LOUISVILLE, Ky.—In another sign that broadcasters are finally using NextGen TV broadcasts to offer viewers new features instead of simply simulcasting existing feeds, Gray Television has announced several key initiatives to advance the NextGen TV transition and bring more of the benefits of this new standard to viewers in Gray’s local communities. 

In the runup to the Kentucky Derby, Gray announced that its NBC affiliate WAVE(TV) in Louisville, Kentucky, became the first affiliate of a major network to broadcast all of its programming using High Dynamic Range (HDR) with Dolby Vision and immersive sound using Dolby Atmos. 

The “always on” feature ensures that all of WAVE(TV)’s local and network content, including more than 30 hours of Gray’s live, local coverage from Churchill Downs starting with WAVE(TV)’s local morning news at 5:00am on Monday April 29 through the late evening news at 11:00pm on Saturday May 4 and including the key horse races in between, will all be in HDR with immersive sound.

“With HDR and immersive sound, WAVE(TV)’s programming will pop. Viewers will immediately notice the enhanced contrast between the brightest and darkest colors on the screen,” said John O’Brien, WAVE(TV)’s general manager.

Gray also announced that in Las Vegas, Gray’s Fox affiliate KVVU(TV) was the first commercial television station to launch as a NextGen Virtual Broadband IP Channel in December 2023. Earlier this month, KVVU(TV) became the first Fox affiliate and first NextGen Virtual Channel to broadcast its entire programming schedule in HDR with Dolby Vision, again bringing the rich colors and vivid contrasts of HDR to viewers in Las Vegas.

“For many years, broadcasters have been promising to use NextGen TV to bring superior picture quality and immersive sound to viewers. Gray is proud to be among a handful of leading broadcasters who are now delivering on that promise. Our stations in Louisville and Las Vegas are just the beginning of Gray’s efforts to launch more of its NextGen TV stations with these innovative, consumer-pleasing features throughout the summer and into the fall,” said Pat LaPlatney, Gray’s president and co-CEO.

In addition to advanced picture and sound quality, Gray also is using NextGen to offer new interactive and streaming services for viewers. 

In Las Vegas and Kansas City, Gray’s stations are using NextGen TV and the RUN3 Platform as a portal to access Gray’s live 24/7 local news-focused national streaming service, Local News Live. With a simple click of the remote, viewers watching KVVU(TV) in Las Vegas or KCTV(TV) in Kansas City on a NextGen television set can access Local News Live. Gray’s stations in Las Vegas and Kansas City are the first to use NextGen as a portal to access a free, live streaming news service providing a new public service to viewers in Gray’s markets.

“With NextGen TV and the RUN3 Platform, Gray is able to bring Local News Live to the millions of viewers in Gray’s markets who have already purchased or will soon purchase a NextGen TV set,” said Sandy Breland, Gray’s COO.

“In the coming months Gray anticipates it will use NextGen TV and the RUN3 Platform to offer more innovative and interactive features for its viewers, including start-over, interactive gaming channels, and much more,” offered Rob Folliard, Gray’s senior vice president and currently the chairperson of NextGen TV consortium PearlTV. “With the strong penetration of NextGen TV capable television sets in the country, we expect consumers will increasingly recognize how NextGen TV will improve their experiences even more than our industry’s transition from analog to High Definition fifteen years ago.”

In TV Technology's latest guide to sports production, we profile the new Luxor Esports Arena Las Vegas, a 30,000 square-foot multilevel venue that can host every form of competitive gaming. The facility is fairly unique in that it was built for eSports, which means it was built for broadcast and video production. We also take a look back at NBC's coverage of this year's Kentucky Derby and preview the latest technology going into the new MLS D.C. United stadium.

CHURCHILL DOWNS, Ky.—The 144th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 5 was the wettest derby in the event’s history. By the time the field of three year-old thoroughbreds (including race winner Justify) thundered down the legendary Churchill Downs track, more than 2.8 inches of rain had fallen at nearby Louisville Airport, breaking the previous Louisville May 5th rainfall record of 2.31 inches, which had stood since 1918.

For NBC Sports, whose Kentucky Derby coverage capped three days of horse racing on NBC and NBCSN, the working conditions were extremely difficult. The relentless heavy rain turned the Churchill Downs track into muddy, sloppy muck that splashed skywards wherever the horses ran (sheets of mud spray can be seen in the Derby race video) while drenching crews and equipment. Granted, NBC Sports had weatherproofed cameras and operator positions before the race, but the rain still made life tough for personnel to work outside.

