Lenovo has detailed how its deployment of a near-real-time AI-powered infrastructure platform for this year’s FIFA World Cup will enable ultralow-latency IPTV, better operational control and new fan experiences for billions of viewers.

As FIFA’s official technology partner, Lenovo has deployed servers and other solutions at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas to support the most expansive broadcast operation in FIFA World Cup history.

More than 17,000 Lenovo and Motorola devices and 200-plus engineers deployed across venues and Team Base Camp training sites will help ensure professional execution, Lenovo said.

The deployment is part of Lenovo’s larger push to expand its sports technology investments. In March, it launched a dedicated sports vertical designed to support organizations operating live, global and mission-critical environments. By integrating AI infrastructure, edge computing, devices, and services into a unified model, Lenovo said it aims to help sports organizations shift from fragmented systems to real-time, end-to-end operational control.

For this year’s World Cup, Lenovo’s technology solutions have reduced latency within IPTV infrastructure, with IPTV delays now under five seconds, enabling near-real-time access to live match action and more synchronized viewing experiences, the company said.

Lenovo ThinkSystem SR635 V3 servers and technology will also help manage massive volumes of live video data coming in from stadiums across North America and power FIFA’s IPTV live feed by ingesting, processing, and distributing all match content in close to real-time via ten channels to over 1,000 screens throughout FIFA venues.

Beyond broadcast, Lenovo’s technology will be deployed at FIFA’s Technology Command Center in Miami and the Tournament Operation Center for the duration of the World Cup. This hub, where all the technology powering the games is monitored and managed in near-real-time by experienced engineers and FIFA management, serves as the central “mission control” for the tournament.

With the help of Lenovo’s enterprise solutions, FIFA’s Technology Command Center and Tournament Operation Center will ensure organizers can quickly observe and address operational issues across a tournament footprint of 16 venues across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Lenovo’s AI infrastructure is redefining the FIFA World Cup experience, delivering near real-time highlights, multi-angle views and insights at unprecedented global scale,” said Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, president of infrastructure solutions at Lenovo. “Together with FIFA, we are running AI under the world’s most demanding conditions—solving latency concerns and bringing billions of fans closer to the action than ever before, setting a new standard for live sports.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will also showcase Lenovo’s real-world AI advances in sports production, the company said. Lenovo products will manage complex on-premise edge computing, the company said, significantly reducing latency in cases where cloud-only solutions failed to meet broadcast requirements.

More specifically, during the World Cup, technologies powered by Lenovo ThinkSystem servers, engineered for high-density, mission-critical environments requiring massive throughput, and near real-time operational performance will support:

• Near real-time monitoring of stadium and tournament wide tech systems
• Live broadcast, streaming, and IPTV delivery
• Rapid incident detection and issue resolution to minimize disruption and downtime
• Enhancing the fan experience with real-time insight and transparency

Lenovo said it is also enabling a more immersive and understandable viewing experience through AI-driven innovations.

AI-enabled 3D player avatars will provide clearer, real-time visualization of complex decisions such as offside calls, Lenovo said. Built using advanced GenAI and real-world player data, these avatars are designed to help fans better understand the game as it happens. These avatars will also be an additional value input to support FIFA match officials in their offside decision-making during matches, Lenovo said.  

To improve the in-venue experience across three countries, Lenovo said it will deploy solutions designed to enhance safety, efficiency,and engagement, including: AI-driven navigation systems to reduce congestion and improve movement across venues; AI-driven stabilized “Referee Views” to give a first-person perspective with up to 50% less motion distortion; and immersive digital and holographic experiences to create new ways for fans to engage with the game.

In addition, Lenovo will deploy the FIFA AI Pro platform, a next-generation AI-powered knowledge assistant giving tactical insights to coaches, players and analysts. Built using Lenovo’s AI Factory, the platform will be provided to all 48 competing teams.

Media and entertainment organizations are among the world’s biggest consumers of data storage. Given the boom in content creation seen in recent years, this is hardly surprising, and according to industry estimates, it’s driving a storage technology and services market that will grow from more than $10 billion in value last year to $28.5 billion by 2032.

One of the big challenges facing M&E organizations is where to keep all of their data. There is a wide range of options out there, from legacy on-premises technologies to outsourced public cloud services—an approach that has built huge momentum. In the last 20 years, the likes of AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have become extraordinarily successful providers of cloud-based storage and today, the market is booming: Having reached over $108 billion last year, it is expected to grow to more than $660 billion by 2032.

The impact of this trend on M&E tech spend has been profound, underscoring the growing focus of the cloud. For many, this has resulted in the adoption of an “all-in” cloud strategy, where legacy on-premises systems have been removed in favor of a fully outsourced model.

Dark Clouds
While the benefits of the public cloud are well documented, some growing cost and performance concerns are causing many organizations to rethink their approach and pivot to a hybrid model where the cloud is used alongside on-premises infrastructure technologies.

More specifically, the fees charged by some major public cloud providers to access data assets, such as video files, are becoming prohibitively expensive. This problem can be exacerbated by usage-based cloud pricing models, which can fluctuate significantly and make it difficult for users to produce accurate forecasts.

