In Broadcast - October 2013 - 40

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 24 - OCTOBER 2013

N E W S

InGEAR

AJA TruZoom Supports MLB Network
A

40

JA Video Systems has been
working closely with MLB
Network, Major League Baseball’s
24/7 cable TV network, to bring
the soon-to-be-released AJA
TruZoom software to market for
highly detailed region-of-interest
(ROI) extraction from 4K video.
The TruZoom application controls
AJA’s Corvid Ultra with TruScale
hardware, which supports 4K/2K/
UHD/HD/Dual-link and SD
workﬂows to produce scaled output
video at 1080p, 720p or 1080i. AJA’s
TruZoom software allows customers
to rapidly keyframe scaled elements
onto a timeline from 4K sources
to deliver incredible image quality
and was demonstrated during
the IBC Conference at the RAI
Convention Center in Amsterdam
at the AJA stand.
“In sports production, replay clarity
is paramount,” said Brad Cheney,
Director of Engineering, MLB
Network. “Fans want a replay that is
clearly deﬁnitive. With TruZoom, we
can capture the entire image, then
enlarge plays in the same frame, so
viewers can verify for themselves
how close the game of baseball can
be when a runner steals a base or
a ball ﬂies over the fence. The 4K
source imaging provides us with
an extraordinary look at the game

of baseball, and the quality that
AJA has been able to reproduce is
far and away better than any other
scaling solution we’ve seen.”
First tested in March 2013,
TruZoom was deployed by MLB
Network during a handful of regular
season games in June, with plans
to use the technology in the fall for
two Division Series game telecasts.
MLB Network’s workﬂow involves
capture with either a Canon C500
or a Sony F55 camera, shooting
first base and second base on
a preset. The camera signal is
delivered over fibre to an OB
truck where it’s converted back to
electrical video and plugged into
the AJA Corvid Ultra with TruScale
card, which is housed in a custom
conﬁgured HP Z820 Dual Xeon 3.10
GHz workstation with an NVIDIA
Quadro K4000 GPU, with record
and playback facilitated via an
internal SSD RAID array made up
of eight Samsung 840 Pro 512 GB
SSD drives connected to an Areca
RAID controller.
“The best feature about the 4K
imaging with TruZoom is that we
can see close plays in a much better
light than we’ve ever been able to
before and offer our viewers an
unprecedented look at the game
of baseball,” said Cheney.

AJA’s TruZoom allows customers to keyframe scaled elements onto a timeline
from 4K sources

Without TruZoom, producing this
level of replay required a multi-step
process using a server and a DVE,
which doesn’t yield anywhere near
the 4K quality level.
“Working with AJA has been
exceptional,” added Cheney. “The
challenges we’ve encountered have
been slim to none and the handful
of times we needed something
ﬁxed or replaced, the response
was immediate.”
AJA President Nick Rashby

noted: “MLB Network expressed
interest when we ﬁrst announced
Corvid Ultra, and their feedback
has helped shape TruZoom into a
viable application that is incredibly
user friendly for camera operators
and editors alike. We’re thrilled to
see the applications of TruZoom
in live sports broadcast, and
anticipate additional inventive
uses across customers in live
event production, professional AV,
broadcast and film.”

Egripment’s TDT Encoded Crane Lifts German Elections
T

he Egripment TDT Encoded
crane was chosen by Media
Group RTL Germany (RTL & N-tv)
to provide the crane shots for the
augmented reality shoot during the
coverage of the German Elections
and its forecast broadcasts.
The live-programme called “RTL
Trendbarometer and Meine Wahl”
is shot weekly on location in the
main entrance of the RTL Media
Group Building in Cologne.
The live coverage of the

German Elections employed
the same setup.
The Egripment TDT encoded
crane, placed on 8 mtr of encoded
track, is ideal for use on location.
It is quick to set up and calibrate
for use with AR and VR graphics.
The user interface of the Tracking
Software is very user friendly and
easy to understand.
Egripment’s tracking interface,
operated at the TDT Encoded
crane, delivers all data, ready to

Egripment’s TDT Crane provides shots for the augmented reality
shoot during the coverage of the German Elections

use with the rendering engines. All
axis from the crane like the boom
and head are obtained in real-time.
The advanced function of the
interface includes the superior lens
calibration and the lens distortion
values, which various rendering
machines take into account to fulﬁl
the highest demands.
The setup at Cologne is used in
combination with an ORAD HDVG.
The Egripment TDT Encoded
interface supports and is certiﬁed

for all major rendering vendors
such as ORAD, VIZRT, Brainstorm,
RT Soft, WASP3D, VENTUZ
and many more.
The Egripment staff operated
the encoded TDT crane, while
CBC (Cologne Broadcast Center)
facilitated the camera operator.
Egripment’s encoded system can
be used on many other Egripment
cranes such as Scanner, Elite or
Janjib cranes.

The live-programme, titled “RTL Trendbarometer and Meine Wahl”,
is shot weekly at the RTL Media Group Building in Cologne

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In Broadcast - October 2013

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