The investment bolsters the company’s speciality racing event offering

Sydney, Australia, 29 November 2021: Gravity Media – the leading provider of complex live broadcast facilities and production services to content owners, creators, and distributors – has made a significant investment into its largescale wireless broadcast solutions offering for live events. The new equipment from Domo Tactical Comms (DTC) will initially be deployed at the Repco Supercars Championship – Australia’s touring car racing series – before becoming available to other customers as part of Gravity Media’s larger deployment of RF equipment worldwide.

The purchase of DTC equipment includes 55 Broadcast Nano Transmitters, 55 SOL7NAMP Mini Robust 1W Amplifiers and 12 PRORXD-1RU Broadcast Receiver Decoders, adding to Gravity Media’s already impressive stock of communications kit. To ensure the equipment is set up for the best performance at the Supercars Championship and beyond, the DTC team worked closely with Gravity Media to customise the configuration of the equipment.

The new equipment will make its debut at the last round of the Supercars Championship 2021 season at the highly-anticipated “Repco Bathurst 1000”, taking place in New South Wales from Tuesday 30 November to Sunday 5 December 2021.

Greg Littrich, Gravity Media’s Director of Media Services and Facilities, commented: “The Supercars Championship represents the best of Australian motorsport, and Gravity Media is committed to ensuring that loyal fans continue to receive an unbeatable viewer experience, with the very best live in-car camera coverage. That’s why we’ve significantly invested in new DTC equipment to support our live broadcast solution. Given its 35 years’ experience at the cutting edge of transmitting and receiving in live broadcast environments, DTC is a partner we can rely on.”

Gareth James, DTC’s APAC Sales Manager, added: “We are proud of our partnership with Gravity Media as a leading provider of production services worldwide. The Supercars project endorses our belief that DTC’s Broadcast equipment range has become the prime choice for motor racing and other speciality camera applications and has been verified time and time again as the best in its field for RF coverage.”

Miniature, robust, net-mounted lens delivers unique perspective in Tennis 

Garbsen, Germany — 20 September 2021 – Dream Chip is the leading producers of the smallest broadcast cameras on the market. Gravity Media’s integrated the AtomOne mini Air into their ‘NetCam’ to create a revolutionary way to serve the Sports industry. Gravity Media is a leading global provider of complex live broadcast facilities and production services. The result is a revolutionary new way of capturing in-the-moment sports action. The new integrated camera has subsequently been deployed at a number of global Tennis events – mounted directly to the net – with great success.

The technology collaboration represents Gravity Media’s desire to provide clients with increasingly creative and innovative means of broadcasting the excitement and action of live sports, and to deliver tools which allow producers to capture action from more involved positions, giving a clearer and crisper picture of the action and allowing for the development of a more compelling, dynamic and emotive narrative.

In order to facilitate this, the solutions developed need to not only integrate the highest specifications of lens and sensor technology, but also need to be unobtrusive and lightweight enough to endure extreme usage conditions without interfering with play. The NetCam with Atom One Mini Air integration is able to achieve this due to the fact that the Mini Air lens is little bigger than a one euro coin and weighs just 25 grams, but is capable of delivering 10-Bit Color Depth and 1080/60p/i output to a 1/2.5” sensor, with rolling shutter, S-Mount lens and HDR compliancy. The special housing for the camera built by Gravity Media and the use of leightweight but highly robust materials and exceptional craftsmanship ensure that the camera is able to endure the shocks of impact on the net without signal loss, where balls can hit at speeds of up to 117 mph.

By being mounted on the net, viewers are able to appreciate with greater detail than ever the tiny margins of precision for each shot, and with the wide angle lens are immersed in the action even more than if they had front-row seats. Moreover, application is not merely limited to the net, and cameras can be placed in other unusual positions – such as near ball boys, court lines and umpires – to give alternative, PoV perspectives on the action. The cameras integrate seamlessly with a wider production setup, allowing for a range of angles to be covered and managed through a single network backbone and controller.

Speaking of the integration, Tony Valentino – Head of RF & Special Cams for Gravity Media – said: “We were confident from Dream Chip’s reputation that they could help us to deliver real innovation for our clients, but having tested the Atom One Mini Air in the field, even our initial expectations were surpassed. We were overwhelmed not only at the quality and reliability of the image produced – especially in such challenging, rugged conditions – but also at how the clarity and unique positioning of the camera enhanced the overall production our clients were able to deliver. Indeed, they were eager to keep the camera on-site for longer than their initial one-day trial.”

