How BirdDog Powers a New Vision for Davos Broadcasting

A Career Built on Breaking Barriers

Gary Shainberg, CEO & Founder of TSO Ventures, started his career in the military and then he joined BT in 1997, where he began experimenting with live video. His first major project? Live-streaming the 1999 total eclipse. A groundbreaking feat at the time, backed by BT. Over the next five years, he led BT’s live-streaming initiatives, delivering seamless broadcasts for conferences and events.

As the webcast market declined in the early 2000s, he continued pursuing live streaming independently. The COVID-19 pandemic reignited demand, allowing him to apply his IP networking expertise to an evolving industry. This is when he discovered NDI and BirdDog, recognizing their power to bridge the gap between broadcast-quality production and modern, flexible workflows.

BirdDog at the Heart of Davos

This January, his vision for a sustainable, streamlined broadcasting solution took center stage during Davos week, supporting the unDavos Summit. Leveraging BirdDog’s advanced technology, he orchestrated two days of live streaming across multiple locations, showcasing the power of remote broadcasting and expert planning.

Key highlights of the project included:

 

• • BirdDog Connect Integration: Enabled remote management of two cameras at each location, supported by BirdDog 4k Flex In’s for graphics and NDI for audio. The entire setup was controlled remotely in the UK, minimizing the need for on-site staff.

• • Sustainability and Cost Efficiency: By deploying a single technician per location and utilizing BirdDog Connect capabilities, the team significantly reduced the environmental and financial footprint of the project.

Technical Workflow & Setup

The Davos live streaming project utilized a BirdDog NDI®-powered workflow to deliver a cost-effective, high-quality production while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint:

On-Site Hardware & Network Configuration

 

• • Two BirdDog PTZ cameras (P200) per location mounted on tripods, connected via Ethernet to a Netgear AV switch.

• • Windows laptop running vMix for failover switching and redundancy.

• • BirdDog Connect Client installed to enable remote production.

• • BirdDog Flex 4K In NDI® encoder for seamless graphics integration from the client’s PC.

• • HDMI signal splitter, one output sent to in-room screens, the other into Flex Mini for NDI® streaming.

• • Audio managed separately via Dante, ensuring premium sound quality.

• • The entire production was remotely vision-mixed in Plymouth, UK, eliminating the need for additional on-site crew thanks to BirdDog Connect.

BirdDog Connect Streaming & Remote Management

 

• • Three dedicated BirdDog Connect streams handled:
    

     

    • • Video Stream – Fed into Connect for remote mixing.
    • • Audio Stream – Routed separately to prevent sync issues.
    • • Graphics Stream – Integrated dynamically.

• • Remote mixing was conducted entirely from the UK, removing the need for on-site technical staff.

• • The final output was streamed via Boxcast CDN, embedding the broadcast onto a website for a global audience.

Successes & Key Takeaways

 

• • BirdDog Connect based Seamless Remote Production – Full-scale production executed without a large crew.

• • X Series PTZ Performance – All new cameras provided a great perform and reliability. Specially X4 Ultra’s with it’s unique wireless capabilities, eliminating cabling constraints.

• • Scalability for Multi-Room Use – The setup proved that BirdDog Connect can effectively manage large-scale, multi-location events.

• • Sustainability & Cost Reduction – By utilizing BirdDog’s Connect technology, a single technician per location significantly cut costs and reduced the environmental footprint.

• • Expanding Remote Production with BirdDog Connect – Major broadcasters like BBC are adopting similar workflows for large-scale events proving that remote-based production is the future.

Looking Ahead: Davos and Beyond

“Davos is evolving beyond what happens in the Congress Centre. Today, the fringe events are as significant as the main forum,” explains Gary. “With Davos TV, we’re not just streaming; we’re weaving a tapestry of global conversations, powered by BirdDog technology.”