Blackmagic DeckLink and UltraStudio Devices Used with Slomo.tv’s Sports Officiating System

Fremont, CA - November 10, 2016 - Blackmagic Design today announced that its DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink 4K Pro and UltraStudio 4K Extreme capture and playback devices are used with Slomo.tv Inc.’s sports officiating system, videoReferee®. The system has become hugely popular with broadcasters and sports leagues, including the recent Rio Summer Olympics. Slomo.tv’s videoReferee®-IIM3 system, which is based around three DeckLink Quad 2 cards, was used to judge canoe competitions at the Rio games, and the DeckLink Quad 2’s real–time performance was a key feature.

Slomo.tv is a manufacturer of high quality multi-channel professional video recording products, including the popular videoReferee® line: a specialized multi-channel system for officiating sport events, providing a way to resolve complicated game situations and creating a video document of an entire event. The system also works with official time, score and game logs from scoreboard control systems and is used as part of sports events and broadcasts around the globe.

At NAB 2016, Slomo.tv introduced the videoReferee®-4, a new family of products that includes the world's first 16/18 channel sports video judging systems. Slomo.tv builds each videoReferee® -4/4G/4K around two DeckLink Quad 2 and a DeckLink 4K Pro PCIe cards, which provide the real-time capture and playback performance needed by sports officials and broadcasters as they make split-second decisions. Slomo.tv also introduced a new model of its all-in-one videoReferee Jr. based around the DeckLink Quad 2, which captures up to eight cameras in real time.

Many popular sports are now switching to video refereeing technologies for decision-making in contentious situations. The most notable is the transition to video assistant refereeing in soccer.

At the FIFA seminar recently held in Zurich, the referees were introduced to this technology with the Slomo.tv videoRefere®-4A server. It differs from the systems presented at NAB by having additional HDMI/SDI video output based on the Thunderbolt and PCIe-based UltraStudio 4K Extreme, which allows output to HD video via SDI and HDMI outputs simultaneously.

“We have been using Blackmagic Design boards for more than 11 years. Our very first replay server was based on one of the first DeckLink models, and we have been using the DeckLink technology ever since,” said Igor Vitiorets, CTO of Slomo.tv. “Throughout the years of working with Blackmagic Design, we know that Blackmagic will always make precisely the boards we need. When we first saw the DeckLink Quad 2, we were able to come up with the design for the new and videoReferee Jr. We are grateful to Blackmagic for being at the forefront of industry needs.”

DeckLink Quad 2 is a high performance capture and playback solution that puts the power of eight DeckLink cards onto a single circuit board that plugs into a single PCI Express slot. It provides four independent capture and playback channels, but also four extra channels that developers, such as Slomo.tv, can use for configuring the card in any combination of up to eight capture or eight playback channels. The DeckLink 4K Pro is a PCIe capture and playback card with advanced 12G-SDI for working in SD, HD, Ultra HD and 4K DCI at up to 60 frames per second.

videoReferee®-IIM3 system, which is based around three DeckLink Quad 2 cards, was recently used for judging canoe competitions at the Olympic Games in Rio.

Press Photography


Product photos of DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink 4K Pro and UltraStudio 4K Extreme and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images.

About Slomo

Slomo.tv produces multichannel recording and instant replay systems for live production and recognized around the world specialized systems «videoReferee®» for sport video judging.

The company’s products include budget «Arrow», the most compact «Simple R» and powerful 4K servers for 2/3/4 4K inputs. Slomo.tv systems provide simultaneously up to 24 channels continues recording, search on one or all channels, replay of 2 channels with transitions and parallel recording in native NLE format of HD video and SD proxy.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.