Speaking for Dream Chip, Director of Sales Stephane Ducobu said: “We love to be able to work with innovators such as Gravity Media, who share our belief that cameras are creative tools first and foremost, and that technological development should always serve to enhance and expand the creative options available to broadcasters. Net-mounting presents a range of complex challenges from a technological standpoint, but Dream Chip’s focus on component quality, robustness and miniaturisation make Atom One cameras ideal for this kind of application.” 

More information about Dream Chip and its products is available at www.atom-one.de.

London, United Kingdom, 19 August 2021 – Gravity Media – the leading global provider of complex live broadcast facilities and production services to content owners, creators and distributors – has been debuting its new Globecam specialist cameras unit across grounds in England and Wales this summer at The Hundred cricket tournament.

Gravity Media’s Globecam unit is renowned for creating ground-breaking, high-definition digital miniature live broadcast devices, which entertain audiences globally with new and exciting angles and perspectives. This summer Gravity Media’s Globecam specialist cameras – HelmetCam and KeeperCam – have been in use at the new cricket tournament series The Hundred. 

The inaugural events of The Hundred series have taken place throughout July and August this year and feature top players from around the world competing in a 100-ball cricket tournament. The series involves eight men’s and eight women’s teams, is run by the England and Wales Cricket Board and has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports and the BBC. 

Making its UK production launch on The Hundred, HelmetCam delivers a unique HD broadcasting experience, letting audiences at home experience exactly what the batter sees when they step up to the crease. It delivers the thrill of a speeding ball and the trepidation of a hit or a miss. The images captured by the device have also been useful diagnostic tools for pundits dissecting key moments in a game.

The device has full HD 1080i/50 resolution, HD-SDI output from the receiver, image stabilisation and is light-weight at only 230g in total. The deployment of the cameras follows Gravity Media’s acquisition of the Globecam business in July this year from Australia’s Telstra Broadcast Services. Along with its DSNG (Digital Satellite) fleet, the additional complements Gravity Media’s already impressive UK-based specialist cameras unit. 

Greg Littrich, Director of Media Services & Facilities for Gravity Media in Australia commented: “We knew that Gravity Media’s acquisition of the Globecam speciality camera business would allow us to enhance the live broadcasts that we deliver for clients and the roll out of the HelmetCam at The Hundred is a great example of that. It’s been a great tournament of exciting cricket and we’re looking forward to rolling these specialist cameras out into lots of other live events.”

ENGLISH

UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown) is the world’s newest tennis league. Created by Serena Williams’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou, UTS presents a unique and disruptive format that comprises intense 40-minute matches broken down into quarters, and innovative in-game features. Live coaching and mid-match interviews are livestreamed to the audience at home, allowing fans a rare insight into what the players are thinking mid-game. 

UTS4 – the fourth edition of the event – took place on 24 and 25 of May 2021 at the Mouratoglou Academy, located in Biot on France’s Côte d’Azur. Gravity Media had a team of 30 technicians, engineers, cameramen and EVS operators onsite, looking after everything from rigging the AV equipment to creating fast-turnaround highlights of key match moments. 

As a no-spectator league, UTS relies on a highly creative broadcast setup. The way it’s filmed is very different from traditional tennis matches, requiring a suite of specialist cameras and microphones to transport the fans onto the court and into the action. For UTS 4, that suite of specialist equipment consisted of eight cameras, including two track-cams and a Steadicam; two RF cameras; and eight PTZ robotics, alongside three EVS XT 3, a Lawo MC²36 audio console, and a Sony MVS 6530 vision mixer. 

All of this equipment was despatched to Biot in Gravity Media’s unique Production Pods – ultra-efficient, highly portable mobile production units that are both interconnected and pre-integrated, to allow for rapid rigging and derigging. With designated units for Audio, Production and MCR, these pods offer all the features of an OB vehicle, in uniform, portable containers that can easily be transported by road, rail or plane. Configured by our in-house experts, they contain all the equipment needed for HD outside broadcasts, as well as bespoke furniture, air conditioning and electrical distribution – allowing crews to be up and running within minutes of arrival. 

