SANTA ANA, Calif.—Producing niche sports for online fans faces challenges that mirror larger sports broadcasts, like long-distance signal transport. One video production company here is overcoming them with several solutions from AJA Video.
Bantaray Mobile Sports Production has developed a mobile production pipeline for niche sports content. The company regularly deploys AJA FiDO Mini-Converters alongside several other AJA SDI/HDMI Mini-Converters and Ki Pro recorders to ensure reliable signal conversion between fiber and SDI and transport signals across venues.
“Every event is different, and each venue presents unique challenges,” Bantaray Founder Steve Banta said. “Sending signals across long distances is almost always a hurdle. We have to find simple ways to get reporter feeds back to the truck, send program feeds to in-venue LED displays, and route audio and video signals safely across the venue. Our AJA FiDO Mini-Converters support these needs and have been incredibly dependable through rain, extreme heat, and constant travel—they just keep working.”
Since the company was founded in 2009, Bantaray has refined its mobile production pipeline for live sports. Today, its team uses that workflow to produce high school sports for Spectrum in Orange County and Riverside, Calif.; support Coachella Valley Firebirds event productions; and to produce other niche sports broadcasts. Rarely given the luxury of scouting a location beforehand, Bantaray taps into Google Earth to preview the space before arriving, determine where to park the OB truck and plan cable runs.
“That’s the beauty of fiber,” said Jeff Highbaugh, a freelance camera operator who works with Bantaray. “The truck can be parked anywhere on-site, and we can still quickly deploy audio and video using our FiDOs and daisy chain as much length as we need. The setup is so fast, and we can run four cameras down one fiber line.”
Bantaray owns 24 AJA FiDO Mini-Converters, including single-, dual- and four-channel models. They are mounted inside a portable booth kit containing an I/O panel and audio gear. Multiple cameras positioned around the commentator booth feed SDI signals into Bantaray’s booth kit, which converts them to fiber using the FiDOs and sends them back to the production truck over a four-pair tactical fiber-optic cable capable of carrying four signals.
“Each production typically involves a production truck, a commentator booth—which has the most signal paths going to it—and sometimes a video scoreboard, so we need to be able to move video and audio signals across long distances without power limitations,” Banta said. “Our longest fiber reel is 1,000 feet, and we often use Dante for audio. Fiber lets us barrel as many of those fiber reels together if we have a FiDO on each end."
Bantaray also relies on AJA Mini-Converters to convert SDI feeds to HDMI for monitoring, distribution amplifiers for signal management and AJA Ki Pro recorders for capture. “We don’t have a giant crew and everyone is wearing multiple hats,” Highbaugh said. “So, we need gear that is reliable, consistent and easy to use. Our AJA FiDO Mini-Converters provide reliable conversion between SDI and fiber, giving us additional flexibility to convert signals on the fly or extend them much farther than traditional SDI allows.”
As niche sports continue to find dedicated audiences through streaming platforms, Bantaray sees growing opportunities ahead and is focused on expanding further into the multicamera production space.
"Streaming continues to grow, so I'm looking at technology that can help me send high-quality, low-latency signals efficiently,” Highbaugh said. “Whether we're working with limited bandwidth or remote locations, finding reliable ways to get content on the air remains a major priority.”
More information is available on the Bantaray Mobile Sports Production and AJA Video websites.
