Otisville-LakeVille First SBP Using Pixellot
January 31, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
A challenge to schools wanting to stream live video of their athletic events to their communities is being able to adequately staff those productions.
“We had signed up for the School Broadcast Program over a year ago and we were really excited to get our games out to the community, and when it came to it, we just couldn’t get the manpower to run the equipment,” said Drew Johnson, the athletic director at Otisville-LakeVille High School in Genesee County. “That first day, we had everything lined up, we were ready to go, and two of our three kids missed school that day for being sick. It was just a hassle.
“So when we heard about Pixellot, it was a quick and easy decision.”
Just three weeks ago, LakeVille became the first school in Michigan and one of the first in the country to install a Pixellot unit in its gymnasium, automating the process of streaming live video on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network.
Pixellot is a unit equipped with four High Definition cameras that cover the length of the playing surface and then focus in on the ball and player movement to deliver the action. The unit communicates with the scoreboard to insert a time and score graphic on the screen. Ambient audio is picked up by the device, but the play-by-play of an in-person announce team can also be patched in.
All that has to be done from a school’s perspective is type in the event schedule, and promote the fact that the games are available on MHSAA.tv. Pixellot does the rest. The unit can also be set up to isolate a camera on a fixed location, which allows for activities like wrestling to also be streamed.
“We’re going to do everything that takes place in our gym,” Johnson said. “We’re also excited about being able to record our practices as well.”
Johnson added that the school will look into installing additional Pixellot units at its middle school auditorium for musical events and LakeVille’s outdoor athletic fields in the future.
In its eighth year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics.
The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
All sporting events – Live or On-Demand – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.
Here’s the schedule of events School Broadcast Program members plan to stream over the next week for broadcast at MHSAA.tv.
Tuesday, Jan. 31
- JV Girls Basketball - North Branch at Otisville Lakeville, 5:25 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Goodrich at Davison, 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - North Branch at Otisville Lakeville, 6:45 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Williamston at East Lansing, 7 p.m. (On Demand)
- Girls Basketball - Hopkins at Plainwell, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Hudsonville Unity Christian at Cedar Springs, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Birmingham Seaholm at Lake Orion, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Negaunee at Calumet, 7:20 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Goodrich at Davison, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 1
- Wrestling – Quad at Cedar Springs, 5:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Leroy Pine River at Beal City, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 2
- JV Girls Basketball - Birch Run at Otisville Lakeville, 5:25 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Coopersville at Comstock Park, 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Oscoda at Rogers City, 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Birch Run at Otisville Lakeville, 6:45 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Oscoda at Rogers City, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Gaylord at Alpena, 7, p.m.
Friday, Feb. 3
- Ice Hockey - Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood @ MIHL Showcase, 4 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Lowell at Cedar Springs, 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Burton Atherton vs. Montrose, 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Allegan at Plainwell, 6 p.m.
- Ice Hockey - Notre Dame De La Baie Academy vs. Detroit Catholic Central @ MIHL Showcase, 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Coopersville at Comstock Park, 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Lapeer at Davison, 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Allegan at Plainwell, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton vs. Montrose, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - McBain at Beal City, 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Coopersville at Comstock Park, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 4
- Ice Hockey - Notre Dame De La Baie Academy vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood @ MIHL Showcase, 12:40 p.m.
- Ice Hockey - Novi vs. Detroit Catholic Central @ MIHL Showcase, 6:50 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 6
- JV Girls Basketball – Hillman at Rogers City, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 7
- JV Girls Basketball - Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park, 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Midland Dow at Mt, Pleasant, 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Greenville at Cedar Springs, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Midland Dow at Mt. Pleasant, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Chassell at Calumet, 7:20 p.m.
Be sure to check the Upcoming Events page at MHSAA.tv for schedule additions every day.
The NFHS Network has announced new pricing for 2016-17, eliminating the Day Pass and lowering the cost of a Month Pass to $9.95. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. Some schools also will be selling Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.
