SVG Summit 2024 Recap

December 20, 2024

Covering the Broadcast Innovations Of Today, and Tomorrow.

At Dale, December means attending the SVG Summit, annually held at the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan. The Summit brings together some of the greatest technical minds and talents in the broadcast industry to NYC for two days of informative workshops, panels, and other meetings, rounded out by exhibits from some of our valued vendor partners.

Day One

Session Recap - Live Production: Getting Practical with ST-2110
The first session we attended at the event was a subject we've followed closely for some time: the practical adoption of the ST-2110 standard. The panelists - Kevin Callahan (NBC Sports), Jason Taubman (Game Creek Video), and Dan Turk (NEP Group) - gave an insightful overview regarding how ST-2110 is now making its way into the "real world". Remarking that it's more than "IP for IP's sake", each of them detailed some basic case uses of how this technology has greatly boosted their workflow flexibility and productivity.

The panelists also delivered a list of desired improvements to the platform, mostly based on better support for integration and setup. That said while espousing how generally reliable ST-2110 is, Taubman did remind everyone a warning that due to a slower general startup to a system, it can change the way a network or truck company may need to address redundancy and failsafe techniques.

The segment closed with the general question "What's next for 2110?". Each panelist agreed there was a need to further adopt a more consistent audio channel format for better commonality. They also restated the importance of PTP clocking for best usage.

Making The Most Of Live Cloud Production Tools
This next segment was of interest to us, as the trend of virtualization continues to bring new challenges. The panel consisted of a combination of vendors and users, each offering perspectives on the subject. They each explained how powerful of a tool cloud production is for producing high-quality live streaming, commentary, and instant replays. The major sports organizations have had success using cloud production to create fan-engaging video content like game highlights and behind-the-scenes footage.

Audio Production and Distribution Workshop
The afternoon of Day One was then devoted to the Audio Production and Distribution Workshop, held by the DTV Audio Group. Hosted by DVAG's chairman Roger Charlesworth, this year's primary topics were the advancement of direct-to-consumer services and continued immersive audio updates.

Dolby's Cherylene McKinney kicked things off, calling 2024 a "turning point for sports", and talking about the movement to streaming, the Summer Olympics, and next-gen codecs. She also touched on the increased adoption of AC4, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision. The number of Atmos-enabled devices has now eclipsed 3 billion worldwide, with significant progress in the automotive market.

Jackie Green from Nexonic then took over - as one of our industry's leading minds on wireless audio, she offered some perspectives in the current RF landscape. With some potentially large political changes looming on the horizon, the FCC may once again seek to auction off more of the already-precious UHF spectrum. A presidential memorandum was released last year to modernize and strategize the US spectrum, to be managed by the NTIA. She noted that amidst the various defense and cellular providers, broadcast and audio companies were conspicuous in their absence. She displayed a series of facts and figures, showing some of the challenges that may lie ahead for the ever-threatened RF spectrum.

A panel then followed, dedicated to ST-2110, and whether manufacturers are "getting it right". Moderated by industry stalwart A1 mixer Glen Stillwell, the panelists included people from Dolby, Lawo, Calrec, and Audinate. Some of the thoughts expressed involved a slow functional transition out from SDI, breaking away from its norms as IP evolves. There was a general sense of hope that engineers and techs could expand beyond some of these mindsets to let the format grow.

Brent Chamberlin from Audio-Technica spent the next segment talking about IP microphones, and some of their challenges and developments. One of their major action items was to improve the preamp experience, especially matching them. This is of course highly important in multi-channel capture. This adds to a list of other questions when deploying - what format to use, IP addresses, integration APIs, and real-time control. There was a hope for major console manufacturers to offer support for IP mics and for better metadata while capturing - even positioning and movement - for both live and post-production.

This led to a panel of production hubbing and changing topology of audio - also known as REMI (Remote Production), which is largely believed to be "here to stay" in the broadcast world. These practices have changed the face of broadcasting, saving untold millions in travel costs alone. From A1's all the way down, quality of life and quality of service have vastly improved. This also touches on the fact that it can make these roles more appealing to younger generations of broadcasters and techs. Other benefits include engineers being in the same rooms more regularly, fostering familiarity, and allowing for added inclusivity.

Rob Oldfield from Salsa Sound came up with a brief overview of the use of AI as a tool for broadcast sound. The use of machine learning can be very useful for recognizing patterns, which can greatly assist object-based audio broadcasts. It can also be a great assistant in mixing, mixing QC, speech, noise reduction, audio separation, and so much more. This has impacted the sports world by bringing fans closer to the games played, enhancing the viewer's experience. AI can be used to make the at-home consumer feel like they are sitting live in person at the stadium or arena. 

The afternoon then concluded with a final panel, called "Perspectives on Live Audio Production and Distribution". Comprised of some top talent from NBC Sports, Amazon Prime Video, and Dolby, the panel offered some closing thoughts on some of the topics shared above, such as the future of direct-to-consumer, future immersive audio developments, and personalization.

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Day Two

The second day was devoted to more workshops and seminars, many of which were in the elegant main ballroom of the Hilton. These sessions dealt with more specific topics or companies, covering more unique subjects like consumer engagement, a recap of the Paris Olympics, a look at some of the business and financial landscape of the industry, and even an in-depth look at an upcoming film about the Munich Olympics incident in 1972. Some highlight sessions for us:

Technology And The Future Of Fandom
A look at some of what's driving the future of sports broadcasting and content delivery, with an added push towards more digital, app-based, direct-to-consumer content, while trying to predict how over-the-air programming will be affected. Panelists included representatives of the NBA, NHL, NFL, and PGA Tour.

Think Local: How Regional Sports Networks Embrace Innovation
RSN's, of course, do not always have the budgets nor personnel to create the same level of presentations as seen by national networks, yet need to be the primary source of content in their respective markets. So what are they to do? This lively panel dealt with leveraging technology atop their deep knowledge of their local viewer base, featuring how CSN Chicago was able to turn NBC/Comcast's divesting of local coverage into an exciting new hub for the Windy City's local fandom.

Protecting Your Wireless Spectrum From Continued Loss
We've said it time and again in our newsletters: the RF spectrum for professional wireless has been shrinking for years, and (in no small part pushed forward by a recent presidential memo) doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon unless the audio and broadcast community takes action. A panel of manufacturers and top RF experts shared their recent experiences on this matter, concluding the segment with an introduction to NABA's newly launched North American Spectrum Alliance.

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Ross Lager from our family ownership is an avid enthusiast of modern sports media and was present for the event: "Year after year this is a very beneficial event. It is so important for people from all different lanes in this industry to be face to face discussing the trends and patterns of the present and future. SVG does an awesome job of providing this platform for executives, producers, and end users to share ideas and perspectives to improve this industry together,” he said. "This consistently growing event continues to deliver the necessary knowledge to keep moving forward and Dale Pro Audio is always happy to be a part of it.”

Dale Pro Audio is proud to be an ongoing supporter of the Sports Video Group and one of the industry's leading suppliers of solutions for Broadcast and Field Audio.

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