Original article publish in Broadcast Magazine NL
Over the past few years, our relationship with Grass Valley has continued to develop, and our move to AMPP in the Netherlands has been an important part of that journey.
When we chose Grass Valley’s AMPP cloud-native production platform for our services to Ziggo Sport, it was driven by a broader objective: to make our production capacity more flexible, scalable and less dependent on where the production itself takes place.
We have been working with Grass Valley technology across the wider DMC organization for some time. In Scandinavia, DMC Production works with LDX 98 cameras, while DMC Production Broadcast, formerly The Crew, has used LDX 86 cameras successfully for many years. Last year, we also added a Grass Valley K-Frame switcher to the operation.
AMPP gives us another way of thinking about how these technologies can be deployed.
Moving beyond the traditional OB model
Traditionally, much of the technology required for a live production has been brought together in an OB vehicle. That model continues to have an important role, but it is not always the most efficient approach for every production.
With AMPP, a significant part of the production functionality can be delivered through software. This means we can rethink how we organize productions and how we use our infrastructure.
We have now built three OB vans based on this approach, with two already operational in Germany and Sweden. In the Netherlands, we have introduced a more compact version this year, designed specifically for productions using around four to six cameras.
The principle is straightforward. One or more servers in the vehicle run the AMPP software, while a reliable network connection allows a significant part of the production to take place remotely.
For example, production control and other production functions can be operated from our facilities in Hilversum, while the cameras and the necessary infrastructure remain at the event.
This gives us more options when planning a production.
A practical model for sports production
Sports is a particularly good example of where this approach can make sense.
Many sporting events need professional multicamera coverage, but not every event requires a large traditional OB truck and a full technical crew on site. By combining AMPP with high-quality camera and connectivity technology, we can create a hybrid production model that brings onsite and remote resources together.
The important point for us is that this is not about remote production for its own sake. It is about having more flexibility in how we build and operate a production, depending on what the production actually requires.
That can mean keeping the cameras and essential infrastructure at the venue while centralizing production functions where it makes operational sense. It also means that resources can potentially be shared across productions rather than being tied to a single physical facility or vehicle.
Building for the future
For DMC, the move toward software-defined production is therefore about more than adopting new technology. It is about changing how we organize our production resources.
Where it makes sense, software can replace dedicated hardware, while centralized resources can be made available to multiple productions. This gives us an infrastructure that can grow more easily with demand, while maintaining the quality and reliability required for professional live production.
We are already seeing this approach move from theory into real operational environments. That is an important step.
The production market is looking for solutions that are more flexible and cost-efficient, but the expectations around quality and reliability have not changed. We still need to deliver professional live production, regardless of how the underlying technology is deployed.
For us, AMPP is one of the technologies helping us respond to that reality. It gives us more choices in how we design productions, where we locate production functions and how we use our resources.
That flexibility will become increasingly important as software-defined and remote production continue to develop. At DMC, we see this as an important part of how we will build and operate productions in the years ahead.
