Case Study
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), originally founded in 1881 as the Ontario
Jockey Club, has grown into North America's largest operator of horseracing.
Recognizing changing consumer habits, WEG has evolved operations at its two
racetracks, casino and off-track betting stations deliver thrilling and
high-quality racing, dining and entertainment experience, while making them
among the most diverse entertainment facilities on the globe. WEG's Woodbine
Racetrack in Toronto hosts the Queens Plate. Queen Elizabeth II attended the
151st running of Canada's most prestigious horserace during her state visit in
2010. The Woodbine facility is also home to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of
Fame.
Woodbine Mohawk Park, located in Campbellville, Ont. is the second of WEG's
two racetracks. Opened in 1963, Woodbine Mohawk Park hosts Standardbred
harness racing. The facility has hosted record crowds of more than 11,000
spectators, the richest harness races in Canadian horseracing history, and
continues to be the home of the famed Breeders Crown and Pepsi North America
Cup.
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Overview:
Woodbine Entertainment Group required a replay system for two separate
facilities that could easily share content throughout a 14 hour production
day.
- Replay system had to include a constant record train.
- A broadcast quality platform capable of providing slow motion replays, graphics and zooming capabilities for onsite presentation.
- A high-performance replay system that included intuitive interfaces and operator configurations.
The Challenge
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) required a replay system that could satisfy
several Broadcast and Post Production requirements throughout its rigorous
in-house broadcast schedule. With 14 hours of daily continuous production, a
replay system capable of keeping a constant record for all production camera
inputs was needed to ensure that nothing during the racing day was ever
missed, and could later be archived for customer requests.
WEG also desired to provide its onsite customers with a premier broadcast
presentation, similar to what horseracing fans have become accustomed to
watching at home. To meet these expectations, it was necessary to provide
customers with instant replay highlight packages that integrated multi-camera
angles, split screen and zoom viewing options, while minimizing turnaround
time.
WEG also required a replay system that new or junior operators could quickly
learn in order to harness its full potential. With production running 365 days
a year at the racetrack(s), multiple production crews were tasked with
providing the television broadcast needs for the day. The replay system needed
to be easy to learn and operate, while still having the capability to provide
high-end video highlights and production elements for WEG customers.
Finally, WEG required a replay platform that could be installed at both
Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park, located 70 kilometers (over 40
miles) away from each other. WEG required a shared network with the ability to
seamlessly transfer and use content from replay systems located at both
venues.
The daily workflow at Woodbine required recorded content and stored clips to
be network shared and multi-directional from both locations. The production
teams from both venues also needed the ability to send shared content to its
post-production edit suites and social media platforms on an instantaneous
level from both locations.