Related: NBC’s Winning Olympic View
The Winter Olympics will see some UltraHD (UHD) production, but it will be generally fairly limited. NBC, for example, will be using the Sony F55 4K camera for some interviews and coverage, reports John Studdert, VP of sales for Sony Electronics Professional Solutions of America.
“We’ll be shooting [UltraHD] footage around the venues,” adds Dave Mazza, senior VP and CTO of NBC Sports Group and NBC Olympics. “We will be sending enough footage each night that the MVPDs [multichannel video providers] can demo 4K and hopefully wet people’s appetite for 4K.”
NBCU’s parent company, Comcast, has announced it will be developing an offering of 4K content. NBC will also be using an UltraHD replay system with a For-A 4K slow-motion camera and Evertz DreamCatcher system in its regular HD production. “We used it very effectively in the [2013] Stanley Cup playoffs,” says Chip Adams, NBC Olympics VP of venue engineering. “You can shoot in 4K and then zoom in on key plays and provide a better look in HD. It has been another tool to tell the story.”
The Winter Games are likely to be just a prelude to additional 4K sports production later this year. Sony, for example, is planning to shoot the final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in UHD.
