is aimed at reducing operational costs and increasing the amount of content with which studio producers can work for post-air shows. “We are able to use C-Cast infrastructure to exchange content between an OB and a broadcast centre so that editors in a broadcast centre can select any content created in the OB and transfer it to the studio to enhance production,” explained EVS product manager, Laurent Petit. “Today, when a broadcast centre works on programming separately from the outside broadcast, the centre will ingest the live programme to build a summary, magazine or highlights package. If they don’t site an editor within the OB truck then they don’t have the immediate possibility to search for or use additional camera angles that would tell the story of the event in a different way. They would have to wait until the hard drives from the OB arrive at the broadcast centre one or two days afterwards,” he said. “We want to enable this earlier in the production by ‘opening the door of the OB’ so that the broadcaster can look at all content captured during the live production. They would be able to select other camera angles and additional content from that which has gone to air.” C-Cast is an automated hardware and software platform designed to process and transfer live multicam media recorded on EVS’ XT/XS production servers, along with descriptive metadata and third-party items (graphics and statistics), over a content delivery network to end users. Its initial application is a consumer app for iPad and Galaxy tablets and was first deployed by Canal+ for its second screen Football App. Sony is also investigating second screens apps for live sports. Malcolm Robinson, Business Unit Head, Live Production at Sony said: “We are looking at second screen apps and talking to the main players in the field to see what can come up with.” One avenue of investigation is the Sony 4K picture stitching app that pairs dual F65 cameras in locked-off position covering a live event. Could HD images be extracted from that dual 4K image and controlled by the user at home? – Adrian Penningtonwww.evs.tvwww.pro.sony.eu
