Leading video systems manufacturer AJA provides effective in-venue AV solutions for live sport

Avatar
AJA
Image via AJA

With the UEFA 2020 European Championships amassing over five billion viewers last year, undoubtedly global interest in and engagement with football has never been as colossal as it currently is.

In an effort to capitalise on football’s worldwide appeal, stadiums and arenas are redefining the fan experience through a greater focus on in-venue AV (audio/video). With the viewing times for football matches being as varied as they are across the world, in-arena AV workflows must be designed to accommodate fans catching the action virtually or in-person.

Fans who engage with football both at the stadium and virtually expect high quality AV standards, especially at the highest level of the game. Hence, delivering a compelling experience to in-venue and remote fans requires a smart AV setup at the stadium which is comprised of the right technologies (such as cameras, routers, frame synchronisation, conversion technology and more).

From an acquisition standpoint, it’s essential to start with the highest possible quality video and audio signals from the pitch and also consider the content needs of rights holders, production crews, leagues, teams, and coaches. Juggling these requirements successfully subsequently equates to a lot of gear spread across the arena; however, 12G-SDI and Fiber equipment can provide assistance.

12G-SDI and Fiber solutions help to streamline audio and video signal conversion, recording, and transport to OB trucks, online platforms, in-venue displays and more. 12G-SDI solutions from AJA notably reduce cable clutter and troubleshooting on-site while also providing the bandwidth required to support 4K HDR content, ensuring a richer, more dynamic fan experience. AJA also offers a range of Fiber Solutions – from routers to video recorders converters and more – to support common needs that arise in the field, like conversion of baseband signals from coaxial to Fiber.

Signal routing is equally significant to ensuring a solid venue AV blueprint, especially given the volume of different capture technologies used today to acquire different player, team, and pitch views. In live sport situations, a variety of acquisition devices are in play – including ENG and drone cameras, cameras on wire above the pitch, cameras fixed in the goal, and ENG or iPhone cameras. This means that the right combination of 3G-SDI and 12G-SDI routers (like those of the AJA KUMO line) is necessary to allow a breadth of sources to be seamlessly routed from the venue to an OB truck and/or through a switcher while also utilising RF transport streams.

Moreover, venues are starting to explore the use of HDR and analytics to enrich the fan experience via in-venue LED display content or OTT streams that offer alternative views of the pitch interlaced with metadata and statistics. The effective application of both require the use of multiple frame rates and a level of consistency that demands frame synchronisation and conversion that is stable, reliable and – most critically – capable of implementing HDR workflows directly from a range of cameras and switchers in real-time.

Select frame synchronisation technology like the AJA FS-HDR is aiding in the process of enabling teams on the ground in venues to make immediate colour adjustments that allow greater vibrancy and key moments in a live matchup. Particularly in the case of OTT streams, AJA BRIDGE LIVE can assist by offering a comprehensive solution for live streaming arena content to a range of platforms like Twitch and YouTube, with support for SRT, HLS, RTMP/S, TRP/UDP, and MPEG-TS.

In addition to encouraging an elevated fan experience, these workflows, when paired with a device like the AJA Ki Pro GO multi-channel H.264 recorder, can provide coaches, players, and teams with invaluable footage right after a match for performance analysis. Furthermore, in the case of editorial teams, a USB drive recording of the match provides these aforementioned coaches, players, and teams with the capacity for compiling highlight reels or promotional content for online distribution.

Founded in 1993, AJA employs over 200 people worldwide in building industry leading video capture cards, digital recording devices, video routers, frame synchronisers and scalers, digital converters and professional cameras. AJA’s engineering has consistently supported advancements in broadcast technologies as well as format standards to provide video professionals with future-proof workflow solutions.

AJA also provides its unique technology to leading manufacturers and developer partners across the professional video industry for integration into their product lineups. High-profile media companies around the globe – along with broadcasters, networks, post-production houses, mobile truck operators, cinematographers, film editors and more – rely on the reliability, flexibility and performance of AJA technologies to accommodate an elite customer experience.

Previous ArticleNext Article

FIFPRO demands governance reform after FIFA’s FFE failure

Avatar
Image credit: BBC Sport

While FIFA cancelled plans to move forward with FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), FIFPRO are demanding change at the top of football’s global governing body.

