Mediapro has produced its first 4K version of El Clásico using core Snell Advanced Media (SAM) technology.
The iconic match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid was supplied simultaneously in 4K and HD.
SAM supplied its Kahuna 9600 enterprise level production switcher, as well as its Maverik modular control panel. Kahuna’s FormatFusion3 technology enables multi-format operations, supporting any combination of SD, HD, 1080p (level A & B) and 4K.
The Kahuna handled the 4k signals from 10 Panasonic AK-UC3000 cameras. It was integrated with five EVS XT3 servers, an XFile 3 system for transcoding, a Sony PWS-4400 AV storage unit and a For-A FT-ONE for super slow motion as well as a graphics system from Vizrt, which was controlled by the SportStat CG application from WTVision.
Francisco José De la Fuente, CEO of Mediapro Portugal,said, “The Kahuna switcher combined with the Maverik panel is one of the most comprehensive solutions available on the market and it really came in to its own during this project. It was able to handle any and all formats that we needed so we had complete confidence during the live production process.”
The 4K feed was made available worldwide via the Hispasat 1D satellite using MPEG-4 AVC encoding, Match coverage was broadcast in 4K by multiple providers, including Movistar+, delivering to its cusomers via the new HEVC compression standard.
Neil Maycock, executive vice president of marketing at SAM, said, “Sports is where we’re likely to see the strongest initial traction for live 4K production. Recent activity in the US market echoes that, and Kahuna provides exactly the level of reliability that our customers need in this type of high-pressure environment. There are challenges with 4K but our technology and experience is here to help our customers make a smooth transition.”
In total, the HD signal was distributed to 170 countries, with an estimated audience of 600 million.
