Fox Sports Enters 20th World Series on a Ratings, Technology High Note

Fox Sports Enters 20th World Series on a Ratings, Technology High Note Its massive gear complement includes 40+ cameras, 6+ slo-mos, and 14 underground mics By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - 3:23 pm

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Coming off the most-watched LCS game since 2010 (Saturday's ALCS Game 7 on FS1) and the most-watched MLB Postseason overall since 2011, Fox Sports is riding plenty of ratings momentum into tonight's World Series opener at Dodger Stadium. With more eyeballs expected to tune in, Fox will bring its technology A game to the Astros-Dodgers series, including 40-plus cameras (a record eight high-speed cameras), 15-plus underground mics on the field, a new in-perspective virtual-strike-zone graphic, and the World Series debut of Game Creek Video's Yogi mobile unit.

Fox Sports will have at least eight high-speed cameras on hand for the World Series.

This postseason has been great for us not only because we've gotten some really compelling matchups that people want to watch but we've also had great crews, great trucks, and some pretty exciting new tools to work with, says Brad Cheney, VP, field operations and engineering, Fox Sports. This year, we made an effort to up our resources not just for the World Series but also for the LDS and LCS. The LCS and the World Series [production complements] really don't differ a lot. And that's by design: we have been able to beef up the LCS to a World Series level.

Camera Complement: Full High-Speed Ahead

Fox's 40-plus-camera complement will include more high-speed cameras than ever: five Sony HDC4300 6X slo-mos (360 fps) at low third, inside low first, right center, mid third, and tight tight center; a Sony HDC-4800 16X slo-mo (960 fps) at mid first; and two Inertia Unlimited X-Mo Phantom cameras at low first and low third to capture dramatic shots of swings at the plate. In addition, since Dodger Stadium is among the few ballparks to feature a true low-home position, Fox will deploy an additional HDC-4300 to capture tight shots of the pitcher's face and slow-motion shots on the mound.

We're really excited to get low home back in L.A. and to make it a super-motion camera, says Cheney. When you think back to those classic World Series games [of the 1990s and 2000s], you think of the tight, intense face shots of Pettitte, Clemens, Pedro, and others about to throw the ball and capturing that ball coming at you. It's an amazing look, and we're so excited to have it back. And having it at 360 fps is going to make the picture pop even more.

Fox Sports linked its main compound and studio compound, which were 2,200 ft. apart, via fiber. In addition, Fox ran nearly 20 miles of fiber for its production throughout Dodger Stadium, a triax-based facility.

CP Communications is providing a pair of roving RF handheld cameras and an additional roving RF on a M VI three-axis stabilized gimbal, which has captured innumerable dramatic shots of hitters rounding third after a homer and pitchers walking to the dugout after a third-out strikeout this Postseason.

All robos are being provided by Fletcher, including Sony HDC-P1R's at mid home, inside both dugouts, two beauty shots, and the booth camera. In addition, Fox will use locked-off POV cameras from Inertia Unlimited in both bullpens.

Audio: Fox's Team Returns for More October Glory

Not to be overshadowed by the gargantuan camera complement, Fox's Emmy Award-winning audio team will be out in full force with 120-plus total microphones, including 16 underground mics on the field (potentially as many as 20), 80-plus game-action microphones, and 15-20 mics available for managers, coaches, umpires, and players.

We've upped the ante again for audio in the World Series and, actually, even more for Games 6 and 7 in L.A. - should it get that far, says Cheney. We will have at least 16 field mics, and we're looking potentially to even push it to 20, depending on a few factors. The [on-field] mics have been great; we've heard people sliding around the outfield that you normally would have never heard. [A1 Joe Carpenter] and his audio team are really on top of it once again.

With so many on-field mics, Fox is careful to avoid allowing offensive language to slip into its telecasts. Carpenter and his team have created a complementary mix that allows them to dump out of the on-field mics but retain the remaining audio sources to create a seamless (and curse-free) audio experience for viewers.

The Calrec Brio audio consoles that Fox Sports invested in prior to the U.S. Open golf tournament this past summer will be on hand, along with the World Series debut of the Calrec Hydra2 audio network

Graphics: A New Strike-Zone Perspective, Vizrt Laptops

Fox Sports will also continue to use the in-perspective strike zone, developed in conjunction with SMT and MLBAM, for both live action and replays during the Series.

Fox has activated SMT virtual signage on its Camera 2 at Dodger Stadium.

SMT provides a live strike zone that incorporates data captured via MLBAM Statcast radar technology. The data shows pitch speed and location in real time. For replay sequences, Fox Sports is using MLBAM's Pitchcast system, which made its debut during the ALDS and displays pitch speed, location, and ball trails, splitting the data into different varieties.

We teamed up with SMT and MLBAM to provide this very cool new strike zone, and it's been great for our broadcast, says Cheney. All the feedback has been good, and the workflow's excellent because SMT was able to provide this as part of their normal virtual advertising and strike-zone system. So there are no additive layers, processes, or delay.

In addition, SMT is providing center-field virtual advertising from Fox's high-home camera in a Wor

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