‘Abuse of power’

The plan to sell minority stakes in future FIFA competitions to private investors brought intense criticism from fans across the world.

Governing bodies including UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia) rallied against FFE and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, leading to a crisis meeting in Morocco to determine Infantino’s seemingly untenable position at the head of world football governance.

The meeting, however, confirmed Infantino will remain as FIFA President going forward – a decision which has since prompted FIFPRO to make their stance clear: governance reform is a must.

“The withdrawal of FFE was inevitable. But withdrawing the proposal does not erase what it revealed,” the organisation said via an official statement on the FIFPRO website.

“A plan capable of permanently altering the ownership and governance of the FIFA World Cup, and commercialising the competitions built by generations of players, was conceived in secrecy, negotiated behind closed doors and brought to the brink of agreement before the FIFA Council, the Member Associations, players and football’s recognised stakeholders even knew it existed.”

“That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power.”

 

How to navigate governance post-FFE

As reiterated by FIFPRO, the FFE controversy arrived a mere few weeks after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIFA and the player’s union marked an optimistic step to a more collaborative future.

But what was previously a step in the right direction, now seems an insufficient policy to protect players – and the wider landscape of world football – from future unilateral decisions at the top.

FIFPRO’s demands – agreed upon by the Presidents of all FIFPRO regional divisions across Africa, Asia/Oceania, Europe, South America and Central & North America – include measures such as:

  • Using the Global Social Dialogue Platform as fundamental part of FIFA’s governance
  • Engagement with stakeholders over future decisions affecting the professional game
  • Voting rights for professional football’s stakeholders on the FIFA Council
  • Structural reforms to prevent future unilateral decisions

The message from FIFPRO is therefore clear. Now is not the time to rest on criticism; stakeholders in the professional game must encourage action and reform.

“These reforms are now indespensable. But they are the responsibility of the future, not an absolution of the past,” FIFPRO continued via their official statement.

“The players did not create this crisis. They will insist that football emerges from it with stronger institutions, stronger safeguards and leadership worthy of the trust the game demands.”

Referees to improve consistency with new UEFA guidelines

Avatar
Image credit: UEFA

In a meeting between Chief Refereeing Officers within UEFA and its 55 national associations, enhancing consistency and clarity underpinned the principle goals for the upcoming season.

Improving officiating

Referees – and particularly the usage of VAR – are often at the centre of post-match debates.

As the introduction of new technology into match officiating increases year-on-year, referees are in the spotlight more than ever before. The expectation was that more technology would decrease errors and controversy, but the opposite has proven to be the case.

Which is why the agreement and alignment between European nations marks a key step in the future of match officiating; the meeting between UEFA, its national associations and a representative of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) displays intention and commitment to ensuring future in-game decisions are clear, not controversial.

Meeting chair and UEFA Director for Refereeing, Roberto Rosetti, outlined why the agreement will have a vital impact on the future of European football, both domestically and internationally.

“The fact that all 55 national associations and UEFA have agreed on guidelines towards a more consistent approach to the application of the Laws of the Game marks a significant milestone,” Rosetti said.

“It will help improve the understanding of refereeing decisions among players, clubs and supporters and all stakeholders in the game.”

“For the popularity of football it is essential to remove all doubt from the game and ensure that the laws are applied with clarity.”

 

Limiting technology use

A widespread criticism of match officiating in recent years is the regularity with which VAR intervenes and interrupts match tempo.

The issue, however, is not that VAR can review decisions – in fact, this summer’s FIFA World Cup displayed an effective use of VAR during a case of mistaken identity, in which a player received a yellow card offence for a foul committed by an opposition player. In this regard, VAR was a vital part of ensuring a simulation offence did not go unpunished.

Frustration, however, grows when the use of VAR goes beyond checking “clear and obvious” errors. Lengthy replays, a multitude of angle-checking clips and the disruption of game flow all contribute to feelings of frustration among fans.

But recent amdendments aim to limit this in the upcoming season. VAR is an essential part of fair officiating, but responsibility must lie with the referee.

The new rules introduced by the IFAB are available here, with further initiatives to follow from UEFA in the coming weeks.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend