PGA Championship Preview: CBS Sports To Debut Motion Capture, Aerial Tracing Tech at Bethpage Black

08/05/2019

PGA Championship Preview: CBS Sports To Debut Motion Capture, Aerial Tracing Tech at Bethpage Black Besides swing analysis, the tech will include 4D Replay, Toptracer from the blimp, 4K HDR coverage of three holes By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 - 2:03 pm

Print This Story

Story Highlights

As the PGA Championship shifts to May this year, CBS Sports will roll out its largest arsenal of production technology to date to cover golf's second major of 2019. Additions to CBS Sports' production complement at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, NY, will include SIMI motion-capture technology of player tee shots and Toptracer aerial tracing technology from the blimp camera.

SVG will be reporting live from the PGA Championship at Bethpage next week, so stay tuned to Sportsvideo.org.

With the PGA Championship moving to its new position in May, CBS Sports is the first network to broadcast the first two majors of the year, concluding with next week's PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.

We're excited from a production standpoint, a technological standpoint, from a calendarization standpoint, says CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. I think everything is pointed towards us having a really, really good PGA Championship.

In addition to the debut of motion-capture and aerial tracing technologies, CBS Sports will roll out 4D Replay at No. 15, Hawk-Eye Green Technology, Toptracer at all 18 tee boxes, two Toptracer RF systems, ARL Virtual Eye, Smartcart, ultra-high-speed cameras for SwingVision, aerial drone coverage, and full-course wind metering. In addition, CBS Sports will produce 4K HDR coverage from the final three holes.

In total, CBS will deploy nearly 200 cameras and 175 microphones covering 41 miles of multistrand fiber, which equals 492 miles of actual fiber connectivity at Bethpage State Park.

SIMI Motion Capture Breaks Down Swings Like Never Before

Having been deployed for the first time ever on a U.S. network at last month's Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA, SIMI motion-capture technology will return for CBS Sports' PGA Championship coverage. Using eight high-end industrial camera systems on the Hole 11 tee box, the technology will highlight player swings and display full-body skeleton analytics. Swing analysis will cover hip and shoulder rotation, arm- and knee-contortion angles, and the speed of the golf club both before and after impact.

It's just another way to break down a golfer's swing, what they're working on, how they can get better, explains Harold Bryant, executive producer/SVP, production, CBS Sports. You can compare different swing speeds from the top of the swing to when they actually hit the ball. It's another tool in our production arsenal that can help enhance our coverage.

Tracing From the Blimp: Toptracer Adds New Aerial Capability

For the first time on any golf broadcast, CBS will feature Toptracer over live video from the blimp. Combining blimp footage with Virtual Eye Hero technology and Toptracer, CBS can provide complete shot trajectory for the players from tee to green.

The aerial tracing is an excellent tool for us, says Bryant. It helps tell the story of how these golfers can manipulate their drives or any of their shots. It's going to be incredible to see [that angle] from a blimp tracing from the tee box.

McManus adds, We've all seen the tracing that is done from the ground, but it's never been done live from a blimp. So I think that's going to add an entirely new perspective to our coverage of the golf tournament.

In addition to the aerial blimp shot, CBS Sports has deployed Toptracer shot-tracking systems on all 18 holes. Toptracer uses 3D radar tracking to provide the viewer with a true sense of distance, height, and curvature, as well as apex, ball speed, distance, and curve area of shots. Toptracer will also outfit two RF mini cameras to provide ball-tracking graphics and statistics on a player's second shot from the fairway anywhere on the course.

ARL Virtual Eye technology returns this year with increased coverage on all holes (except the par 3s). Virtual Eye uses Toptracer ball-tracing capabilities on tee shots within a 3D Hole model while simultaneously showing the golfer hitting shots from the tee. Virtual flyover animations also return, giving a second-shot perspective once the ball comes to rest, including GolfTrax information providing key statistical information for both individual players and holes.

4K HDR Returns for Second Chapter at PGA Championship

For the second consecutive year, CBS Sports will produce 4K HDR coverage from the PGA Championship (CBS produced a 4K HDR test feed in 2017 and has produced 4K SDR coverage at selected holes since 2016). Bethpage State Park's Holes 16, 17, and 18 will be captured in 4K HDR throughout all four rounds of the tournament.

Last year's coverage, which was distributed to AT&T DirecTV subscribers, was produced in 4K HDR and downconverted to HD SDR to serve DirecTV's Mosaic coverage of the last three holes. CBS Sports and DirecTV also teamed up to produce and distribute 4K HDR coverage from The Masters (at Augusta National's Amen Corner) for the past two years.

4D Replay, Hawk-Eye, Smartcart, SwingVision, Drones, Wind Analysis

CBS Sports will also bring back 4D Replay for the pivotal Hole 15 tee box at Bethpage Black. Having deployed it for the first time on a U.S. golf broadcast at last year's PGA Championship at Bellerive, CBS will double the number of cameras this year to 90, allowing an even better video display of the swing to showcase a 180-degree look around the player.

Hawk-Eye Green Technology will once again be featured prominently in CBS Sports' coverage, including the Putt Predictor and undulation grid. Putt Predictor demonstrates the extreme differenc

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/05/08/pga-championship-preview-cbs-sp...
	See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026