The latest version of Inertia Unlimited’s xMo super slo-motion camera system made its World Series debut this year, giving Fox Sports a more integrated product that can simultaneously be used to capture both a live signal for air and a recorded signal for instantaneous replay needs.

MLB action is a hot property in Japan, and for Japanese broadcaster NHK that means delivering tons of regular season action plus the playoffs and World Series. The challenge is making sure the broadcast meets the discerning eye of the Japanese baseball fan and for Go Egawa, NHK Enterprises America, producer, and his team, that means a separate production that uses MLB International camera signals but also relies on five of unilateral cameras.

NEP’s “Super B” was all the buzz in the World Series compound at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The 53-foot unit was making its East Coast debut for MLB International, housing personnel and operations for some of MLB International’s top clients. “Super B” is exactly what it’s name implies: a B unit without a matching A unit that can be used to meet the demands of clients who need more physical workspace but cannot book one of NEP’s twin production units.

Basketball fans this season can have access to nearly 1,000 games on their cellphones, thanks to the recently introduced NBA League Pass Mobile. Developed by Turner Sports, NBA Digital, and MobiTV, the subscription service offers more than 40 live games per week, along with game statistics, tune-in alerts, and access to replays of selected games for up to 48 hours.

Steadicam. Divecam. Skycam. If you’ve seen a sporting event on TV or a movie that features ultra-smooth camera work, the odds are pretty high that the production crew is making use of one of Garrett Brown’s inventions. Born April 6, 1942, in Long Branch, N.J., Brown revolutionized TV and movie production in the mid-1970s with Steadicam, a camera mounting system that allowed the camera to seemingly float in front of the cameraperson.

The TrackMan radar system brought a new statistical dimension to Fox’s World Series broadcasts, but the first game played in Yankee Stadium was a bit low on the numbers. “There’s an electrical signal in here that we didn’t expect,” explains John Olshan, general manager of TrackMan baseball. “We’re not sure what it’s from, but it might be the HD scoreboard. We’ve seen electrical interference in other stadiums and we get around it, but we set up here the first day and there was so much noise, it was like someone was jamming the radar.”

Baseball fans in Canada have a choice of where to turn for World Series coverage – Fox, which also provides the U.S. coverage, or Rogers Sportsnet, the Canadian rights holder for the Fall Classic. “Running the World Feed provides viewers with an alternative in Canada, because we all receive Fox in Canada,” explains Jennifer Chamberlain, acting resource manager, for Rogers Sportsnet.

The Ironman Championship is a classic ENG show, requiring lots of quick movements to track the athletes through the lava fields and mountainous terrain of Kona, HI. When The Texas Crew Inc. Director of Photography Terry Stewart decided to bring in a decidedly non-ENG high-speed camera — the Weisscam — to this year’s production, he blazed a brand-new trail in the ENG world.

The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a strong start on Comcast SportsNet, delivering a 25% increase in ratings over the same time last season. Through 8 games this year, Flyers are scoring a 2.5 rating (74,300 households), up from a 2.0 rating (59,400 households) for the first 8 games in 2008. Flyers Postgame Live is up 75% over the prior year.

The Sports Video Group is pleased to announce that the SVG Mobile application is now available from BlackBerry App World, as well as iPhone App Store. The application is free of charge in both online marketplaces.

As part of its dedication to its users and confidence in its products, Audio-Technica is extending the warranty on its entire line of 40 Series microphones. Effective immediately, all 40 Series microphones purchased through an authorized U.S. A-T dealer now come standard with a 5-year warranty. Recent purchases from authorized U.S. A-T dealers, going back to January 1, 2009, are also covered retroactively by this extended warranty.

Ross Video has indtorduced Version 4.2 software for the 1000 and 3000 series SoftMetal Video Servers, available free to all existing SoftMetal customers. SoftMetal Version 4.2 offers a flexible clip and graphics play out server for use in production or master control applications.