As a special dispensation for UTS4, we decommissioned some of our regular equipment and adapted the technical specifications to facilitate the use of Beats headsets in the production instead, as part a sponsorship deal between Beats and UTS. In fact, we had to think outside of the box for the entire production – particularly the audio solution, which needed to allow commentators to speak to players during the match, capture discussions between player and coach – and even pick up what players mutter under their breath between points. Meanwhile, we also developed hi-tech on-player cameras, and deployed our popular netcam mini-camera solution. 

The net result was a high-tech yet cost-effective, perfectly integrated production solution that can be set up and dismantled quickly and easily, and carried all over the world. We’re proud not only to have supported UTS on this latest outing, but also to have partnered with them to develop the UTS product itself.

All of UTS’s matches are live-streamed on their own streaming platform, UTS Live, which also carries replays, insider episodes, podcasts and match highlights. UTS4 involved eight matches per day over two days, streamed on UTS Live and broadcast in over 100 countries across five continents. 

For more information about Gravity Media’s Production Pods, specialist cameras and RF equipment – or for any other help with your next production – drop us a line on enquiries@gravitymedia.com.

FRENCH

L’Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) est un nouveau tournoi de tennis totalement inédit ! Créé par l’entraîneur de Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou, UTS propose un format résolument innovant : des matchs de 40 minutes divisés en quart-temps de 10 minutes et des règles du jeu complètement dépoussiérées. Les échanges entre les joueurs et leur entraîneur et les interviews réalisées à la mi-match sont retransmis en direct au public, qui peut ainsi vivre le match en immersion complète et ainsi apprécier cette expérience inédite. 

La quatrième édition de l’Ultimate Tennis Showdown s’est déroulée en France les 24 et 25 mai 2021 à l’Académie Mouratoglou située à Biot, sur la Côte d’Azur. L’équipe de Gravity Media, constituée de 30 techniciens, ingénieurs, cadreurs et opérateurs EVS, a géré l’ensemble du dispositif de production audiovisuelle, de l’installation du matériel à la création de résumés en quasi-live. 

L’UTS n’accueillant pas de public, la retransmission des matchs exige beaucoup de créativité. La couverture vidéo n’a rien à voir avec celle de matchs de tennis traditionnels : des caméras et des microphones spécialement conçus pour ce type d’événement sont nécessaires afin que le public soit au plus près des sensations des joueurs sur les courts. Pour l’UTS 4, le dispositif comprenait huit caméras, dont deux caméras sur rail, une steadicam, deux caméras HF, huit caméras robotisées PTZ, ainsi que trois EVS XT 3, une console de mixage Lawo MC²36 et un mélangeur vidéo Sony MVS 6530.

Les PODS : des unités de production mobiles ultra-performantes aisément maniables 

Le matériel a été transporté vers Biot dans des PODS de production spécialement créées par Gravity Media : des unités de production mobiles ultra-performantes et aisément déployables, qui sont interconnectées et préintégrées pour faciliter le travail de câblage. Ces PODS comprennent des unités audio, de production et nodal, installées dans des conteneurs uniformes facilement transportables par route, train ou avion, qui offrent toutes les fonctionnalités d’un car régie. Elles sont configurées par nos experts et contiennent l’équipement nécessaire à la réalisation de produits broadcast HD : mobilier sur mesure, système de climatisation, unité d’alimentation électrique intégrés. Quelques minutes suffisent pour les installer sur site. 

Netcams ou solutions audios immersives : l’innovation au coeur du projet 

Dans le cadre de notre collaboration avec l’UTS 4, nous avons remplacé une partie de notre matériel habituel et adapté les spécifications techniques pour les rendre compatibles avec l’utilisation de casques Beats, l’un des sponsors du tournoi. Il nous a fallu faire preuve d’inventivité pour mener à bien l’ensemble du processus de production, notamment en ce qui concerne les solutions audio. En effet, les commentateurs devaient pouvoir communiquer avec les joueurs durant les matchs, suivre les échanges entre les joueurs et leur entraîneur, et même entendre ce que les joueurs se disaient à eux-mêmes entre chaque point. Nous avons également mis au point des caméras ultra-perfectionnées conçues pour être fixées sur les joueurs, les ramasseurs de balle ou les acteurs présents sur le terrain, et procédé à l’installation de mini caméras sur le filet Netcam. 