For those organizations with a heavy commitment to cloud storage, paying someone to host the data is just part of the picture.

Then there are the problems associated with limited workflow integration. For instance, while advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools are often available in the cloud, it’s not always easy to integrate them within the cloud storage setup required for M&E-specific workflows. Some industry experts have also raised concerns about asset control and ownership, given the outsourced model shifts the emphasis away from M&E businesses and toward their cloud supplier.

The various areas of concern around the public cloud market haven’t gone unnoticed by industry regulators. This time last year, for example, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into the supply of public cloud infrastructure services. The issues of most concern included the egress fees charged to move data out of the cloud, discounts to incentivize customers to use only one cloud provider and technical barriers to switching, which may prevent customers from being able to switch between different clouds or use more than one provider. The CMA is expected to conclude its investigation next April, at which point it will become clear if further action is required.

It’s a Hybrid World
So, what’s the alternative? For many M&E IT leaders, the answer lies in the reintroduction of on-premises storage architecture as part of a hybrid strategy. Once considered the “poor relation” of cloud, on-premises technologies have advanced significantly in recent years to the point where the best solutions can match and even improve on the cost and performance levels offered by public cloud providers.

This approach gives M&E organizations a lot of scope for innovation. For example, the object storage technologies used by the likes of Amazon S3 are available via equivalent on-premise solutions. These are extremely well-suited for storing and managing vast amounts of unstructured data, making them ideal for scalable media files, backups and archives with easy retrieval and metadata tagging.

Organizations can also implement advanced AI tools on-premises to deliver storage management and end-user benefits. A hybrid approach also allows M&E companies to tailor storage solutions to high-performance workflows, such as rendering and post-production, without latency issues. Crucially, on-premises storage offers direct control over system specifications to support these demanding processes. Add the savings made from reduced or eliminated egress costs, and it adds up to a compelling argument where, for M&E business, cloud has a redefined role.

These are quickly becoming defining requirements. According to one recent study, 42% of companies in the U.S. “are considering or already have moved at least half of their cloud-based workloads back to on-premises infrastructures.” If this trend is replicated in the M&E industry, hybrid strategies will play an increasingly important role as organizations look to drive maximum value from their infrastructure spend.

CYPRESS, Calif.—FOR-A and automation provider Aveco have entered a strategic alliance to provide and develop best-in-breed video production, automation, and asset management within one easy-to-use and cost effective solution.

As part of the agreement, FOR-A HVS Series production switchers, Insight video servers and ClassX graphics systems are now tightly integrated with Aveco ASTRA Studio production automation and GEMINI media management systems. 

The package is designed for broadcasters—particularly mid-sized, small-market and public stations—by providing them with an affordable, easy to use solution.

“We’ve been recommending FOR-A HVS Series switchers all over the world for years now,” said Jim O’Brien, president of Aveco. “They’ve got incredible horsepower and performance at a price point no other vendor can match. We’re looking forward to adding ClassX graphics and Insight servers into our combined solution. FOR-A’s high-powered production capability and reputation for reliability together with our production and MAM makes for a very competitive and inclusive bundle for smaller and mid-market TV stations. Having this level of technical sophistication within an affordable and easy-to-use system is a game changer."

Aveco’s ASTRA Studio is a fully automated studio production system and the industry’s only multi-studio production automation design. Within ASTRA, a rundown can be moved from one studio to another with the push of a button. This includes all settings for the production switcher, graphics, virtual set/physical set, monitor walls, camera robotics, video roll-ins, audio, lighting etc. ASTRA Studio is integrated with ASTRA MCR so both PCR and MCR automation are in the same system, eliminating "blips of black" or upcuts between these two parts of broadcast operation. Both also work closely with Aveco’s GEMINI MAM, a browser-based system that manages assets from acquisition through post for live production, playout, and archiving. ASTRA Studio also integrates with the NRCS (Newsroom Computer System) via MOS (Media Object Servers) and plug-ins to streamline news production workflows, the companies said. 

“The versatility and feature set of Aveco’s system are ideal for late-breaking news applications,” said Satoshi Kanemura, President, FOR-A Americas. “They’ve thought of every condition that may occur during a live newscast and included a solution. It’s an elegant technology that fits perfectly within our ecosystem. The combined capabilities of Aveco and FOR-A are unbeatable. Competitive products are far less customizable, much more complicated, and expensive.”

FOR-A’s workhorse switcher, the compact 2 M/E HVS-490, supports 40 inputs/18 outputs, 36 inputs/20 outputs or 32 inputs/22 outputs, including two-channel HDMI outputs with optional I/O expansion cards. In 4K, it allows 10 inputs/six outputs, nine inputs/six outputs or eight inputs/seven outputs. It also has 8 channels of 2.5 DVE as standard and can be optionally expanded to a maximum of 16 channels. FOR-A’s MELite technology extends the switcher’s 2 M/Es to 6 M/E performance. MELite is the building block for more easy-to-use features of the HVS-490, such as upstream and downstream transition effects. 