A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.
Fans also can access scores of games in-progress on the NFHS Network website via ScoreStream. Click on the Scores button in the upper right corner.
A weekly staple on the MHSAA.tv website and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube is back for another year with highlights of selected games last week produced by members of the Association’s School Broadcast Program.
This week’s highlights package consists of clips from last week’s Bark River-Harris at Powers North Central boys basketball game in which the Jets set a state record for consecutive boys hoops victories, an ice hockey game pitting Detroit Catholic Central at Brighton in a battle of two of the top teams in the state and a demonstration of Pixellot in action during a boys basketball game with Millington at Otisville-LakeVille.
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
PHOTOS: (Top) A laptop shows the variety of angles for the Pixellot and the calibration of its four cameras. (Middle) This Pixellot hangs at midcourt at Otisville-LakeVille High School.
5 Weekends of MHSAA Finals, 1 Low Price
February 20, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Over the next five weeks, fans of Michigan high school sports can catch hundreds of hours of live video coverage of MHSAA Championships on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network for just $9.95.
This week’s championship coverage comes from Wings Events Center in Kalamazoo on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 23-24) at the Team Wrestling Finals. Here’s the complete schedule:
Friday – Feb. 23 – Team Wrestling Quarterfinals
Division 4 @ Noon
- Hudson v. Onaway
- Mendon v. Leroy Pine River
- Carson City-Crystal v. New Lothrop
- Clinton v. Springport
Division 1 @ 2:15 p.m.
- Detroit Catholic Central v. Hudsonville
- Westland John Glenn v. Davison
- Macomb Dakota v. Oxford
- Brighton v. Hartland
Division 3 @ 4:30 p.m.
Division 2 @ 6:45 p.m.
- Lowell v. Tecumseh
- Eaton Rapids v. Stevensville Lakeshore
- Gaylord v. Goodrich
- Warren Woods-Tower v. Allendale
Saturday – Feb. 24 – Team Wrestling Semifinals & Finals
Division 4 Semifinals @ 9:30 a.m.
- Hudson/Onaway winner v. Mendon/Leroy Pine River winner
- Carson City-Crystal/New Lothrop winner v. Clinton/Springport winner
Division 1 Semifinals @ 9:30 a.m.
- Detroit Catholic Central/Hudsonville winner v. Westland John Glenn/Davison winner
- Macomb Dakota/Oxford winner v. Brighton/Hartland winner
Division 3 Semifinals @ Noon
- Dundee/Comstock Park winner v. Whitehall/Birch Run winner
- Remus Chippewa Hills/Dowagiac winner v. Richmond/Alma winner
Division 2 Semifinals @ Noon
- Lowell/Tecumseh winner v. Eaton Rapids/Stevensville Lakeshore winner
- Gaylord/Goodrich winner v. Warren Woods-Tower/Allendale winner
Saturday Finals - 3:30 p.m.
Here’s the week-by-week NFHS Network coverage schedule of MHSAA winter Championships:
- Feb. 22-24 – Team Dual Wrestling Quarterfinals-Semifinals-Finals
- March 2-3 – Individual Wrestling Finals
- March 2-3 – Girls Competitive Cheer Finals
- March 8-10 – Ice Hockey Semifinals & Finals
- March 13 – Girls Basketball Quarterfinals
- March 15-16 – Girls Basketball Semifinals
- March 20 – Boys Basketball Quarterfinals
- March 22-23 – Boys Basketball Semifinals
The 16 Team Wrestling events on Friday are part of the busiest day ever on MHSAA.tv, as a total of 44 events will be streamed by the NFHS Network and by participants in the School Broadcast Program.
In addition to day-to-day regular-season productions, School Broadcast Program participants cover tournament games taking place at their facilities as a condition of membership in the program. SBP schools also play a major role in the production of Quarterfinal games in the Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments in March.
