"The Super Bowl is such a big event, it differs from all others in terms of applications. Limited audio channels delivering audio around the globe require compact, smart solutions. In order to reach multiple countries from Mexico to Russia, I used 11 CCS/Musicam USA codecs."

-- Dave Pearce      
On-site Engineer

Not all sporting events are created equal when it comes to broadcasting...and there's no finer example of this than the motherload of all - the Super Bowl. Not only did Super Bowl 2011 between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers set a record for the highest rated show on American television with 111 million people watching, according to the Nielsen Co., but it also - like soccer - is becoming a global phenomenon. Everyone wants a piece of the action, and as the world becomes more interconnected with the Internet, so goes its thirst for full-contact action.

Events of this magnitude are backed by excellent products and technical support from CCS/Musicam USA to ensure that no glitches arise during the game. CCS/MUSICAM USA's Senior Technical Advisor Dave Pearce often serves as an On-site Engineer for RF Systems Ltd., the ISDN circuit coordinator and equipment vendor for the Super Bowl international broadcast for NFL Films.

Pearce was armed with a gaggle of 11 codecs in order to pipe commentary audio from the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, to eight countries around the globe. While we usually tout the virtues of IP over ISDN, sometimes job specs require the reverse.

"The Super Bowl 'World Feed' is received via satellite and fiber by countries all over the world. However there are limited audio channels that travel along with the video," Pearce explained of the Super Bowl intricacies. "Various countries send their commentators to broadcast on site from the broadcast booths inside the stadium. In order to deliver their audio back to their respective country, they prefer ISDN or satellite over IP, as IP is not the best option for international transmission, and often the equipment hundreds of miles away on the receiving end is better suited for ISDN."

Pearce's use of 11 codecs were set primarily in MPEG L2, some in 64K mono and others in 128K dual mono ISDN settings "Audio was sent to the Commentary Control Room and was then handed off to me so I could feed the audio into my codecs, which routed sound in real time to Denmark, Spain, Hungary, Russia, Belgium, Mexico, France and the U.K. The return audio from each country was fed back to each broadcast booth at the stadium for cueing."

The crisp audio (and video) content enabled listeners across oceans to experience all the action, ranging from the Packers' 21-3 lead to Ben Roethlisberger's crushing final incomplete pass to Mike Wallace as the clocked displayed less than a minute left of history. Moments - and games - like this make or break listener/viewer loyalty. If you prefer to leave the sweating up to the players and not you, trust that CCS/Musicam USA has your back.

If you haven't heard by now, we've got several exciting new facets of our IP codecs already in play this year. Our RoadWarrior LC and XL units are now equipped with 3G (USB port) connectivity. Now you can plant your reporter on a specific hole at the golf course or temporarily station him or her at the sidelines for an update with the coach. New to our family of products is Luci, which is user-friendly software that transforms your Smartphone into an IP codec and the Ikusnet, which is starting demo trials next month.