Al Jazeera expands with Courtyard’s SportsDog

Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic satellite and cable television station, has taken delivery of two SportsDog graphics generators from Courtyard Electronics.
These are to add both dynamic and static information into the live sports broadcasts of the recently opened Al Jazeera Sports Channel.
Initially, the SportDogs will be mainly used for local and Asian League Soccer matches as well as for placing score straps, with Arabic translations of the team names, onto imported Spanish and UK league matches. Al Jazeera Sports Channel covers many different live sports so the flexibility of the SportsDog control system will be applied across a broad spectrum.
SportsDog offers a highly efficient way to present live information, such as scores and a countdown clocks, as well as static logos and text, in live broadcasts. For instance, a football game may require a channel logo, team logos and names, the score and the elapsed time. The live data, the scores and time can be updated via a remote panel (ideal for live applications) or via a network connection. The more static data such as team information and channel logo can be imported and stored. For this, images and keys can be downloaded from virtually any graphics package so the logos are displayed with any level of transparency and softness.
Further flexibility is provided with SportsDog’s inclusion of both an internal linear keyer as well as providing a key output – so keying may be upstream or downstream to suit production requirements. Whole templates can be designed and stored so that particular looks and styles are recalled and in operation within seconds.
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