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The latest broadcast tech brought 17 million Digital Trends viewers to CES 2020

Rich Shibley
By

For the tech journalist, CES is a grueling 5-day marathon. Enduring crowded press conferences, trudging through booth tours, and racing around acres of show floor filled with endless supplies of new and exciting gadgets is as overwhelming as it is exhausting.

It’s totally worth it.

Digital Trends hands out the Top Tech of CES 2020 award.

But how does a tech publication like Digital Trends take it all in, pick out the best, and deliver what its audience wants to see? It takes a team of writers, photographers, and video producers all working in concert.

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At CES 2020, Digital Trends undertook the lofty goal of bringing its audience onto the show floor in real-time! With over 21 hours of live streaming, the Digital Trends Live team visited 52 different booths on the show floor. Utilizing the latest broadcast technology was key. Through a combination of Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2 cameras and Teradek streaming backpacks, the highly mobile crews raced around the show, capturing and delivering all the sights, sounds, and tech that make CES the biggest and best consumer electronics show in the world.

The Digital Trends Live CES 2020 broadcast was anchored by Greg Nibler and Maude Garrett from a custom-built studio located at the Tech South space within the Aria Convention Center. With news headlines, updates, and exclusive interviews, the studio crew provided a home base of operations.

From the show floor, three live crews brought the experience of being embedded in the CES action to the viewer, utilizing the Ursa Mini Pro G2 with a traditional ENG B4 lens mount. This configuration, combined with a 12G SDI output for live streaming was preferred by Director of Video Production, Rich Shibley. Using this setup on the show floor allowed crews to quickly establish live shots and capture the action while moving freely and shooting off the shoulder.

Broadcasting live from Samsung at CES 2020

In addition to producing live content, one Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro G2 was also used in a cinema camera setup with an EF mount. Digital Trends Video Producer Dan Baker, who usually shoots on a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, easily transitioned to the Ursa Mini Pro G2. With professional video camera controls and a built-in ND filter, production workflow was accelerated. The ability to quickly transition from tripod shooting to handheld was also a major benefit in the fast-paced CES environment.

Audience response was impressive with over 17 million video views originating from CES production across all Digital Trends’ distribution platforms.

In a media landscape where video coverage is key, Digital Trends is consistently looking for the best gear to bring tech to its viewers in meaningful and informative ways. With Blackmagic Design’s cameras and solutions, Digital Trends’ audience gets stunning visual storytelling.

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Rich Shibley
Rich Shibley
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rich Shibley is the Director of Video Production at Digital Trends. Before working at DT, he was as an Emmy award winning TV…
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