Ford Mustang Makes Its Debut in the ACC (Automobile Competition Championship)
Southern Methodist University (SMU) has taken a significant leap forward in broadcast technology with the unveiling of its new SMPTE ST 2110-based video production facility. This cutting-edge facility, housed in a 67,000-square-foot space at the SMU Indoor Performance Center's Armstrong Fieldhouse, marks a significant milestone for the university and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The facility serves as the epicenter for SMU's coverage of ACC sporting events. The retrofit of the multi-level space involved taking it down to a shell and rebuilding from the ground up. The first phase of the project connected the Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium, Moody Coliseum basketball arena, and Ford Stadium football stadium to the new production center. A second phase, to be completed by September, will connect more sources and the school's aquatics, lacrosse, and tennis facilities on campus.
One of the most technologically advanced production facilities among the ACC's 18 schools and possibly all of college sports, the new facility uses tvONE's CALICO PRO, a powerful system that supports both IPMX and SMPTE 2110 options, enabling flexible, high-bandwidth video transport over IP networks. This indicates an advanced infrastructure that supports high-quality video workflows and modern IP-based broadcast standards essential for today's live and recorded production environments.
The facility is equipped with high-speed media drives and OLED displays, suggesting that SMU has invested in top-tier hardware for fast media access and high-quality monitoring, crucial for professional-level production and postproduction work. The project, led by SMU's MustangVision team, was completed in a mere eight months.
The control rooms are equipped with Evertz DreamCatcher systems, Ross Video Ultrix Acuity 3 ME switchers, Ross Video Ultrix Carbonites, and six XPression Studio CGs. The Digital Resources team also installed equipment racks, cable ladders, and custom console furniture for the new facility. Calrec Argo audio mixing consoles handle the live and studio audio in the facility.
The facility encompasses the second floor of the former workout and training space and a partial takeover of space on the first floor. AJP ran 3,288 strands of single-mode fiber between Armstrong and the new facility, 144 strands to Ford Stadium, 144 to Moody Coliseum, and 96 strands into the soccer, tennis, lacrosse, and aquatics venues.
The benefits of this SMPTE ST 2110-based facility include scalability and flexibility in production workflows, improved video quality and low latency, integration with modern broadcast tools and workflows, and enhanced efficiency and reliability in content creation and delivery. The focus on IP networking and high-speed media workflows at SMU potentially delivers higher operational efficiency and lower latency, improving live sports coverage quality and streamlining production workflows relative to many peer institutions.
The new production facility at SMU sets a new standard for collegiate sports broadcasting in the ACC, embodying state-of-the-art broadcast technology and offering superior flexibility, quality, and efficiency compared to many existing college sports production facilities that have not yet fully transitioned to IP-based broadcast standards.
The new production facility at SMU, equipped with advanced wireless technology and modern features such as tvONE's CALICO PRO system, Ross Video switchers, Calrec Argo audio consoles, and high-speed media drives, serves as the epicenter for SMU's coverage of ACC sporting events. With its SMPTE ST 2110-based infrastructure, this facility offers scalability, improved video quality, low latency, and enhanced efficiency in content creation and delivery, setting a new standard for collegiate sports broadcasting in the ACC.
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