DVCAM in action
4
SABC USES 28 DVCAM HARD DISK
RECORDERS FOR OUTSIDE BROADCAST
VEHICLES AND PORTABLE KITS
Broadcasting to an estimated 1.5 billion viewers
worldwide, the ICC World Cup 2003 was a major
event for South Africa’s national public service
broadcaster, SABC, and its outside broadcast
division, AirTime. At the heart of AirTime’s World
Cup coverage was an 18-camera vehicle with
sophisticated digital switching and mixing facilities.
“Two years in the planning, the new vehicle is the
flagship of AirTime TV Outside Broadcasts’ fleet and
is adaptable to all types of productions from live sport
to major musical concerts,” says SABC Engineering
Services broadcast consultant, Ivan Marsh.
Eight DSR-DR1000P DVCAM hard-disk recorders
were included in the vehicle, primarily for the Cricket
World Cup where they quickly proved to be invaluable.
The DSR-DR1000P units allow full-function play-
back (including slow motion) whilst recording contin-
ues uninterrupted. During World Cup matches, six
cameras were each slaved to a DSR-DR1000P –
four line cameras and two mat cameras directly
opposite the stump positions. The high quality digital
jog sound and smooth slow-motion playback (over
a speed range of +/- 200%) enabled the third umpire
to make conclusive lbw and run-out decisions.
Other DSR-DR1000P units were used for recording,
editing and playing back highlights packages during
half-time breaks. Once ‘in’ and ‘out’ points are
marked, the clip segment playback (CSP) feature
enables continuous playback of the selected clips
with seamless transitions.
The Cricket World Cup set-up has become
standard for all AirTime’s cricket coverage, with the
DSR-DR1000P also proving popular for other sports
events such as soccer, rugby, athletics etc.
“We first saw the DSR-DR1000P at IBC 2002”,
commented Manny Coelho, High Technology
Manager at AirTime. “During the ICC Cricket World
Cup they proved themselves an ideal recording
and playback solution. They give us the benefits of
disk-based recording while retaining the operational
feel of a VTR – complete with jog/shuttle dial.”
The DSR-DR1000P World Cup performance led
AirTime to place an order for another twenty
DSR-DR1000P units, not only for other outside
broadcast vehicles but also in fly-away kits for
covering remote events. In this application, the major
advantage of the DSR-DR1000P is its modest weight
(6kg). Five DSR-DR1000 units weigh approximately
the same as a single BVW-75 VTR (30kg). Initial
concerns about possible damage to the disk array
during travel were proved unfounded after extensive
trouble-free travelling with multiple DSR-DR1000P
units for almost a year.
DSR-DR1000PIS A STAR PERFORMER AT ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2003