Le dispositif de production audiovisuelle mis en place pour UTS 4 était ultra-perfectionné et parfaitement intégré tout en permettant une excellente maîtrise des coûts, montage / démontage rapides et une possibilité de transport partout dans le monde. Nous sommes non seulement fiers d’avoir contribué à la réussite de cette quatrième édition de l’Ultimate Tennis Showdown mais également d’avoir mis au point un produit particulièrement adapté aux besoins de cet événement innovant. 

L’intégralité des matchs était retransmise en direct sur UTS Live, la plateforme de streaming de l’événement, qui propose de nombreux contenus comme des rediffusions, épisodes en immersion, podcasts et temps forts de chaque rencontre. Les seize matchs programmés de l’UTS 4 ont été diffusés dans plus de 100 pays, sur les cinq continents. 

Pour en savoir plus sur les PODS, les caméras spécialisées et le matériel HF de Gravity Media ou pour obtenir de l’aide pour votre prochaine production, écrivez-nous à l’adresse enquiries@gravitymedia.com.

The Gravity Media team was on site at The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend in South Australia for round four of the Supercars Championships servicing the world feed and Fox Sports’ unilateral. 

The team provided all the technical broadcast facilities with almost 12 hours of practice, qualifying and racing broadcast live and advertisement free exclusively on Fox Sports 506 across the two-day event.  

It was an iconic race weekend as Supercars debuted three new onboard camera angles as part of Supercars’ ongoing plan to innovate with its broadcast courtesy of a new deal with Gravity Media.

The three new cameras included a rear-facing camera on Will Davison’s #17 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang passenger door, a front-facing camera attached to Fabian Coulthard’s #19 Team Sydney Holden ZB Commodore passenger door and a camera in the badge of the front grille of Brodie Kostecki’s #99 Erebus Motorsport Holden ZB Commodore.

This week also saw Supercars return to The Production Centre in Sydney for episode two of their Tuesday Night Takeaway show which was live-streamed on their Facebook page to over 12,300 viewers.

With just over two weeks to go, the countdown is on as the team prepares for more terrific action at the Winton SuperSprint. When the green flag comes down and the lights go out, motorsport is an experience like no other!

For more information on how Gravity Media can help you with your next production, please email enquiries@gravitymedia.com  

The wait was finally over as the Supercars Championships returned for the Repco Mt Panorama 500 at Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia.   

There was no rest over the weekend as the Gravity Media team provided all the technical broadcast facilities capturing the action from the first circuit of 2021.   

Onsite, our services included outside broadcast trucks HD5 as Main Production & Fox Sports and HD9 as overflow & Ch7 unilateral, full track camera coverage, pit lane wireless and specialist cameras, in-car camera services (fully integrated 10 x TX paths with 120+ cameras in all categories), broadcast & virtual GFX, and team radios.   

New to the services from Gravity Media for 2021, is the increased support of technology for ‘Motorsports’ the onsite governing body who manage all race adjudication, with a centralised service in Race Control. 

EVS Xeebra sits at the base of our newly launched GRS (Gravity Review System), and an enhanced communications system in Pit Lane with Riedel Bolero at the coal face fully integrating with all other UHF and fibre borne communications.  

Meanwhile, Gravity Media was also engaged to look after Event Communications, providing a complete onsite non-broadcast communications solution covering 40 duplex circuits with 446 UHF handsets.   

You can now watch the highlights from across the weekend here and to find out how Gravity Media can help you with your next production, email enquiries@gravitymedia.com  

We offer a comprehensive range of specialist cameras, tracking systems and remote solutions for global broadcasters, production companies and live-event organisers.

These unique camera systems include SkyTechno, the only telescopic tracking, underslung full size crane that can be operated from above a stage, and Spidercam/Spidercam Lite – cable operated remote camera systems seen at sporting and entertainment events the world over. 

From handheld wireless cameras and in-sport on-boards, to waterproof RFs and gyrostabilised helicopter cams and links – the very latest specialist camera solutions. 

Specialist cameras – From the jungle to the desert, our specialist cameras have never gone black, and are entrusted by filmmakers around the world to capture extraordinary images in challenging locations. 

RF – High-performance UHD and HD wireless links for radio cameras, onboard and PoV cameras, and solutions to send signals over large areas with low delay. 

Contact us today to see how we can help with your next production.

With the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown having a dramatic impact on live sports coverage, Remote Production now seems to make much more sense for broadcasters and facilities providers. 

