SABC To Utilize Broadcast Pix’s Slate 1000 at FIFA World Cup

South African Broadcasting Corp. (SABC), the official broadcaster of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has purchased 10 of Broadcast Pix’s Slate 1000 live video production systems for use during the event. The tournament, which begins June 11 and features 32 teams from countries around the world, is expected to draw substantial crowds beyond ticketed spectators, and the Slate systems will be used to provide coverage for public viewing areas near each venue.

Matches will be played in 10 stadiums in nine South African cities, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. While the venues vary in capacity – the smallest, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, holds more than 43,000 spectators, while the largest, Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, has more than 88,000 seats – organizers anticipate massive turnouts from passionate fans throughout the tournament. As a result, FIFA has authorized the development of “fan parks.” Based on the concept pioneered at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, fan parks will be positioned near each stadium to provide live video coverage of the action on large screens for overflow crowds.

Johannesburg-based dealer and integrator Questek Advanced Technologies sold the Slate 1000 systems to the SABC. Justin Thathiah, Questek sales executive, said the SABC chose the 1 M/E Slate 1000 because of its integrated Fluent production tools, including clip and graphics stores, multi-view, and Inscriber CG. The integrated production system also provides multi-definition production, with support for 1080i, 720p, and SD sources. “It gave them a lot of functionality all in one,” he said.

According to Thathiah, the fan parks will display the broadcast feeds of the matches. Each venue will have a handful of dedicated cameras that will be used to entertain the crowd outside of live match coverage times. The Slate 1000 will be used to switch the video and add clips and graphics. Following the World Cup, Thathiah said the SABC will use the Slate systems for regional programming throughout the nine provinces in South Africa.