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The Limitless Broadcast team’s use of the EVS LiveCeption , LSM-VIA and Xtramotion system helps them deliver effective, cost-efficient remote productions for clients such as TNT Sports.

EVS Limitless liveCeption

Limitless Broadcast in southwest London delivers live multi-camera broadcast coverage for linear broadcast and streaming. Their team is equipped to deliver services on-site, remotely, in the cloud or integrated into clients’ galleries. Other specialities are host and world feed services, and live studio, fixed rig and outside broadcast production, and they take a particular interest in multi-platform projects and native social streaming for all screens.

In their technical approach to projects, they consider themselves to be ‘early-adopters with entrepreneurial spirit’, and haven’t hesitated to move into remote and cloud production as new technology has emerged. The Limitless team’s use of EVS’ LiveCeption system, for instance, has been instrumental in helping them to deliver effective, cost-efficient remote productions for clients like TNT Sports channels. They have been able to achieve the goals of each project, while controlling resource consumption.

Remotest Remote Production

Limitless broadcast recently took the role of host live broadcast partner for the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) with production partners Buzz 16 and TNT Sports. Claire Wilkie, Founder and CEO of Limitless Broadcast, commented, “To fulfil this contract, we're deploying a fully remote production to service world feed coverage and TNT Sports domestic coverage.

EVS Limitless liveCeption4

“We can handle remote production in many ways, but for this project, we're making the remotest version of remote production possible. We've taken a traditional, on-site outside broadcast truck and broken it down into a very modular workflow by building what we call Limitless Connect modules. They run solely on battery power, meaning we don't rely on diesel generators on site.

“We can use the modules to scale up to a 20-camera outside broadcast and take our workflow to many different kinds of venues. We maintain a very small on-site footprint, leading to cost efficiencies across the whole of the production. Our approach allows us to produce tier two sports events with the services and quality that's normally associated with tier one sports.”

Workflow

A central part of their remote production architecture is the EVS LiveCeption system, deployed at the Limitless Remote Production Hub. Made up of two XT VIA live production servers, XFile3 for streaming four simultaneous 1080p 50fps feeds and archiving, and two LSM-VIA systems for replays and highlights. The LSM-VIA also triggers AI-generated super slow-motion clips from the EVS XtraMotion service.

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XFile3 is used to archive, transcode and restore content in any format, from multiple destinations. Its software gives control and visibility of all file transfers from a single interface, and allows users to archive locally or through connected live workflows. Equally important is its ability to retain the clip metadata that needs to be kept with the archived media.

Creative Freedom

In particular, XtraMotion gives the Buzz16 production team a large measure of creative freedom, increasing the frame rates of highlight clips through the addition of AI-interpolated frames to allow production of super-slomo clips. Director Daniel Hudson and associate producer Lisa Thomas at Buzz 16 both remarked that OB productions with so many cameras usually involve carefully deciding which positions will get super slow-mo cameras, due to the cost.

Lisa said, “Using the XtraMotion system to select any angle allows us to show the emotion and narrative of the game a lot better.” Overall, Limitless Broadcast’s approach means they can deliver tier-one production standards for tier-two sports coverage on TNT Sports, and their workflow shows the potential of remote production to increase the company’s flexibility, scalability, efficiency and sustainability. evs.com