Apple Could Use 'Broadcast Quality' iPhone Cameras to Stream WWDC 2020 Sessions

"American Idol" is one of many shows to be on hiatus amid the ongoing health crisis, and last month we learned that filming is being done remotely using iPhones to finish out the current season.

iphone11protriplelens
According to a new TechCrunch article, the home studio rigs provided by ABC to "American Idol" hosts and contestants comprise a three-camera setup, including three iPhone 11 Pros, a tripod and a ring light, with production teams helping with camera setup and editing at a safe distance from home.

Apple also provided a statement for the article, saying its iPhones offer a novel portable solution for professionals to deliver "broadcast quality" video, despite the stay-at-home restrictions.

We know that people are relying on their favorite shows while staying at home, and we are happy to be a part of that process with the team at American Idol. iPhone offers a unique solution to deliver broadcast quality video, in the palm of your hand, while keeping production staff and on-air talent safe and in their homes.

Apple's consumer equipment has been used before to produce TV shows and other broadcasts from home. For example, well-known talk show host Conan O'Brien shoots his show from home using an ‌iPhone‌, while all of his guests use Skype and the rest of his crew is working from home.

Apple itself is planning to use iPhones for streaming broadcasts at WWDC 2020, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, although the extent of this reliance on iPhones is likely to be limited to developer sessions. Expect Apple's keynote presentation and other prominent broadcasts to involve more professional studio rigs and tracking equipment.

Apple's virtual WWDC event kicks off next month and will be hosted in the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website. The event will be free for all developers, and Apple's keynote is likely to fall on on June 22, when WWDC begins.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
apple n1 chip

Apple's New N1 Chip in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Has a Wi-Fi 7 Limitation

Saturday September 13, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
The latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air models are equipped with Apple's all-new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. However, the chip has a Wi-Fi 7 bandwidth limitation. According to FCC documents reviewed by MacRumors, the N1 chip in all of the new iPhone models supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...

Top Rated Comments

Unami Avatar
70 months ago
Just no. "broadcast quality" would mean a 422 codec in HD, far less compression and a lot of other things, from the technical sides alone.

Then there's hardware requirements (4-8 audio Tracks, nice Lenses,...).

Iphones have good cameras for a phone, but they don't hold a candle to TV cameras or even DSLRs. Yet.

There's a reason a decent camera lens cost's more than an iphone. Computational photography and cheaper storage will probably close that gap someday but not that soon.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thelookingglass Avatar
70 months ago

High quality, indeed.

Incidentally, I just sold my Canon DSLR as it was very much redundant since the iPhone 11 Pro. Not that this was the expected outcome, by the way.
Were you just not using it much for photography? There’s a clear difference in quality between the iPhone and DSLRs, even on the newest iPhones.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Edsel Avatar
70 months ago
"Broadcast quality"?



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mozumder Avatar
70 months ago
OK Apple now do this for the front-facing iPhone cameras and Mac cameras. We really need higher quality front cameras, as good as the rear cameras, in the age of video conferencing. This includes larger lenses, OIS, larger pixels, and high-output, high-CRI LEDs.

More people are going to use the front camera than the rear camera.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PortoMavericks Avatar
70 months ago
I own a Canon SL2, entry level and at this point a bit old. There’s no way to compare.

Even more if we’re talking about the subject of the thread: video. You‘re simply not going to get a shallow depth of field out of the iPhone while it can be easily achieved with a Canon 50mm ($120?) lens.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DanBig Avatar
70 months ago
If I was Apple... I would create a bunch of remote kits! Basically, a pair of iPhones with tripods and one ring light and one panel light, one iPhone with a stabilizer handle for moving about, two iPad's one as a prompter with a tripod setup, the second iPad setup as the video switch and editing station for all of the feeds. With all of the needed apps setup on the iPhone's & iPad's.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)