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.
Winter Tournament Action Begins Online
February 7, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
This week marks the beginning of seven weeks of live streaming video of MHSAA winter tournaments on MHSAA.tv, with a number of those events being produced by participants in the School Broadcast Program.
School Broadcast Program participants cover tournament games which take 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.
This week, District Wrestling activity will be covered by Comstock Park, Otisville-LakeVille, Lake Orion, Freeland and Montrose.
The NFHS Network will provide six straight weekends of tournament coverage this winter. Here’s the complete schedule:
- Feb. 16-17 – Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals
- 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
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 a month. 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. School Broadcast Program participants will also be selling Season and Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.
Of the 99 games on this week’s SBP schedule, 65 at the varsity level will be covered, with more to be added as the week progresses. Fifty-five games 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 6
- JV Boys Basketball - Genesee Christian at Montrose - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Girls Basketball - Saline at Novi - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Riverview Gabriel Richard at Macomb Lutheran North, 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park, 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Edwardsburg at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Vassar at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Saline at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Genesee Christian at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Negaunee at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Edwardsburg at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Ann Arbor Pioneer at Fowlerville - 6:59 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Vassar at Otisville Lakeville - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Saline at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Rochester Adams at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Genesee Christian at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Farwell at Vestaburg - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Negaunee at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Edwardsburg at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Houghton at Marquette - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Republic-Michigamme at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Wednesday – February 7
- Boys Basketball – Ewen-Trout Creek vs. Dollar Bay at Michigan Tech - 7:15 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Ewen Trout-Creek vs. Dollar Bay at Michigan Tech - 5:30 p.m.
- Wrestling – MHSAA Team District at Otisville Lakeville - 5 p.m.
- Wrestling – MHSAA Team District at Comstock Park – 5:30 p.m.
- Wrestling – MHSAA Team District at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- Wrestling – MHSAA Team District at Lake Orion - 6 p.m.
- Wrestling – MHSAA Team District at Comstock Park – 7 p.m.
Thursday – February 8
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Sparta at Comstock Park – 4 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Big Rapids at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Sparta at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Roscommon at Harrison - 6 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Negaunee at Calumet - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Pontiac at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Big Rapids at Fremont - 7 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Sparta at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Escanaba at Marquette - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Baraga at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Roscommon at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Friday – February 9
- Freshman Girls Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Detroit Loyola at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Burton Bendle at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Durand at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Detroit Loyola at Macomb Lutheran North - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Ontonagon at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - West Iron County at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Whittemore-Prescott at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Ionia at Fowlerville - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Otsego at Plainwell - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Iron Mountain at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Whittemore-Prescott at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Durand at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Ashley at Vestaburg - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Burton Bendle at Otisville Lakeville - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Port Huron Northern at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - West Iron County at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Ontonagon at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - L'Anse at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Detroit Loyola at Macomb Lutheran North - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Ionia at Fowlerville - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Otsego at Plainwell - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Iron Mountain at Norway - 8 p.m.
Saturday – February 10
- Wrestling – MHSAA Individual District at Montrose – 10 a.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey – University of Detroit Jesuit at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 6:15 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey – Livonia Stevenson at Detroit Catholic Central - 7:30 p.m.
Monday – February 12
- Freshman Girls Basketball - Warren Mott at Macomb Lutheran North - 4 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Watersmeet at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Mio at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Bark River-Harris at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Mio at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Watersmeet at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Republic-Michigamme at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Bark River-Harris at Norway - 8 p.m.
Tuesday – February 13
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Kalamazoo Christian at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Saginaw Arts & Sciences at Montrose - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Greenville at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Corunna at Fowlerville - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Hartland at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Stanton Central Montcalm at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Baraga at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Kalamazoo Christian at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Munising at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Hartland at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Merrill at Vestaburg - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Stanton Central Montcalm at Fremont - 7 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Houghton at Calumet - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Greenville at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Saginaw Arts & Sciences at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Corunna at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Rochester at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Kalamazoo Christian at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Baraga at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Wakefield-Marinesco at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Munising at Norway - 8 p.m.
Wednesday – February 14
- Cheerleading – OK Conference at Comstock Park - 6:30 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 the following events – which both included game-winning buzzer-beaters in comeback efforts:
- Girls Basketball – Charlevoix 50, Traverse City St. Francis 48
- Boys Basketball – Brighton 57, Novi 56
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 talks about the School Broadcast Program. Archived editions of MHSAA Minute can be found on the StateChamps! YouTube Channel.