COP28 UN Climate Summit
Global Unilateral & Host Broadcaster Transmission Matrix
- Venue
- Expo City Dubai, UAE
- Broadcaster
- Abu Dhabi TV / UNFCCC Host Broadcast
- Dates
- Nov 30 – Dec 13, 2023
Role
Lead OB Systems Engineer & Signal Routing Lead
Engineered zero-latency international distribution matrix across 35+ multilateral feeds, high-security presidential plenary halls, and global network unilateral cabins with 100% transmission continuity.
- 1.2B+
- Global Audience
- 35+
- Unilateral Feeds
- 312 Hrs
- Continuous On-Air
- 0
- Signal Loss Incidents
Hardware & signal architecture
- Video format
- 1080p50 HDR / 12G-SDI & SMPTE 2110 Hybrid
- Vision mixer
- Sony MVS-8000X (4 M/E Main Plenary + 2 M/E Side Halls)
- Replay & slow-motion
- EVS XT-VIA & XT3 (8 Channel Speech Loggers)
- Master sync & routing
- Evertz 5600SPG Dual Redundant Master Sync + Nevion Sublime 128x128
Technical approach
- Designed a dual-ring fiber backbone connecting the Plenary Hall OB Compound to International Media Centre (IMC) distribution hubs.
- Configured redundant Evertz SPG synchronizers with GPS locking to guarantee jitter-free reference across 28 multi-vendor camera channels.
- Established strict CCU colorimetry matching calibrated for low-glare presidential lighting and 4K HDR projection backdrops.
Signal flow
- 1
Optical Ingest
28 SMPTE hybrid fiber camera runs terminated at tactical patch-wall
- 2
CCU Paint Box
Sony RCP-1500 master rack aligned to D65 color temp
- 3
Matrix Routing
Nevion 128x128 HD-SDI router with automated fallback switching
- 4
Vision Mixing
Sony MVS-8000X delivering 4 distinct international clean & graphic feeds
- 5
Satellite Uplink & Fiber Tx
Dual redundant encoders routed to EBU and Abu Dhabi Media playout
Live faults & engineering fixes
Challenge
Unannounced VIP arrival caused spontaneous room reassignment 20 minutes before world leaders address.
Fix
Triggered emergency flyaway optical multiplexer preset, re-patching 6 CCU channels and RTS intercom panels over dark fiber trunk in 8 minutes.
Impact: Zero transmission delay; world feed went live flawlessly with synchronized tally and graphics.
Challenge
Severe thermal fluctuations in external outdoor fiber termination hubs reaching 42°C ambient.
Fix
Implemented active thermoelectric spot cooling and optical power margin monitoring on all tactical SMPTE cables.
Impact: Prevented optical dB attenuation drops throughout the 14-day summit.
On-air footage
Production gallery
What I'd improve next time
“In future mega-summits, I would deploy automated SMPTE ST 2110 NMOS IS-04/05 discovery for unilateral client trucks to cut initial patching times by another 40%.”
Planning a similar production?
Available for OB truck, CCU, and EVS operations across the UAE and GCC.