Italy’s Serie A1 Women Volleyball Championshio Uses Bespoke Multicamera OB Setup

Live event specialist AMS has implemented a multicamera OB featuring Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 and Studio Camera 4K Pro cameras to capture and broadcast the Serie A1 Women volleyball championship.

AMS follows the four Piedmont teams, including Chieri, Cuneo, Pinerolo and Novara, in their home matches, which typically requires that they manage up to three separate crews for three simultaneous broadcasts.

It’s a four camera production for each game with ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K live production switchers used for vision mixing. At the same time, acquisition employs a mix of URSA Broadcast G2 and Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro cameras, with everything transported in flight cases and built for each match.

“Each broadcast requires us to build a temporary broadcast gallery in the stands ahead of the match, so the workflow’s physical footprint and how we move it between jobs were critical considerations,” reveals AMS’ Head of Sport Events Business Unit Gabriele Lusco.

The workflow uses a SDI signal path, apart from a shoulder mounted URSA Broadcast G2, which employs a radio link for wireless transmission.

“We have two 4K Studio Cameras located on the gantry. One follows the action by shooting long, while the second position provides ‘color.’ A third camera on the gantry provides a wide shot of the court and closeups of the net. We also use it for replays alongside a fourth shoulder mounted courtside position,” he continues.

The temporary broadcast gallery features the ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K. “It fits our needs perfectly with the all in one design, combining switching and control hardware,” notes Lusco.

Adding, “There are eight sources typically, including four cameras, two key and fills, a replay system and the referee’s video referral feed. We then distribute the program feed to the cameras for return and control while also sending the program signal to an encoder for transmission and to a Blackmagic field recorder,” Lusco reveals.

While recording the camera ISO feeds directly from the camera onto SSD hard drives connected via USB-C, AMS also employs software for action replays.

In addition to using Blackmagic Video Assist 7” 12G HDR for monitoring and recording, AMS crews also use the vectorscope and histogram to test and monitor signal pathways for cameras when setting up.

A final program mix is output and distributed in 1080i with the same feeds made available to broadcasters for local television highlights. An encoder collects and distributes those signals with content then deinterlaced and streamed online in 1080p25.

“Given the logistical challenges our crews face, flexibility was an absolute priority for us, as was the ability to get in and out quickly,” concluded Lusco. “The practicality of the flight case design, coupled with the plug and play nature of Blackmagic’s hardware, means we can be set up and packed away in less than two hours.”