Sky Sports, which provided HD coverage of the Rugby Union Guiness Premiership that started in October, purchased a Soundfield DSF-2 surround microphone and a DSF-3 digital 5.1 surround-sound processor system for the broadcasts.
The surround microphone and associated processor have been permanently installed in T16, the recently completed new HD OB vehicle owned by UK broadcast facilities company Telegenic. It was used for coverage of all UK-based games during the championship.
In conjunction with the DSF-3 processor, Soundfield said the digital DSF-2 microphone provides broadcasters with a one-microphone, all-digital solution for capturing and broadcasting surround sound to accompany HD transmissions. The DFS-2 can output phase-coherent multichannel surround sound in a variety of formats including 5.1 stereo and M&S, simultaneously if required.
It provides a great deal of configurable control over the eventual format, perceived width of the image and the microphone’s pickup pattern and orientation. These features have endeared the microphone system to HD broadcasters who need to maintain a phase-coherent stereo alternative to accompany backward-compatible SD transmissions.
Sky Sports was among the first to use the DSF-2 for surround sound to accompany HD transmissions, and it now sees regular usage on its broadcast coverage of UK Premiership Soccer matches, Champions League, Rugby League and cricket. Sky has permanently installed DSF-2 microphones in many stadiums in the UK Premiership and in third-party-owned broadcast trucks used by Sky for HD coverage.
For more information, visit http://www.soundfield.com/.
