High Definition was one of the hot topics of discussion among the 120-plus collegiate video coordinators who gathered in St. Louis this week for the 14th annual Collegiate Sports Video Association conference. With video departments gradually turning their attention towards a transition to HD, Ken Kerschbaumer, editorial director of the Sports Video Group, brought together a panel of representatives from all corners of the industry to discuss the challenges involved in transitioning a university’s infrastructure, workflow and production processes from SD to HD.

The English Premier League football season is heading for its tightest ever conclusion this Sunday (May 11) and three crucial matches will be broadcast live simultaneously on Sky Sports channels, one through red button technology. Not only will the title be decided but so will the fate of clubs facing relegation from the top flight.

HP Pavilion at San Jose, the home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, upgraded itsfacility to HD when broadcast system integrator TV Magic installed a brand new high definition control room inside the arena. The new control room was built prior to the start of this season and features an array of equipment including TV Logic video displays, an Evertz MVP, a Thomson Grass Valley HD production switcher, a multichannel EVS as well as a Chyron and Apple Final Cut Pro editing station.

TrackVision, the virtual First Down Line developed by Orad Hi-Tec Systems Limited, makes its return to RDS Canada broadcasts this season. TrackVision will be implemented on every Canadian Football League broadcast on the network in 2008. Orad's FDL system is back with improved workflow enhancements.

New England Sports Network inserted virtual ad graphics during Monday night’s Boston Red Sox game using downstream technology developed by PVI. “Ad insertion in the past was done on-site from the production truck with calibrated camera lenses,” says Sam McCleery, PVI Executive VP, sales and marketing. Downstream technology inserts graphics from the broadcast center instead of from a mobile unit.

Outdoor live sound is a challenge in any broadcast situation, including Norway’s FIS World Cup Skiing Competitions this winter. Oslo-based sound reinforcement provider AVAB CAC – which also supported other winter sports events including the Holmenkollen’s FIS World Cup Nordic, Cross-Country and Jump events and the E-ON Ruhrgas Biathlon World Cup -- faced a challenging 1,245-meter (4,085-foot) track built specifically for this year’s race, with artificial snow measuring 7,000 cubic meters (1.8 million-plus gallons). The track encircled the main city center with the finish line in front of the central Bragernes Church. Two large video displays enabled the crowds to follow the action while a Meyer Sound MICA and M3D line array loudspeaker AVAB CAC installed covered audio all along the race route.

Ask Jeff Reilly about his reaction to winning a Sports Emmy for editing and he pauses, then admits “I was stunned.” Reilly, Editor/Producer at Televersemedia in Connecticut, was honored at last week’s award ceremony for his work on ESPN’s “Ali’s 65”, the last of a three-part project about Muhammad Ali. Reilly was also nominated last year for his editing of “Ali Rap,” the first contribution to the trilogy.

Genesis Networks and SmartJog formed a new cooperative solution for seamless delivery of live feeds, as well as prerecorded video content, over a global fiber optic infrastructure. The joint solution provides broadcasters with a single high-quality source from which to access all of the live and recorded content needed to produce and deliver a wide variety of television programming.

HPVIDEO, a provider of video assist equipment for the motion picture industry, has incorporated Fast Forward Video's Recon DVR board-level digital video recorder (DVR) into its new Briefcase portable video playback system. Fast Forward Video (FFV) is a recognized innovator of DVR technology for broadcast, professional video, presentation, and military applications.

QuStream will exhibit the latest additions to its range of audio/video routing, router-control, interfacing and signal distribution systems on Booth N5552 at InfoComm, Las Vegas Convention Center, 18-20 June. The dominant theme of QuStream's InfoComm exhibit will be addition of 3 Gbit/s processing to the entire Cheetah range of HD/SD-SDI routers, enabling broadcasters to embrace the 1080p HD television standard as a mastering format in 59.9 and 60 Hz frame rates.

When AR Studios was looking to upgrade Studio A, their search ended with a 48-channel, Solid State Logic Duality console the first in South America.

Intelsat and Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), have signed a multi-year service agreement that will result in the next generation of in-flight passenger broadband access. Panasonic is introducing an advanced satellite transmission platform that will allow airline passengers the ability to access Internet-based information and entertainment. The service, Panasonic eXConnect, provides passengers Internet connectivity.

F&F Productions welcomes Ryan Hatch to the position of Senior Vice President. “We are pleased to welcome Ryan to the F&F team. His years of expertise in the field make him a perfect fit for our company.”

QuStream Corporation has received a major order for video and audio routing equipment to be installed at a new HD production and presentation center in South Korea. The contract was placed by Diversified Systems, recently acclaimed as one of the top five broadcast systems integrators in the USA.

Al-Watan Television has chosen Dalet Digital Media Systems, Dalet News Suite as its tapeless newsroom and production system. The station launched September last year as the first tapeless HD channels in the region Al WATAN AND AL WATAN PLUS.

CBS College Sports Network, is now available nationwide in high definition to all cable, satellite and video distributors. The network is offering an MPEG 4 simulcast feed that allows fans to watch hundreds of live games in HD across 35 men’s and women’s sports. CBS College Sports Network provides the most complete coverage of college sports, including the new nightly studio show COLLEGE SPORTS TONIGHT.