Pixel Power has selected Majortech, a respected systems integrator based in Toronto, as its distributor for Canada. Majortech will handle all sales of Pixel Power equipment to customers in Canada and provide a vital link in the deployment and support of systems throughout the country.

The Phoenix Coyotes and Txtstation Mobile Marketing have renewed their partnership for the 2009-2010 season that will bring real-time texting features to the fans at the Jobing.com Arena. The promotions include live polling, picture-to-screen, and text-to-screen.

Akamai Technologies and iStreamPlanet have been selected to work with Microsoft Corp. to provide an integrated, end-to-end solution to deliver live and on-demand video online for NBC during the network’s coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, February 12-28. The solution will leverage Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming to deliver an uninterrupted streaming experience to online audiences via Microsoft Silverlight-based media players.

As the temperatures in Western New York continue to drop, the Buffalo Bills’ game day presentation is heating up thanks to RF Central’s RFX-CMT-II camera mounted transmitter and RMR-X6-II diversity receiver’s rock solid signal coverage.

Universal Sports’ full-scale programming efforts as part of the countdown to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games kicks off Wednesday, exactly 100 days from the start of the Winter Games, with a one-hour Countdown to Vancouver special airing at 8 p.m. ET. The show highlights and previews expectations in several key competitions, including alpine skiing, figure skating, short track speed skating, bobsled and skeleton, hockey, snowboarding, and ski cross.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, is using a variety of Wohler monitoring gear within its newly installed HD digital production system. The ballpark’s upgraded facilities originate HD programming for new HD LED video displays and generate two HD channels for the in-house cable system. Installed in the scoreboard control room, Wohler audio and video monitoring systems enable convenient monitoring and QC of signals including the PA feed to the seating bowl, as well as program and effects audio to the home TV truck and home radio broadcast booth.

If Comcast does take over NBC Universal, as has been rumored, what does that mean for ESPN? According to Michael Hiestand of USA Today, it means a serious competitor.

Bill Walton’s body betrayed him as a player, and it betrayed him once again, causing him to retire as a TV basketball analyst due to a bad back. And Phil Mushnick of the New York Post will miss Walton.

CBS’ The Late Show with David Letterman boasted an All-Star lineup Thursday night, as World Series champion New York Yankees players Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Hideki Matsui were guests on the show, Richard Huff of the New York Daily News reports.

MLB Network made some rookie mistakes during its postgame coverage after the New York Yankees’ World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night, reports Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News.

Despite the team’s surprising 5-2 start and share of first place in the American Football Conference’s Central division, the National Football League’s Cincinnati Bengals received a 24-hour extension to sell the 3,000 tickets remaining to Sunday’s game against the visiting Baltimore Ravens, reports Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

A World Series matchup featuring two of the East Coast’s largest media markets led to some of the highest viewership baseball has seen in five years.

Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has mononucleosis and won't be able to defend his title Jan. 2 at UFC 108 against Shane Carwin, UFC president Dana White texted to the Los Angeles Times.

KSMQ, the PBS station in Austin, MN, has outfitted its main studio with three new Hitachi SK-HD1000 multistandard, multiformat cameras to produce public-interest programming.

CBS Corp. reported a solid profit for the third quarter, as its television revenue grew on syndication sales. The New York company joined several media peers this week in noting quarter-to-quarter improvement in what has been a dismal year for advertising. Ad sales account for more than half of CBS's revenue. It relies on them at its CBS TV network, its TV and radio stations, its outdoor-billboard business and its Web sites.

NBC Universal is going all in on a multiplatform affiliate marketing campaign in support of the Vancouver Olympics. The programmer is offering distributors the opportunity to deliver customizable campaign packages across myriad platforms to their subscriber bases. The comprehensive initiative extends to local ad sales, awareness, retention/acquisition, high-definition, free-on-demand, broadband and ITV, according to Brian Hunt, senior vice president, marketing and sales strategy, TV Networks Distribution, NBCU.