When the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) prepared to elevate its live sports production for Super Rugby, they turned to long-time BirdDog partner, Gencom Technology, to deliver a reliable, professional broadcast workflow.
Gencom, a New Zealand-based systems integrator with more than 50 years in broadcast and media system design, worked with FBC to implement a modern outside broadcast solution, including BirdDog PTZ cameras for locker-room and coaching area coverage.
“We’ve been working with BirdDog since almost the beginning, around eight years now. They’re a forward-looking company making exciting products, and we love working with them,” said Keith Bremner, Director at Gencom.
The Challenge
As Fiji joined the Super Rugby competition, FBC needed to build up its live sports production capability quickly.
Key requirements included:
- Discreet cameras for changing rooms and coaching areas
- Remote PTZ control
- Balanced audio inputs for embedded microphones
- A simple way to integrate into their existing SDI broadcast workflow
- The flexibility to move toward NDI and IP production in the future
The Solution: BirdDog PTZ Cameras
Gencom deployed BirdDog PTZ cameras in four locations, two in changing rooms and two positioned near coaching staff.
The decision was based on performance, simplicity, and flexibility:
“We needed PTZ cameras suitable for changing rooms and coaches’ areas. The cameras had balanced audio in, we could power them over PoE, and they were remotely controlled, exactly what we needed,” said Bremner.
Although the installation used SDI, Bremner emphasized the value of future IP capability, “The facility is SDI, but we know we can take everything over one Cat6 cable with NDI when we need to.”
Smooth, Reliable Deployment
Bremner commented that the installation process was seamless, “That’s the beauty of them as they work just out of the box, plug them in, and away you go.”
This reliability was essential in a high-pressure sports environment, with cameras capturing intimate and strategic moments during match days.
Looking Ahead: Hybrid Broadcast Workflows
Gencom sees hybrid SDI-to-IP workflows as the present and future of the industry, with BirdDog helping bridge that transition.
“NDI sits in the sweet spot, more than AV solutions can offer and, in some ways, more than 2110. Sure, it’s compressed, but it’s good. It fits a massive middle market perfectly,” mentioned Bremner.
They also highlighted ongoing work across Dante AV and SMPTE 2110 projects, with emerging technologies like IPMX on their radar but remain confident in NDI’s position in professional production.
According to Bremner, “We’ll definitely be looking for the next project to use BirdDog again.”
About Gencom Technology
Gencom is a New Zealand-based systems integrator with five decades of experience designing and delivering broadcast and media technology systems. Their work spans broadcast television, live events, education, worship, corporate media, and specialty environments requiring professional video and audio.