“Just to try to keep 52 cameras up in rainy weather that continued all day was a feat in itself.” —John Roche, NEP

“It was a miserable, miserable day, all day,” said John Roche, senior technical manager for NEP, which provided the mobile units and related equipment to NBC. “Just to try to keep 52 cameras up in rainy weather that continued all day was a feat in itself.”

Despite the damp weather, NBC Sports was able to break new ground with a never-before seen camera angle on the track’s distance back stretch, thanks to “BatCam.” “It was a true innovation at the derby,” said Tim DeKime, vice president of sports operations for NBC Sports.

FROM NASCAR TO REAL HORSE POWER

Initially used by NBC Sports to cover high-speed NASCAR races, BatCam is a cable -supported, self-powered moving Panasonic AK-HC1500G HD box camera that goes from 0 to 60 mph in 1.5 seconds; reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. BatCam’s combination of quick acceleration, high speed, and unobstructed suspended camera angle made it well-suited to cover Churchill Downs’ back stretch. (Top horse speeds at the derby typically hover around the 40 mph mark.)

[Read: Fox Sports Adds High Speed Rail Cam to Coca-Cola 600 Live Coverage]

The decision to use BatCam came after long discussions between NBC Sports and Churchill Downs managers. “Our producers’ desire was to get a different shot of the back stretch that we’ve not seen before,” said DeKime. Eventually, everyone opted for the high-speed BatCam after considering “various types of camera systems,” because none of the others were fast enough to keep up with the horses while providing consistent, smooth video.

To use BatCam at the Kentucky Derby, two 80-foot reticulated arm lift trucks with 10-foot extension trusses were positioned inside the track’s second and third turns respectively. Next, a high-tension cable measuring 2,200 feet was suspended between them at a height of 90 feet above ground. BatCam — with its remotely-controlled Panasonic AK-HC1500G HD “camera car” unit — was then mounted on the cable.

The result was a smooth, extremely clear overhead camera view of the Churchill Downs’ back stretch from end to end. (It can be seen in this NBC Sports clip of the race.)

“You could see the race from a spectator’s point of view,” said Roche. “You were travelling side-by-side with the horses as they ran along the back stretch.”

CAMERAS & OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

In addition to BatCam, NBC Sports had 52 HD cameras positioned around the Churchill Downs course. “We used 27 Sony HDC-2500 cameras — including six handhelds connected wirelessly by BSI RF equipment — eight HDC-4300s, and one HDC-4800 4K camera for the finish line,” said Keith Kice, NBC Sports’ senior technical manager. “We ran the 4800 at four times speed and were able to do the digital zoom on the camera [to take a closer look at the finishers while delivering 1080p video resolution].”

For the Kentucky Derby — which averaged 15 million viewers this year — NBC Sports thought it worthwhile to add a 4K camera to the production.

“If our budget has the room, we use 4K where we can,” said DeKime. “4K lends itself to the finish line camera, and we’ll use it on various other horse races. If the Belmont becomes a Triple Crown contender, I can promise you that we’ll have 4K on the finish line as well.” [This issue went to press prior to the race.] He noted that the Sony HDC-4300s can be upgraded to 4K if required, allowing NBC Sports to scale up 4K resolution if need be.

As for the mobile production trucks NBC Sports used NEP’s ND1s A, B, C and D units for the main NBC network show, according to Kice. “Earlier in the day, when we were on NBCSN, we used NEP’s SS-15. We also had a mobile unit there from BSI that provided all of our RF audio and video for the show.”

Laying out all 52 cameras, and connecting them back to the production trucks (by fiber-optic cable or RF), was a major challenge for NBC Sports due to Churchill Downs’ sheer size. “It’s about a mile around,” Kice said. “Getting everything in place, connected, and checked out on schedule made for a very full three days.”

Despite all the factors NBC Sports had to deal with, everything went as planned for derby fans.

“The weather was pretty horrible, and it put a damper on everything; no pun intended,” said DeKime. “But for as much rain as we got, during what was probably the wettest Kentucky Derby ever, we had very few problems. One of the cables got fried due to water near the end of the day, but overall it was technically a pretty good day for everybody despite the circumstances.”

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LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—Fans not at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 7, will have the chance to see the run for the roses in a whole new way, as NBC Sports has announced it is working with NextVR to provide a live 360-degree HD virtual-reality broadcast of the Kentucky Derby. This will mark the first live-VR broadcast for NBC Sports, which in addition to the main race will show VR footage from the paddock, owners’ suites and of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. The presentation will be available through the NBC Channel on the NextVR portal.

For more information, read the full story on TV Technology sister publication Twice.