Simplylive announced its partnership with CIS Group as a value-added reseller and system integrator in Brazil and the Eastern United States.  

“I have had the pleasure of working with CIS Group for many years and am thrilled that they have chosen to partner with Simplylive” said Chuck Silber, Simplylive’s Chief Revenue Officer.  “The CIS team was quick to realize the potential of Simplylive’s future-proof software driven sports broadcast solutions, and they are highly motivated to help us expand our reach into the markets that they serve.  I believe their outstanding reputation and high level of technical expertise uniquely positions them to help Simplylive disrupt traditional sports production workflows across all levels and segments of those markets.” 
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Commenting on the partnership, CIS Group’s CEO Matt Silva added “I’m extremely excited to work alongside Simplylive in order to optimize our clients’ sports production workflows. It goes without saying that the sports industry pushes the media-tech space towards the edge of technological possibility and propels our entire industry beyond those bounds, further driving innovation. To me and the entire CIS team, it’s absolutely sensational to be partnering with a company that shares our vision and enthusiasm for the sports industry as a whole.”
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About CIS Group
For over 30 years CIS has been a distributor and digital systems designer and integrator, providing innovative technology solutions to a multitude of clients in various regions. In doing so, we have focused on putting our clients’ budget to good use by optimizing their workflows, ultimately enabling them to maximize creativity. Our core expertise lies in broadcast and entertainment, but we also service non-media institutions, such as houses of worship, educational entities, and corporates.

Headquartered in Florida, USA, CIS also has offices and representatives in Brazil (Rio and São Paulo), New York, and Portugal. For more information on CIS Group, the services we offer, and our partners please visit: www.cisgroup.tv.

Touchscreen multi-camera systems that make live production simple for College and High School sports. 
 
Simplylive, the makers of the world’s most intuitive and ultra-efficient multi-camera production systems has announced the release of four product bundles specifically designed for Colleges and High Schools needing to produce live sports programming.  All four “Varsity” bundles are based on the revolutionary Simplylive ViBox platform. ViBox redefines multi-camera sports production with its easy-to-use, touch screen interface and flexible workflow options, allowing schools to easily produce a show using just one system interface—or grow their productions to have multiple users doing multiple tasks—all on the same platform. 
 
The Varsity Sports Bundles

• The ViBox All-In-One Varsity Bundle – an all-in-one production solution with applications for video mixing, camera switching, live NDI graphics overlay, super slow-motion replay, audio mixing and content export
• The ViBox SloMo Varsity Bundle – A super slow-motion replay system for in-game production and highlights creation
• The RefBox 4 & Refbox 8 Varsity Bundles – Cost-effective video review solutions for official replay and post-game coaching analysis
• The ViBox Micro Varsity Bundle – A single-channel production controller for adding audio or graphics to a downstream program feed

 
All bundles include a compact hardware unit optimized for 4- or 6-camera setups, and support baseband, IP and hybrid workflow.  A simple setup requires adding just cameras and touchscreen monitors to get started.
Benefits to Schools

• Schools can easily train anyone to produce live sports in a few minutes. Anyone who uses a smartphone or a tablet can learn the touchscreen commands of a ViBox system to produce live sports.
• Schools can hit their budget requirements by only adding the modules needed and expand later. System bundles also include extras capabilities like audio mixing software and content exporting software for additional value.
• Schools can grow their audience engagement with professional video features like super slow-motion replays in both the All-In-One and SloMo bundle.
• Schools can live stream games as they happen for remote audience, with simultaneous recording and export for on-demand or offline viewing.
• Schools will own their own content production and control their video assets so they can reuse video for future programs, recruitment videos and player skills improvement.
• With RefBox, leagues and schools can be ready for official replay from all angles as play review is adopted. They can leverage the same system for post-game coaching analysis and player development.

 
“I recognized before joining Simplylive that ViBox and RefBox would be perfect for High Schools and Colleges needing to produce high quality sports programming,” said Chuck Silber, Chief Revenue Officer, Simplylive. “With its intuitive touch-screen interface, small hardware footprint and system flexibility, plus the added features included in these bundles, this will be the easiest way for schools to produce truly professional-quality content at a price they can afford.”
 
Varsity Bundles are available immediately and can be demo’d at a value-added video equipment reseller near your location. ​

3zero2, a member of Euro Media Group, invested in 26 Simplylive Vibox system for their remote production operation center in Milan.

