KITCHENER, Ontario -- Dec. 3, 2013 -- Dejero today announced that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), owner of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA's Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC of MLS, and the AHL's Toronto Marlies has deployed three Dejero LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters to capture and transmit supplemental video content for home and away games of the teams. A member of Dejero's award-winning family of mobile newsgathering products, the LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitter is a rugged, portable, and easy-to-use system that enables MLSE's electronic newsgathering (ENG) crews to transmit high-quality live or recorded HD video from any location without a satellite or microwave link.
The broadcast division of MLSE produces the majority of Raptors, Maple Leafs, Toronto FC, and Marlies games for major Canadian and U.S. networks, and also broadcasts games on its three cable channels: Leafs TV, NBA TV Canada, and GOL TV Canada. Prior to adopting the Dejero LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters, MLSE had limited resources for capturing ancillary content, such as pre-game shows and post-game interviews. The ENG crews had no live transmission capabilities and would either use FTP to send the recorded video back to MLSE's Toronto broadcasting center or ship the material back on tape.
"The Dejero LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters have not only brought more immediacy and excitement to our content but also have allowed us to expand our capabilities. In addition to our live coverage of games and press conferences, we're now able to record up to four hours of HD video every day from the scene of the action, whether it's a sports arena or a practice facility, and do it much more cost-effectively than traditional means such as satellite uplinking," said Aaron LaFontaine, director, business development, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. "Also, because the transmitters are so easy to use, we can deploy personnel without technical training. We were sold on Dejero because the company keeps improving on an already-great product. For us, the LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitter has become an indispensable tool for content collection."
MLSE has deployed ENG camera crews, each armed with a LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitter, to travel with the game production staff for the Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC. Charged with covering team activities on a 24/7 basis, the ENG crews generate video content for the MLSE website and mobile platforms as well as broadcast partners. Content ranges from game day practice shows and pre- and post-game analysis to interviews with coaches and players as well as features on fans. Using the LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitter's store and forward feature, the crews can record the video and transmit it back to the main broadcasting center, where the Dejero LIVE+ Broadcast Server receives the content and outputs it for posting on the website or for use in scheduled programming. In addition to store and forward, MLSE is expanding its use of the LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters for live coverage; in one example, the ENG crew used the system to stream a pre-season Raptors game live from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to the MLSE website.
"As Canada's preeminent sports and entertainment company, MLSE is committed to delivering a top-quality experience to the fans of its sports teams," said Brian Cram, CEO of Dejero. "MLSE's choice of our LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters is a great demonstration of that commitment, enabling the company to enhance its live game broadcasts with colorful and exciting content that adds depth and insight to the fan's experience."
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About Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment LTD.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) is one of the world's premier sports and entertainment companies that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), the Toronto Raptors (NBA), the Toronto Marlies (AHL), Toronto FC (MLS), Air Canada Centre, Maple Leaf Square, and three digital channels -- Leafs TV, NBA TV Canada, and GOLTV Canada. MLSE has also invested in four of Toronto's sports facilities -- Ricoh Coliseum, home of the Marlies, BMO Field, home of Toronto FC, Lamport Stadium, and the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence, the practice facility for the Maple Leafs and Marlies. MLSE operates and manages events at Ricoh Coliseum and BMO Field.
About Dejero
Dejero offers the most extensive and versatile range of bonded wireless uplink solutions for mobile newsgathering. Winner of numerous industry awards, the Dejero LIVE+ Platform and its patent-pending Intelligent Connection Management combine adaptive bit rate encoding with the latest advancements in 3G and 4G LTE mobile technologies -- making electronic newsgathering as immediate, portable, reliable, and cost-effective as possible. From any location around the world, the LIVE+ Platform enables both traditional and online broadcasters to transmit high-quality HD or SD live video using a variety of mobile devices, including professional-grade rugged transmitters, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Dejero LIVE+ products can be set up anywhere in seconds to broadcast live to television viewers, stream to the Web, transmit recorded video for later use, share video content with other organizations, or send files remotely. Innovative engineering from wireless experts combined with input from many of the world's top broadcasters has produced the Dejero LIVE+ Platform. Dejero is based in Kitchener, Ontario.
