Thailand’s Ladies Professional Golf Association (Thai LPGA) hosted the SAT-NSDF 1st Thai LPGA Golf Championship 2021 Series from June 30th, 2021 through July 2nd, 2021 at the Grand Prix Golf Club, in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province. Now in its 13th year, this series consisted of ten competitions divided into eight championships. It featured professional golfers from Thailand and was played in cooperation with the China Tour and Australian Tour.
This Championship Series also marks the first time that the Thai LPGA has produced its own live media stream of the event. Through live streaming, the Thai LPGA golf events reach a global audience who can watch the matches anywhere, anytime, on their portable devices such as smartphones and tablets.
BACK STORY
Thailand’s Ladies Professional Golf Association (Thai LPGA) hosted the SAT-NSDF 1st Thai LPGA Golf Championship 2021 Series from June 30th, 2021 through July 2nd, 2021 at the Grand Prix Golf Club, in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province. Now in its 13th year, this series consisted of ten competitions divided into eight championships. It featured professional golfers from Thailand and was played in cooperation with the China Tour and Australian Tour.
“Our streaming media efforts help us to market the Thai LPGA, our golf course, and the pro golfers we have here in Thailand,” said Mr. Kritsada Tanvilai, Thai LPGA’s Association Manager. “There is a value in this marketing effort. With streaming media technology, we can take our events, venue, and competitions to the world community. Instead of always going to play in European or American Tours, professional golfers from Thailand will realize that we have an excellent showcase right here where they can compete. And we can also attract international tournaments that can be played here.
“AHA” MOMENT
Until now, the Thai LPGA enlisted the services of third-party video production companies and/or hired an outside broadcast (OB) truck to manage all aspects of the production and streaming. Engaging these services typically comes at a significant cost. And the Thai LPGA didn’t have direct creative control over the program look, production, and streaming.
Broadcast-quality video equipment can also be complex to learn and operate and require expensive and cumbersome HD-SDI video networking, which is widely used throughout broadcast television. However, Mr. Kritsada Tanvilai soon realized that Vizrt has a suite of live video production and streaming solutions such as TriCaster® Mini 4K and 3Play® 3P2 that utilize the NDI® IP-based video networking protocol.
TriCaster Mini 4K is an easy-to-use compact video creation system that lets anyone with a story produce shows with television-quality results and resolutions up to UHD without needing production expertise.
3Play® 3P2 is a complete, cost-effective, IP-based live sports event production and replay system that takes advantage of software-driven video technology and modern networking to provide users with comprehensive capabilities, increased scalability, and flexibility.
“When I found out that NewTek (Now Vizrt) supports NDI technology, I knew it would be a cost-effective solution to our problem,” Mr. Kritsada Tanvilai said. “This is because NDI uses standard gigabit ethernet local area networking, which is a game changer for us.” The entire area where the tournament was held was cabled with fiber-optic internet. It was effectively a giant NDI network that powered the whole golf course.
The Vizrt and NDI equipment package was recommended and provided by a ProAV value added reseller (VAR) called 99 A Plus Group Ltd. Calling it “a very popular broadcasting workflow”, Mr. Pipat Patthanajuthanun, Managing Director of 99A Plus Group, states that they have widely distributed this equipment to government agencies, corporations, universities, and other customers. “The key is the simplicity of the NDI networking, which works using a standard LAN cable”.
“NewTek (Now Vizrt) and NDI tools meet our customers’ needs and make their production and broadcasting endeavors much easier,” Mr. Pipat Patthanajuthanun added,“We’ve received very positive feedback from our NewTek (Now Vizrt) /NDI customers, and they’re very pleased with the technical support they receive from NewTek (Now Vizrt).” In particular, he cites the training and certification that is available to customers through Viz University.
FRESH APPROACH
Besides its use of game-changing NDI technology, Vizrt solutions are affordable, user-friendly, and packed with valuable tools, such as live video switching, real-time graphics, virtual sets, and streaming distribution capabilities. Real-time CG and graphics, as well as trackless virtual set capabilities, raise the production standard of any live event to professional heights.
According to Mr. Kritsada Tanvilai, “Sponsors of events, such as NSDF, are particularly pleased with the appealing graphics and the professional look of the live streams. When sponsors see how nice the graphics look, it attracts more sponsors and encourages even more sponsorship underwriting.”
PAYOFF
Thinking about their investment in the Vizrt video production, graphics, and streaming gear, and use of the streamlined NDI Video over IP workflow, Mr. Kritsada Tanvilai commented, “I think this is going to be a good solution for us. NewTek (Now Vizrt) equipment and NDI networking are not complicated, and the results are very, very amazing.”