3zero2 has performed remote productions on over 1.700 events per year for the past 3 years. This summer 3zero2 had to upgrade their production and streaming facility to accommodate 1080i 50 production. The configuration is very efficient: camera streams are sent remotely to Milan using 4G and IP contribution technology H264/H265/JPEG2000 and 3zero2 operators receive the camera with audio from the field and mix the video, the sound with commentary, perform replays, highlights, streaming and archive. This is a very effective solution to stream volleyball, basketball and Serie C football content to distribution platforms.

“As we had to upgrade our current technology to produce in 1080i, we decide to move to the Simplylive Vibox solution as it offers a more flexible and powerful solution, both technically and operationally”, says Luciano Consigli, CTO, 3zero2.

“3zero2 already had committed to 2 Simplylive Vibox8 AIO 2 users in 2018. This allowed us to show the benefits of our technology in action. We are very proud to continue our partnership and to have been chosen for their big upgrade this year”, mentioned Luc Doneux, Simplylive’s Managing Director.
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In September 2018, Euro Media Group closed a long-term partnership with Simplylive, in order to develop solutions for the broadcasting industry and to meet the actual & future market’s needs.

Technology takes center court at the U.S. Open whenever Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams stands in sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium, watching the replay of a line call. But in truth, innovation is everywhere, even on the sparsely attended perimeter courts.

A trio of tripods abut the nets on nine outer courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, holding up a pair of robotic cameras that flank a laser surveyor on the sideline opposite the chair umpire. Two other remote cameras are mounted beyond the baselines.

Those five pieces of equipment—the four cameras and a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) image-recognition system—are the only visible traces of ESPN’s broadcast coverage on these courts at the U.S. Open, which begins today in Flushing, Queens. That’s a stark contrast to the 58 combined network and Intel True View cameras inside Ashe for the early rounds, with more to be added as the tournament marches toward the championship matches.​

But the gear on those outer courts, along with the tech that’s being used in the modular broadcast center across the USTA campus, makes it possible for as few as two people to produce a match for television using Simplylive’s ViBox production technology, Fletcher’s Tr-ACE system for camera player tracking, and SMT’s automated graphics in the control room. In all, ESPN will tap more than 600 workers to broadcast some 1,300 hours of tennis coverage spanning the entirety of the U.S. Open, including last week’s qualifying play and the two weeks of the main draw.

All that airtime makes the Open the network’s biggest event of the year, yet its headquarters are housed in a pair of modular buildings whose construction only began in July. “This is the largest thing we do, and it’s a flypack operation,” says Dennis Cleary, ESPN’s director of remote production operations. “This facility was empty four weeks ago.”

Sitting in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium, each modular is constructed of 22 trailer units—11 on the first floor, 11 on the second—giving the sports network about 10,500 square feet per building. ESPN contracts with Gearhouse Broadcast to rent all its equipment. But as nondescript as the gray-sided buildings are, the insides resemble what VP of production Jamie Reynolds calls “a super-charged Best Buy.”

In 2015, ESPN became the exclusive domestic rights holder of the U.S. Open and is now in the fifth year of an 11-year pact that runs through 2025. But this will be only the second Open in which ESPN is covering all 16 courts with cameras, with every point airing somewhere. Linear networks ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNEWS will carry about 130 hours of coverage, with the rest either streaming on ESPN3 or via the subscription service ESPN+.

That’s possible because of the automation of key functions in the control room. Simplylive’s touchscreen monitor enables one director to cut cameras, execute replays and insert graphics. The director can access four angles on those outer courts (which the network dubbed ACES, short for Automated Court Enhancement System), as well as all of the so-called beauty cameras taking B-roll around New York City and the national tennis center grounds. “It allows us to select cameras and effectively take what is a massive, conventional control room and synthesize it and converge it down to a desktop control area,” Reynolds says.

The two sideline cameras on the “ACES courts” are guided by laser tracking; an operator in the control room can select the player—or players in doubles matches—that ESPN wants to follow and the Fletcher system can discern the clothing and/or appearance of those players and keep them in the frame. This system, which is used on the outer courts at all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, has already passed it greatest test: doubles at Wimbledon, which featured four players all wearing white.

“Budgets and numbers are getting smaller, yet the amount of content and events that are trying to be covered are growing,” says Gregory Macchia, Simplylive’s VP sales and operations for the Americas. “The traditional way of covering events with a lot of hardware, a lot of people, mobile trucks, having people on site—that can’t be sustained.”

Relying so much on technology has its drawbacks. Reynolds says that crafting a series of shots to capture personality and “give an event that lightning-strike moment of excitement” can be more challenging without the human influence of a camera operator. But what the coverage might lose in its nuances is made up for in its scope. ESPN serves as the U.S. Open’s host broadcaster, meaning its feeds are disseminated to international networks. Tennis generates significant handle in foreign betting markets, and that could translate to the burgeoning U.S. market too.