“The price to performance ratio with the entire HVS Series is unlike any others in the market,” added O’Brien.

Cypress, CA, January 22, 2020 – FOR-A Corporation of America today announced David Morris joined the company on Dec. 9, 2019, as its western regional sales manager. He will lead sales efforts across more than a dozen U.S. states, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Western Canada.

Morris has built his career in sales serving the professional video industry. He spent more than 16 years as the western regional sales manager for Hitachi, almost seven years as a senior district sales manager for JVC Professional Products, and more than six years in sales for Premier Mounts. Most recently, he held sales positions with VMI Video and Extron.

“David is respected throughout our industry because of his knowledge and experience, and we are happy to welcome him to our team,” said Ken Truong, president of FOR-A Corporation of America. “He will help us continue to deliver switchers, servers, and other live production solutions to new and existing customers throughout California, Washington, and all the western United States.”

Morris is based out of the company’s corporate offices in Cypress. Contact him at (714) 723-1100 or via email at d.morris@for-a.com.

About FOR-A
FOR-A, a worldwide, industry-leading manufacturer, offers a wide range of broadcast and production products with a focus on cutting-edge technologies, including: HD, 4K and IP products. FOR-A continues to offer future-ready, cost effective, advanced technology solutions. Products include: video switchers, routing switchers, multi-viewers, full 4K high-speed cameras, IP encoders/decoders, multi-channel signal processors, 8K/4K/HD test signal generators, color correctors, frame synchronizers, file-based products, character generators, video servers and much more.

For a full range of HD and 4K production and processing solutions, as well as IP-based products, visit our web site at www.for-a.com.

LIÈGE, BELGIUM—According to EVS, both NEP Germany and NEP Belgium have recently acquired five XT3 live production servers. All of the servers come with EVS’ new Channel Max configuration and allow the companies to extend each server to 12 channels or more.

Both companies previously utilized XT2 servers, per EVS, before upgrading to the XT3. The new servers use the Channel Max configuration to expand the number of channels per server and additional high frame rate support (2x-10x). This allows for more Super Motion cameras to be recorded on a single server.

Two operators are able to work on one server simultaneously with their own personal settings as a result of a dual multiviewer output offered by the XT3. Additional features include the increase of bandwidth capabilities for IP file-based workflows and integration of future technologies, including 3G-1080p and UHD/4K, according to EVS.

NEP Germany and NEP Belgium are part of the NEP Worldwide Network.

ST. PAUL, MINN.—WACA TV is the Public, Education and Government station for Ashland, Mass. After its 10-year-old broadcast server reached end of life, the station chose to go with Tightrope Media Systems’ Cablecast SX-HD servers for its three PEG channels and one Cablecast ProVOD server for its online Video on Demand services.

Cablecast Scheduler

Coinciding with the move to a fully digital HD studio, WACA has migrated its legacy shows to the Cablecast servers for VOD and broadcast purposes. As part of the new infrastructure, the station also went with Tightrope’s Carousel system for bulletin board feeds across channels.

Tightrope Media Systems is a provider of station automation, video servers, Internet video on demand, live streaming, digital signage and multi-channel instant replay systems. The company is based in St. Paul, Minn.

ST. PAUL, MINN. – Pittsfield Community Television, a local provider of three Public, Educational and Government access channels, has upgraded its production and playout capabilities with Tightrope Media Systems’ Cablecast 6.0 automation and playout software.

PCTV's set-up of Tightrope Media Systems products

PCTV has used Tightrope systems since 2003 and was able to integrate Cablecast 6.0 with its existing Tightrope hardware. This latest version of Cablecast offers a redesigned user interface to help users work across more devices, including cell phones and tablets. PCTV’s other Tightrope systems include Cablecast Pro VOD server and two Cablecast SX2HD 2x1 video servers for a total of four playout channels and two encode channels. These systems are able to intelligently automate and update information across Tightrope products.

PCTV provides service to more than 20,000 cable subscribers in the Pittsfield, Dalton and Richmond, Mass., areas.

Tightrope Media Systems is a provider of digital signage and broadcast automation systems based in St. Paul, Minn.

MELVILLE, N.Y. – ChyronHego has announced it is supplying Florida-based Waterman Broadcasting with a complete suite of upgrades for BlueNet graphics workflow for the broadcasters main control room. The new workflow features the latest versions of ChryonHego’s CAMIO graphics asset management platform and Mosaic real-time graphics creations and playout systems, all of which are powered by Lyric PRO software.

ChyronHego's BlueNet in Use in Waterman's Control Room

Waterman replaced its previous ChyronHego HyperX2 graphics system with six Mosaic systems and swapped CAMIO servers with CAMIO MX and MX DR servers. The CAMIO servers are fully integrates with Waterman’s AP ENP computer system; Mosaic serves as the primary graphics engine; and Lyric PRO handles content creation and provides 2D/3D text, graphics and animation capabilities.

Waterman Broadcasting operates WBBH and WZVN in Florida.