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Topic: Overlays on TV sports events -- How?
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Bruce Hansen
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 847
From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 10-09-2008 08:42 PM
Yes, it is real time. These things are used LIVE on the air, and intercut with cameras that do not have the supered line. There is a unit that attaches to the camera and the tripod. It measures the movement of the camera. It also hooks into the lens controls so that it knows where the zoom and focus are. Before the game the camera is pointed to certain points on the field, and the "line" opperator inputs those points into the computer. The system then can super a graph of the yard lines, and the opperator can tweek anything that is off. A sort of croma key (or matt) is used to have the line show up on the GREEN grass, but not on the players. Want to see the keying system have a hard time? Watch when the sun is setting, and there are shadows on the field. Not only is there a difference in the amount of light, and therefore a difference in the intensity of the colors, but the shadows are more blue, then the area in the sun.
Depending on the importance of the game (more viewers = more money from commercials) there can be between 0 and 4 cameras equipped with these things.
Last week I worked on the East Lake golf tournament for NBC (and the Golf Channel), and there is now a version of this "line" system for golf.
Any graphics, such as the score are keyed over the image in the production switcher, and have nothing to do with the "line" system. These come from a character generator. This unit outputs the graphics video, it also outputs a "hole cut" signal, to tell the switcher where the graphics are, so that they can be keyed into the selected video.
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 10-10-2008 02:47 AM
Seems like an AWFUL lot of technology and $$$ just to put something in the picture that no one give a hoot about. Ads, as obnoxious as they are, at least you can understand that they make money; the line makes nothing.
Just like the color announcer. Years ago they did an experiment -- I think it was on Fox -- just using the field announcer as the play-by-play (sparse that it is) on the broadcast audio -- no color, no other play-by-play -- same thing the stadium audience hears. If it's good enough for them, it should be good enough for the TV audience. Hell, the tv audience can see much more that the stadium audience -- why do they need enhanced play-by-play, plus the incessant, usually innane yammering of the color guy. I LOVED it, but it was very short lived -- only two games. Then it was back to business as usual....a barrage of 90% useless, ego maniacal, look-world-I-can-talk-without-stopping-for-two-hours bullsheet.
Yah, the line is very interesting in its execution and no doubt clever, but bottom line....it's useless. All costly glitz and no substance.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-10-2008 08:14 AM
With ATSC, it should be possible to broadcast the game without the "additional material" (lines, etc.) on a subchannel. If there is an ATSC equivalent to the SAP channel, they could even have a non-announced version of the game. Is anyone doing this? Probably not.
Personally, I object to the fake stadium ads that often show up in televised baseball games (and maybe other sports, too). These are meant to look like billboards at the ballpark, but are actually inserted into the broadcast picture even though they don't exist in real life (and don't show up at all in instant replays). At least with football, the yellow line (which I don't really like either) looks fake and is obviously not on the field. It seems to be boarderline deceptive to add in fake advertisements that are intended to look real. Why not just sell advertising space on the players' uniforms and be done with it? Also, the shots with the fake ads seem to be delayed by a frame or two, as there is usually a noticeable gap when cuts are made to and from those shots.
The technology is clever and interesting, but I don't see how any of this would increase viewership. I watch very little television, but would watch more if the networks would get rid of on-screen logos and fix the incessant lip-sync issues that every station seems to have to some extent. Bad sound sync would not have been acceptable in 1960, so I see no reason why it should be acceptable now.
Complaints aside, current HD sports broadcasts look amazing (usually). It's amazing how much picture quality has improved in the last decade. Too bad almost everything else about television is worse than it was in the 1990s.
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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted 10-10-2008 08:33 AM
quote: Joe Redifer So when you're gasping your chest on that heartwrenching play, the people at the stadium already know how it ended.
This is why I like going to sporting events. When I watch on TV I know in the back of my brain that what I'm watching happened several seconds ago. You've got processing delay in the truck, delay from truck to satellite, satellite to network control, network control back to satellite, satellite to distributor, distributor repackaging of data, distributor to satellite or cable system and then satellite or cable system to your house.
Plus, if they are still using it there is the Janet Jackson live delay.
In some cases, the delay can be 10 seconds or more for a "Live" event.
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