“I think the fact that we’re doing all the courts speaks to the volume and the interest that [is] out there and available. So you probably can read between the lines of what that message means,” Reynolds says, noting the reported 10-year, $1 billion deal between IMG and the ATP World Tourfor betting streaming and data rights. Regarding the specifics of ESPN’s U.S. Open coverage, Reynolds adds, “On the editorial side of the house, we cover the event. But we’ll recognize the fact that there’s a line out there, and we’ll keep our fans aware of what it is.”

ESPN has full confidence in the new technology, having tested it in the background of the 2017 tournament prior to going live with it last year. “Because we set up for a couple of weeks and we’re there for 14 straight days, like an Olympics, we have time to test and not burden the core production that’s going on,” says Chris Strong, a senior remote operations specialist who notes that ESPN is conducting other tests for possible implementation next year.

Given the betting markets and content demands across multiple channels, the ACES coverage is likely to become a fixture of broadcasts, just as ESPN’s temporary broadcast center may become a fixed structure after this year’s tournament. “Inevitably, the USTA’s goal is—now that they’ve added a second floor—to keep this permanent,” Cleary says of the modular headquarters. “But the only thing that really stays in here is maybe some of the office furniture that we own and purchased from IKEA.”

Seven Gearhouse trucks with Simplylive ViBox systems produced 150+ games from 10 sites

Although the Little League World Series has been a staple of ESPN’s summer programming slate for decades, the network is taking its efforts to a new level this year. For the first time, ABC, ESPN’s networks, and ESPN+ are carrying every single Little League Baseball and Softball U.S. regional and World Series game — a record 345 games in all. ESPN has continued its push into the automated-production realm in order to produce this throng of regional Little League games over the past month, deploying production trucks outfitted with SimplyLive ViBox semi-automated-production systems to 10 different competition sites.

ESPN is using Simplylive ViBox semi-automated production systems to cover nearly 200 Little League Baseball and Softball games this summer.

“These are games that were never covered before because it was challenging from a budgetary standpoint to find a model that made sense,” says Chris Calcinari, SVP, remote production operations, ESPN and ABC Sports. “We’ve now been able to create an efficient model that allows us to do these games for TV or streaming without sacrificing significant production quality. We’re excited to be able to serve Little League fans with content they never would have seen before.”

Seven Trucks, 10 Locations, Nearly 200 Games
ESPN deployed seven Gearhouse Broadcast production trucks equipped with ViBox systems to 10 locations to cover the Little League Baseball and Softball Regionals, as well as the championship events from all divisions (Intermediate, Junior, and Senior) for the first time — totaling about 180 games (primarily streamed on ESPN+) in less than a month. The trucks deployed were more compact units Gearhouse added to its fleet when it acquired Proshow Broadcast last year: its 40-ft. Prodigy and Maestro trucks, O-class REMI units Opus and Ovation, and two Sprinter-class units.

A Vibox system was temporarily installed in each truck in a two-person, two-screen operator configuration: director/TD on one screen and producer/replay on the other.

“The [Gearhouse] trucks are smaller than your average truck, and, with the automated touchscreen systems, an operator can do multiple functions at the same time,” Calcinari explains. “Not only are we minimizing the footprint, but we’re also combining some of the roles, like having a director also cut cameras on the ViBox touchscreen [instead of a TD at a switcher]. That’s going to be a big focus for us: how do we get really efficient inside the truck using the touchscreen to minimize the number of bodies onsite.”

ESPN deployed five to seven cameras at each site — a combination of manned cameras, locked-off POVs, and Fletcher robos — depending on the setup of each ballpark.

“These are primarily traditional camera positions that we use for Little League coverage anyway,” notes Dennis Cleary, director, remote production operations, ESPN. “We are just making it fit into the ViBox model. Where we’re at now is on the educational and training side for the operators: the biggest thing we’ve got to work on is increasing that pool of folks that can use the ViBox system. We have a great training setup with Simplylive at all of these venues to make sure it’s a success.”

Seven Gearhouse Broadcast trucks deployed for ESPN’s Little League productions feature ViBox systems.
In addition to the ViBox operators, the limited crew inside each mobile unit included a graphics operator using an AJT graphics system that feeds the ViBox via NDI (with some assistance from a graphics AD), a camera shader (provided by Gearhouse), and an A1 for audio. ESPN utilized the existing audio infrastructure in the Gearhouse trucks, including Calrec and Yamaha digital consoles and the usual complement of accessories and intercom systems. Audio to and from the ViBox was interfaced to the console for playback and recording functions. A team of 14 Gearhouse engineers leapfrogged around the country to cover the various tournaments.

