Cavalese and Predazzo for RAI
Italian state broadcaster RAI from February 20th to March 3rd aired the World Championships NORDIC - FIEMME 2013.
Three locations involved were the ski jumping stadium of Predazzo, the cross country circuit of Lago di Tesero and the Piazza dei Campioni of Cavalese, where the awards ceremony was held.
The event, organized by the Nordic Ski Cavalese, provided a thick array of devices in the scene, and a great deal of technical staff.
Mobile equipments and technique coming from RAI Milan, Rome, Naples and technical personnel rallied from Trento, Bolzano, Milan, Rome, Naples, Florence, Bologna, Ancona, for a total of about 130 people!
Giuseppe Mura, in charge of the event for RAI tells us: "The technical means fielded by RAI on this occasion were truly impressive; enough numbers to speak. It starts from as many as 35 cameras that rotate on 45 positions depending on the type of event, all of scaffolding. 17 cameras were involved to cover the ski jumping events in Predazzo
In addition, 5 other cameras were involved in the shooting, including 5 for the awards ceremonies, 5 for the opening events in Trento and some other 7 for the custom dedicated only to Rai Sport.
A three channel Grass Valley LDK8300 generation was used for super slow-motion.
The cameras in Predazzo were remotely controlled from Tesero where the main control room was located. In the MCR (master control room) flowed all the signals generated and hence were sorted and distributed to foreign broadcasters who were present.
Inside the IBC, gathered about 50 video signals simultaneously.
Here, in order to ensure control of all incoming video signals - in a triple container, RAI used a latest generation Nexus 256 in x 256 out matrix. RAI also created on purpose a curved support structure holding eight 46" monitors- which formed a semicircle. It was, in practice, the evolution of the multi viewer.
In the super control center were set up areas for EVS continuous recording and slow-mo, a Play-out station, and 2 editing workstations with Avid. All races have been recorded in XDCam with 10 recorders.
Involved were 22km of camera cables, 5 km of fiber for interconnection, with 7 ob-vans, including 3 for cross country Cavalese; these three OB vans were located in three different points of the track and interconnected through approximately 1000 meters in optical fiber. A fourth mobile production unit was used in Cross Country Cavalese, dedicated to RAI Sport. A fifth ob-van was in Predazzo for the ski jump and a sixth was placed at Piazza dei Campioni, for the award ceremonies.
The seventh mobile vehicle was used in Trento for the opening ceremony of all sporting events, even though it worked a few days."
All interconnection through fiber optics allowed RAI, to exchange video, audio, intercom and data.
Some Hitachi cameras were used by means of RAI Sport in Predazzo while all other cameras in all the various sporting events were Grass Valley's.
2 full HD radio cameras were used in Tesero and other 2 were employed on snowmobiles. Another radio camera shot in Predazzo.
Giuseppe Mura points out: "all shooting was in HD and audio was in stereo from the cameras and (using a staggering seventy microphones) ancoded in 5.1 DolbyE.
All images were recorder onto seven 6-channel latest generation EVS machines and some other 3 in Predazzo.
Another fact that RAI would like to stress very much on the technical point of view is the extensive use of optical fibers for interconnection and all the communications between the main control room and the various locations involved, plus the production centers in Rome and Milan."
