ESPN LIVE

Inspiration

As a huge fan of sports and technology, the FPGA challenge felt like the perfect opportunity to combine both. The idea was inspired by live sports broadcasts on networks like ESPN, where graphics, scoreboards, and overlays play a huge role in the viewing experience. We wanted to recreate that professional broadcast feel entirely in hardware, using an FPGA to generate everything in real time.

What it does

ESPN LIVE is a real-time FPGA-based sports broadcast renderer. It generates a full 1080p soccer scene including the field, animated players, ball physics, goals, score tracking, a match timer, and broadcast overlays such as “ESPN LIVE” and “ROSS VIDEO.”

How we built it

The project was built entirely in SystemVerilog using Vivado. We used DE-based video timing to track pixel position and generate graphics in real time. Gameplay logic runs on a frame-tick system to update player movement, ball physics, scoring, and animations. Custom hardware fonts were implemented for text and scoreboards, and a layered pixel pipeline was used to compose the final video output.

Challenges we ran into

Compilation and synthesis times were slow, making iteration difficult. Designing gameplay logic that worked reliably in hardware was challenging, especially without prior experience in real-time game systems. We also faced a learning curve with FPGA tools and debugging RTL code. Additionally, one of our teammates left the project, which increased the workload and required us to quickly adapt.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a complete animated sports broadcast experience entirely on FPGA. We’re proud of getting a stable real-time video pipeline working with gameplay, scoring, and professional-style overlays. Despite the challenges, we learned quickly, stayed focused, and delivered a functional and visually polished project.

What we learned

We gained hands-on experience with FPGA video pipelines, SystemVerilog RTL design, and real-time hardware graphics. We learned how to manage timing, synchronization, and deterministic logic at the hardware level. Beyond the technical side, we learned the importance of teamwork, adaptability, and perseverance under tight deadlines.

What's next for ESPN LIVE

Future improvements could include more advanced gameplay logic, smoother animations, improved broadcast graphics, and support for multiple resolutions. We would also like to add interactivity, such as external inputs for control, and expand the system to support different sports or live data sources.

Built With

• verilog
• vivado