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BBC Outside Broadcasts delivers historic coverage from new Wembley in HD

Whilst it was not the first time Chelsea and Manchester United had met in a FA Cup Final, Saturday 19th May was an historic occasion for the tournament: It was the first ever FA Cup Final captured at the new Wembley Stadium and the first ever FA Cup Final to be broadcast in high definition (HD).

The very first FA Cup Final was captured by the BBC in 1937, although interestingly only the second half of the game was actually televised. It was not until 1968 that the tournament came to our screens in colour. BBC Sport’s first HD coverage of the 2007 FA Cup Final went out live on BBC ONE and was supported by BBC Outside Broadcasts, one of the largest outside broadcast facilities providers in Europe and part of BBC Resources Ltd.

It was a massive and complex operation, with a team of over 70 people from BBC Outside Broadcasts supporting coverage from start to finish, including engineering managers, riggers, sound, comms, vision, cameras, VT editors and special camera engineers. Two trucks from BBC Outside broadcasts’ HD fleet – Unit 10 and Unit 12 provided production and VT facilities.

“We worked closely with the Wembley Stadium development team to advise on the design of the onsite studio and the camera positions and cabling, to ensure that it lent itself well to TV production,” said Pete Gallosi, Engineering Manager, BBC Outside Broadcasts. Other broadcasters such as Sky and ITV were also involved.

Thirty-six cameras were used in total, including four in the onsite studio, a heli-tele and special cameras. More cameras were used to capture the action than at the old Wembley Stadium, as the new stadium design reflects how much production has evolved since the first Wembley was constructed.

BBC Outside Broadcasts’ Special Cameras team provided Goal Cam, which delivers pictures from inside the net and two Crowd Cams - wireless cameras which can safely infiltrate the stadium crowds to capture the atmosphere. Both of these camera systems were developed by BBC Outside Broadcasts. In addition, it hired PoleCams from ACS and a HD Hi-Motion camera from Arri Media. All the main cameras and the PoleCams were HD, whilst the heli-tele, Crowd Cams and Goal Cam delivered SD pictures which were then upconverted.

“The new venue made it more of a challenge,“ explained Gallosi. “Lots of cabling was needed for this match and we had to allow extra time to rig, although this will reduce in future.”

A further complication was created by the fact that vehicle parking and the OB compound was based underground. This meant talkback communications between the different members of production team, which BBC Outside Broadcasts supported, were an issue and cables had to be run outside in order for it to work.

“Arsenal has an underground OB compound too, so we've faced this problem before, it's just that stadiums like this are still in a minority.”

For further information, please contact:

Georgie Hollett, PR and Communications Manager, BBC Resources
Tel: +44 (0)20 8624 9495
Mobile : +44 (0) 783484 5612
Email : georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk

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