Hi there,

after our first vmix production, now my first forum post.

Here's how our setup looked like during CEV SCD Volleyball in Luxembourg

Cameras:

1x Sony SDI Camera type PXWZ150
1x Sony HDMI FX1000E
1x Canon HD Camcorder HF100

which were all wired through magewell capture dongles (1 SDI, 2 HDMI) to USB3.0 to our PC, The SDI Signal went through a Hyperdeck Shuttle first (to record Raw Material) then to the Capture Card

PC Configuration:

Intel I7 4790, 16 GB SSD, GeForce 2GB Graphics Card, 500 GB SSD System HD

Software setup:

Stream in 1280x720 to rtl.lu and external output to 2x FMLE to Stream to Laola1.tv (1x akamai, 1 x zixi) so 3 streams at the same time.

We used instant Replay from all 3 views, implemented a Video Trailer at the beginning, XAML Titles and eventually a Playlist of recorded Replays (Highlights) with a music footage.

CPU Usage was below 45 % which is quite impressive.

Unfortunately Render Time was sometimes above 30 ms especially while playing video and Highlights.

Audio came through VMIX Audiomixer and an external Behringer 1204 USB Mixer (Live commentary)

Here's the Link to the production if you're interested in

www.rtl.lu/sport/925006.html

As you may notice we had some trouble doing the audio mixing, but don't think it was soft or hardware fault, just our configuration capabilities.

Would be pleased about some comments how to improve.

Nicely done! Volleyball is hard to video because the ball moves so quickly.

A couple of suggestions...

One thing I noticed over the years about live streaming sports (or anything that has lots of action) is that panning the camera produces a blurry image. Better to zoom out and gently pan than to try to follow fast moving action. Or start from a full wide shot and switch cameras to a closer shot.

The camera at court-level was a nice shot. Would have been more enjoyable for me as the viewer if it was mounted on a tripod or at least a monopod. That will help steady the shot.

Also, I would disagree with sbpromotion on using a camera shot from the opposite side of the court for play. Very confusing for the viewer if play suddenly switches from left-to-right to right-to-left. Watch professional level productions, they do not switch sides of the court during a play. The upcoming Olympic games will be a good model for how-to-broadcast volleyball. If you want to use an opposite side camera, use it to show shots of the players and coaches on the bench during timeouts or in replay to show the coach or player reaction to a play.

Loved the use of the court-level camera to show close ups during times outs. Showing the emotions of players and coaches really helps viewers feel the game.

All in all, well done! Please post future matches so we can keep up with your broadcasts.

- Tom

@ mburel1980

Welcome to vMix! Many of us have been down that same path with Mike's software, but you'll find very few of us look back, rather it's about embracing the POWER and versatility of vMix (it does take some getting used to compared to the other software, which has a highly customizable UI, but once you get past that, you are well on your way to adopting a workflow within vMix that works for you).

From what I saw of your vMix Volleyball Production, I think it looked pretty good overall. It's hard to know what options you may or may not have had at the venue but my suggestions would be this:

1) If possible use a Higher elevation camera angle (may not have been possible from that side, but certainly looked possible from the stands on the other side). Being able to see more of the "Playing Surface" in perspective is generally better for viewing (between 35 and 60 degrees works well with the optimal between 40 and 45)
2) Although it is most likely out of your control, the electronic advertising banners were very distracting, especially the White Ads. A higher angle will help to alleviate some of the interfering glare and keep it to the upper third or quarter of the screen, but having it right in the middle like that proved to be a problem. If you are able to influence it's use, I would strongly suggest they avoid using bright and/or White display ads.
3) If possible, a second camera from roughly the same angle as the Main camera, which follows the play a little more Zoomed in (follow the Ball cam if you will), this is great for replays, but requires a very capable camera person to execute.

Like Tom, I think the floor cam is great for the breaks in the action and close-ups, not so good for actual game footage too much.
Keep up the great work and let us all know your successes as well as the challenges you face.


Ice