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Extreme sports action from Volvo Ocean Race captured for 1.5 billion viewers using Media Desk from Livewire Digital

Extreme sports action depicting the adrenaline, fear, endurance and courage of the 7 teams in this year’s http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/2431 is being captured for over 1.5 billion viewers using Media Desk 70 from Livewire Digital - the communications hub that lies at the heart of the entire fleet of Volvo class 70 yachts participating in this year’s event. Live action from the crews as they battle across the worlds oceans spanning 5 continents can now be experienced by the public at home thanks to the installation of specialist technology on board all vessels.

Simple to use, Media Desk 70 enables the crew on each boat to connect with the Volvo Ocean Race HQ on the South Coast of England in Whiteley, and to transmit broadcast quality video from the harshest and most enduring seas.

Commencing on the 5th November 2005, the Volvo Ocean Race is the longest yacht race in the world covering 31,250 nautical miles (35,961 miles). Starting in Sanxenxo, Spain, the crews will be visiting some of the world’s major ports including Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro, before finishing in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Volvo Ocean Race is a gruelling and extreme event comprising long distance legs and in-port racing. Livewire Digital’s experience in providing broadcasters with the equipment to allow them to report and file news from anywhere in the world, coupled with its extensive knowledge of the Volvo Ocean Race has enabled Livewire Digital to design a solution which helps capture the very essence of this race.

Nicknamed the magnificent seven, the two teams from ABN AMRO, Ericsson, Brasil 1, The Black Pearl, Premier Challenge and movistar will be sailing at speeds in excess of 35 knots (41mph) for up to 21 days between some of the longer legs. The event culminates in a nail-biting sprint finish between Rotterdam and Gothenburg ending on the 17th June 2006.

Tristan Wood, Managing Director, Livewire Digital, comments: “Each Media Desk 70 is based on a new ground breaking design and installed as an integral part of each yacht. Utilising the latest in carbon fibre composite design to ensure rigidity, strength and lightness to house the onboard camera control, video, audio, weather data management, and telemetry systems. The Media Desk forms the heart of the content delivery mechanism that will bring the race to a global cumulative audience of 1.5 billion people.”

Media Desk 70 has been designed to strict specifications, in order to minimise the weight impact on the yachts, and to allow the teams to maintain their focus on the prize – the winning of the Volvo Ocean Race. The simple to use interface allows the crew to film high quality video and audio reports, and to provide live video interviews via digital microwave technology and satellite. All at the touch of the button and all without any prior knowledge of broadcasting.

The key advantage of Media Desk 70 for the Volvo Ocean Race is that the solution can truly turn the race into a media event. Using satellite, microwave and Wi-Fi, footage can be transmitted back to the newsroom quickly and easily regardless of the yachts location; in-port or in the middle of the Atlantic; the Media Desk will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

However, Media Desk 70 is not just a tool that facilitates the efficient broadcast of footage, it also plays a pivotal role in aiding navigation. Having an accurate knowledge of weather conditions is vital to allow crews to navigate. Media Desk 70 gives all the crews equal access to the same weather information in an efficient and accountable manner, allowing the navigators to make decisive changes to their yacht’s course, avoiding problematic weather conditions, while being held to a level playing field.

Controlling an impressive bank of cameras and microphones located around the yacht, Livewire Digital’s Media Desk ties together all the elements of the yacht’s inbound and outbound communications via a simple and intuitive interface – comprising nothing more than an LCD screen and eight buttons.

Tristan Wood concludes: “The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world’s most extreme sports. Circumnavigating the globe, the crews on these yachts will experience some of the toughest conditions known to man. Media Desk 70 had been designed to work whatever the conditions. Using sophisticated satellite and microwave technology, it allows Volvo Ocean Race Duty Officers to monitor all the activities whilst putting the viewing public at the heart of the race.”