“It has been a very successful project from our end and a really good learning opportunity to take a platform like this and work with the client to do an extensive proof of concept,” says Tim Lewis, VP, technology and design, Gearhouse Broadcast USA.

ESPN Plots an Automated-Production Roadmap
The Little League productions mark the latest chapter in ESPN’s automated-production efforts with Simplylive, following ESPN’s outer-court coverage of the 2018 US Open tennis tournament (which contributed to ESPN’s Sports Emmy win for Outstanding Technical Team Remote).

​The Simplylive ViBox system requires two operators: director/TD and producer/replay.

“We were very comfortable with [the ViBox] at the US Open, but that was nine courts being produced with a flypack set up in one room,” says Cleary. “By spreading this out from an operational standpoint for [Little League], [the effort] becomes more complex, but we know that the system is completely capable,”

ESPN also utilized ViBox systems for its productions of GEICO High School Basketball Showcase games in December and continues to use the system at its South Street Seaport studio in New York City.
“This is certainly our largest rollout of the ViBox to multiple locations,” says Calcinari. “Obviously, we used it extensively at the US Open and elsewhere, but to do it across 10 sites in seven different mobile units over a short period of time for almost 200 games, I would say there’s nothing that has been done on this scale from a live-event standpoint [in the U.S.]”

Gregory Macchia, VP, sales and operations, Americas, Simplylive, adds, “We’ve done a lot of events at this point, but this was probably the biggest test for us. We knew we were going on-air with hundreds of games from multiple [locations] no matter what. I think this shows how [ViBox] is not just a concept anymore; it’s a real product that can do real productions, and we can do it with less people and a smaller footprint. These are almost 200 productions that would not have been [done] in past, and that is our focus: doing more productions and getting more content out there that wouldn’t be available otherwise.”

The REMI Factor: Testing Control From Bristol
ESPN also conducted tests to integrate ViBox workflow into its REMI (remote integration) at-home–production model, further reducing travel costs for smaller productions like Little League. In this test, the ViBox operator was located at the network’s Bristol, CT, headquarters and controlled the ViBox onsite in the truck via a custom GUI.
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“In theory, we could do the replays and cut cameras from the GUI back in Bristol,” says Calcinari. “That could be another iteration of our REMI model long-term, but we’re still in the testing phase of that. We’ve done some testing with that already at the Seaport studio: our LAPC [L.A. Production Center] can control the ViBox that is sitting at the Seaport for some of our shows, like Jalen & Jacoby. We’ve definitely proven the model, and we know it works. Now we’re just trying to figure out how to deal with it in a live-event scenario vs. a studio show.”

Looking Ahead: More ESPN+ Content May Mean More ViBox Productions 
Calcinari says ESPN will continue to evaluate future opportunities to use ViBox on productions — especially as thousands of live events are added to the ESPN+ OTT streaming service in the coming years.
“We will continue to find places where this tool allows us to be more efficient. We think this is a big step forward, and we know that the number of events [streaming on] ESPN+ is only going to grow in the future,” says Calcinari. “Now that we have completed the ViBox run of games, we look forward to digesting our learning and focusing on the next opportunity for this technology.”

ESPN continued to blaze the automated-production trail earlier this month when it produced eight high school basketball games over two days for ESPN+ utilizing the SimplyLive ViBox production unit and the Fletch Follow automated robotic camera system. This follows on the heels of ESPN’s automated-production efforts for the nine outer courts at the US Open in September, which allowed ESPN to cover all 16 courts for the first time.

As part of its GEICO High School Basketball Showcase, ESPN presented three days of high school hoops at the HoopHall West in Scottsdale, AZ, from December 6-8. The first day featured a linear broadcast of San Joaquin (CA) vs. Pinnacle (AZ) on ESPN2 that was produced out of a mobile unit using traditional manned cameras and a full production and technical staff. However, on December 7-8, ESPN utilized an automated-production model to produce four games each day, allowing the network to deliver games that would otherwise would not be covered.

“This initiative falls in-line with our on-going effort to innovate at the large events, as well as the smaller events where we are focused on new technologies and work-flows that allow us to operate more efficiently. The key is to also maintain quality, which both the ViBox and Fletch Follow systems provide,” says Chris Calcinari, SVP Remote Operations, ESPN and ABC Sports. “As a next step, we hope to evolve the workflow by controlling these tools from our centralized hubs, creating additional efficiencies long-term.”

