IPA-Prod Produces ISU Grand Prix with Blackmagic Design
French broadcaster exceeds ISU specifications with URSA Broadcast G2 on 2160p50 production.
Fremont, CA, USA – Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – Blackmagic Design today announced that IPA-Prod used an acquisition, control and delivery workflow from Blackmagic Design to deliver 4K coverage of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France.
IPA-Prod was appointed host broadcaster for the three day Grand Prix de France event at IceParc, which brought together elite figure skaters and ice dancers for an international TV audience.
The brief called for a 1080i50 world feed for international distribution, but IPA-Prod’s team, led by Technical Director Séraphin Mauvoisin, decided to exceed expectations. “Given all our production capabilities, we wanted to do more than what was requested in the specifications and acquire in 4K,” Mauvoisin said. “Our experience in esport productions, where clients are extremely demanding about frame rate, pushed us toward 50p.”
The production centered on the ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher with full 4K infrastructure. For coverage, IPA-Prod deployed six Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 cameras, relying heavily on the model’s 6K Super 35 sensor, and paired them with Canon 4K broadcast zooms, including UJ111x8.2 DIGISUPER lenses on low angle, hard cameras, a UJ90x9 DIGISUPER lens for reverse coverage, and CJ45ex9.7B and CJ15ex4.3B lenses for main, beauty, and kiss and cry positions.
“We had previously upgraded to the URSA Broadcast G2 because the sensor is more sensitive to light than traditional broadcast cameras, which is a big advantage for 4K production,” said Mauvoisin. “Its B4 mount lets us use standard broadcast zoom lenses that are easy to source and gives us built in ND filters like a traditional broadcast camera. The depth of field is similar to a conventional two thirds inch setup, but the 4K rendering is really impressive. Another factor is the wide availability of rental units from our partners in Paris, which allows us to easily reinforce our own stock when needed.”
Every camera ran on SMPTE fiber with cable runs of approximately 200 meters back to the OB truck. Signals from the cameras travelled via Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converters to Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converters in a stagebox at the venue, where they were converted to SDI and then sent over multi core fiber using Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G units.
An ATEM Camera Control Panel provided control for the main cameras, while additional control panels handled secondary and specialty units so shading could be managed from a single position remotely.
The host production was captured in 2160p50, with the world feed for the International Skating Union distributed via rights holder Infront. An SNG truck at IceParc provided Ku band satellite uplink for around 20 territories, delivering the signal in 1080i50, while IPA-Prod retained the full 4K 50p recordings.
“All the TV networks received a 1080i signal, but our choice to work in 4K gave us something extra to offer,” Mauvoisin said. “The highlight packages showed everything from the spray of ice under the blades to the costume details. Several clients also used our 4K feeds to create live portrait outputs, including brand events, Q&A sessions and portrait feeds on LED walls.”
Press Photography
Product photos of ATEM Constellation 8K, URSA Broadcast G2, ATEM Camera Control Panel, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images
About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com