For the second straight week, a record 115 events are on this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule, with 74 at the varsity level and more to be added as the week progresses. A total of 51 events will be produced by schools using Pixellot, the NFHS Network’s automated coverage solution. Be sure to check “Upcoming Events” on the MHSAA.tv home page daily for last-minute additions.
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members:
Tuesday – February 20
- Project Unified Basketball - Northville at Novi - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Delton Kellogg at Kalamazoo Christian - 4:15 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Escanaba at Calumet - 5 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Allendale at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Byron at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Delton Kellogg at Kalamazoo Christian - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Plymouth at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Dowagiac at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Tawas Area at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – St. Johns at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Delton Kellogg at Kalamazoo Christian - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Tawas Area at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Allendale at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Plymouth at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Byron at Montrose - 7:01 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Dowagiac at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday – February 21
- Freshman Boys Basketball - North Branch at Otisville-LakeVille - 4 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - North Branch at Otisville-LakeVille - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Galesburg-Augusta at Kalamazoo Christian - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Posen at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - North Branch at Otisville-LakeVille - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Posen at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Rochester Adams at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Galesburg-Augusta at Kalamazoo Christian - 7 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Hartland at Detroit Catholic Central - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday – February 22
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest at Macomb Lutheran North - 4 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Westland at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Sterling Heights Parkway Christian at Macomb Lutheran North - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Coopersville at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Westland at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Ewen-Trout Creek at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - TBA at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Calumet at Marquette - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Sterling Heights Parkway Christian at Macomb Lutheran North - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Ewen-Trout Creek at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Calumet at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Friday – February 23
- Project Unified Basketball - Plymouth at Novi - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Sanford Meridian at Harrison - 4:30 p.m.
- Freshman Girls Basketball – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – TBA at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Byron at Otisville-LakeVille - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – St. Clair Chores Lake Shore at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Sanford Meridian at Harrison - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Fairview at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Fowlerville at Lansing Catholic - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Carrollton at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Howard City Tri County at Fremont - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Lawton at Kalamazoo Christian - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Powers North Central at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Coleman at Vestaburg - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - TBA at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Fairview at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Farmington Hills Harrison at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Byron at Otisville-LakeVille - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Trenton at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Carrollton at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Fowlerville at Lansing Catholic - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Howard City Tri County at Fremont - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Lawton at Kalamazoo Christian - 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore at Lutheran North - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Sanford Meridian at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Powers North Central at Norway - 8 p.m.
Saturday – February 24
- Boys Ice Hockey – Grosse Pointe North at Detroit Catholic Central - 7:30 p.m.
Monday – February 26
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Detroit Loyola at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Detroit Loyola at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – MHSAA District – Ada Forest Hills Eastern v. Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park – 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – MHSAA District – Midland Bullock Creek at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – MHSAA District – Bay City John Glenn v. Essexville Garber at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Detroit Loyola at Lutheran North - 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – MHSAA District – Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park – 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – MHSAA District at Fremont (Belding v. Fremont; Howard City Tri-County v. Newaygo - TBA
Tuesday – February 27
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Standish-Sterling at Freeland - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Standish-Sterling at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Ludington at Fremont - 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Fowlerville at Hartland - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Berkley at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Chassell at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Standish Sterling at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Ludington at Fremont - 7:30 p.m.
In its ninth year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. Pixellot is used by schools wishing to live stream games, but lacking the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.
Highlights of games produced in the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members feature last weekend’s Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals.
Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.
With the winter sports season fully underway, StateChamps! High School Sports Show returns with new weekly editions debuting each Sunday at 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Detroit – featuring fresh editions of the MHSAA Minute.
The MHSAA Minute takes a look each week at different things happening in the life of the Association, from promoting educational programs to rules changes in high school sports. This week’s Minute takes a look at the School Broadcast Program – and as part of its salute to Black History Month, MHSAA Assistant Director Nate Hampton will be featured. Archived editions of MHSAA Minute can be found on the StateChamps! YouTube Channel.