Fletch Follow: Automated Cameras in Action on the Hardcourt
Fletcher, ESPN’s primary robotic-camera partner, developed an automated robotic system built around camera telemetry data. The system deployed for these games, included robotic cameras placed at the main game and tight positions, as well rigged under the backboards. The tight camera was controlled by a human robotic operator, with the ability to have all the other cameras robotically follow similar camera movements with appropriate framing. Fletcher provided on-site engineers capable of revising code to focus on robotic performance and accurate framing throughout the event.

SimplyLive ViBox: Streamlining the Production Workflow
ESPN worked with Bexel to design a small flypack built around the SimplyLive ViBox production system to support cutting of the show sources similar to a traditional switcher. Additionally, the ViBox supported record and replay functionality similar to a traditional replay system.  For this initiative, the user interface for the ViBox consisted of two 27-in. touchscreen work surfaces. These control surface screens also served as the monitor wall. Alternatively, users can also use mouse control or an outboard shuttle wheel as replay control options.
In addition to having one robo operator control all cameras, workflow efficiencies included combining roles. The Director/Technical Director and Producer/Replay Operator/Assistant Director roles were combined and handled by two production staffers.

Bringing It All Together: Graphics, Audio, and Comms
For this game, graphics were limited to clock and score. Not having clock or scoreboard data pushed ESPN to think outside the box. Using the AJT Livebook with OCR (optical character recognition) capabilities, ESPN was able to use a camera to automate the clock and score throughout the event. The Livebook was integrated into the ViBox via NDI.
Commentary and effects audio was supported by a small traditional console, which was incorporated into the ViBox via a Dante network.

​Communications was supported with a compact communications matrix for belt packs and panels, leveraging a Dante IP network, while telephone interfaces connected the remote to Bristol.
“Because Bexel and Fletcher are now both part of the NEP Worldwide Network, this project came together seamlessly. All of our divisions operate as one team very effectively, and have the same eye towards innovative, client-centered solutions,” says Mike Werteen, Global President, NEP Broadcast Services.

SimplyLive will be at the SVG Summit on December 16th and 17th at the NY Hilton, NYC, NY. We will be demonstrating all of the application layers that are part of the ViBox Platform including the All-In-One solution, SloMo, RefBox and the BMR recorder/streamer. For larger productions, A two operator workflow can also be viewed including the All-In-One application layer and SloMo. 

Also available for demo will be our new ViBox Varsity Bundles including:

• The ViBox All-In-One Varsity Bundle – an all-in-one production solution with applications for video mixing, camera switching, live NDI graphics overlay, super slow-motion replay, audio mixing and content export
• The ViBox SloMo Varsity Bundle – A super slow-motion replay system for in-game production and highlights creation
• The RefBox 4 & Refbox 8 Varsity Bundles – Cost-effective video review solutions for official replay and post-game coaching analysis

To find out more about SVG Summit, visit https://www.sportsvideo.org/events/

Simplylive has appointed Chuck Silber as Chief Revenue Officer. In his role, he will be responsible for all revenue-generation strategy and execution, with an initial focus on growing Simplylive’s presence in the North American market. His duties will include creating and implementing the sales and marketing strategy, developing a distribution and reseller network – and ensuring that these initiatives are aligned to the overall company strategy. He will report directly to Managing Director Luc Doneux.

“Chuck is a seasoned sales and marketing leader with a proven track record for growing revenue as well as building and coaching world-class teams. Among many qualified candidates, Chuck stood out as the ideal person to help lead Simplylive through our next stage of growth. We are thrilled that he has joined our team,” said Simplylive founder and Managing Director Luc Doneux.

Silber has 25 years of experience driving multimillion-dollar revenue growth and building world-class sales and marketing organizations. Just prior to joining Simplylive, he was the Chief Operating Officer for NewTek, an industry leader in professional video production products whose revenue grew over 6X during his tenure. While at Newtek, Silber architected and implemented a world-wide distribution and channel program that resulted in a reseller network that is widely regarded as one of the strongest in the industry. Previously, he was the Vice President of Sales and Services, Americas for Avid Technology, a world leader in digital media creation tools for film, video, audio, and broadcast professionals.
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“Although Simplylive is a relatively new company, it is run by an impressive team of industry veterans – all with strong pedigrees in the live sports production market; in fact, the core team has well over 100 years of combined experience in live tv,” said Silber. “The future-proof software technology they developed was architected from the ground-up to enable local, remote, and cloud-based production – and to work natively in baseband, IP, and hybrid video workflows. I believe this uniquely positions Simplylive solutions to disrupt traditional sports production workflows across all levels and segments of the market. I am excited to be a part of the team and look forward to contributing to the growth of the company.”