The R&D team at Gravity Media is focused on developing POV cameras for many new applications which can be adapted for Remote Production workflows. Current key projects include Tennis Cam and REF CAM systems incorporating the versatile cyan view camera control technology. 

The Tennis Cam project is a unique opportunity to provide our clients with a bespoke designed dual POV camera solution mounted on the net and providing stunning live-action shots. The cameras are connected to a signal transport interface using a single cable providing power, data and video – and a  quick release connection allowing for easy install. The camera’s signals are then transported via fibre back to the MCR where they can be remotely controlled. Future features will include integrated camera stabilisation and remote tilt functionality. 

ReFCam is a new in-house development being carried out in collaboration with our RF team based in Paris. The system consists of a DREAMM CHIP ATOM AIR CAMERA  integrated on a light weight vest with a Cyan View remote unit for camera control and a DTC Nano Transmitter. A future addition to the REFCAM will also be camera stabilisation and remote tilt functionality. 

With new smaller high quality cameras, lenses and sensors being developed in a market that is constantly evolving, the introduction of portable light weight gyrostabilised camera platforms has taken the broadcast industry by storm. Using the latest light weight portable gyrostabilised gimbals, the Gravity Media R&D team is developing a fully integrated UHD remote camera system which can be used for standalone pole cam applications or track mounted for stabilised tracking shots. The system can be wired or wireless, with full camera control including remote control of Zoom focus and iris. 

As Remote Production gains momentum,  the use of POV style cameras integrated together on a multicamera platform has become a very attractive option for broadcasters worldwide. A key product development area for Gravity Media is the integration of multiple cameras onto a single platform with full control of both cameras and remote heads using the Cyan View Control system as the backbone to the network, operated remotely via IP over fibre connection or 4G/5G wireless networks. This project is aimed at providing a remote camera production set-up using a combination of POV cameras and miniature remote heads all connected via a single cable infrastructure. 

Having the ability to not only control cameras but also other broadcast hardware – such as routers, colour correctors and GPIO panels – from the centralised system means it’s possible to adapt to a wider variety of client needs. On top of this, thanks to the low network traffic required by the system, not only is Remote Production possible over IP, but so is Remote Support. The easy to install system can then be remote configured and maintained by an engineer, reducing the number of people physically required on set to meet a show’s requirements.  

Two examples of set-up implemented by Gravity Media would be the Australian Open Tennis and Australian Ninja Warrior. When the requirements of the show changed whilst the engineering team was off-site (at one point in the UK), it was possible to make the necessary modifications over the IP link via a VPN, modifying the set-up as required and testing stability from 10,000 miles away and at a moment’s notice.  

The universal nature of the system also means there is virtually no limitation on what can be added to a network – from the miniature Dreamchip Atom Air camera, all the way up to the MRMC AFC100 head with a DKH-200 camera attached in an outdoor weatherproof housing with wipers, washers and heaters. Camera networks of over 100 unique devices can successfully be used on shows around the globe – demonstrating the system’s ability to scale from small budget productions all the way up to major international sporting events.  

Gravity Media offers a wide range of specialist camera solutions bespoke designed for the needs of our clients for standalone or multi camera setups as part of a complete flyaway package. Our specialist Camera Rental Equipment includes:

• Hitachi DK-H100 and DK-H200
• Panasonic AW-HE130 and 4k AWUE-70
• Q-Ball2
• Dream Chip HD Atom Air Cameras  

Gravity Media also offers tracking systems and compact robotic heads for a wide range of production requirements which include:

• MRMC AFC100 robotic head with integrated I/O connectivity which enables network scalability and optional CCU control .
• Pole Cam System
• Fibre Systems
• Cyan View Control Systems
• Remote head control via Joystick Remote Panels /RCP
• Tracking Systems with IP control 

Other live events supported by Gravity Media’s specialist cameras include:

• BBC Top Gear
• I’m a celebrity get me out of here
• Australia Open Tennis Coverage
• FACEIT Esports World Championship Series
• Ninja Warriors

For more information please see here or email us on enquiries@gravitymedia.com

From 18 to 21 February, the RF team from Gravity Media’s Paris operations was onsite at the AccorHotels Arena in Bercy, covering the concert of Belgian singer and musician, Angèle.

Angèle filled the concert hall for all four nights, allowing eager fans the opportunity to hear her latest album, Brol La Suite, performed live.