The Players golf championship, arguably the PGA TOUR's most important annual event and one considered by many to be a golf major in everything but name, is under way in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. For NBC Sports, the Golf Channel, and their production teams, this year's event kicks off what is arguably their busiest golf slate ever.
NBC Sports will not only have its regular share of PGA TOUR events but will also be at the center of NBC's first-ever production of a British Open Championship (from Royal Troon in Scotland in July), its first-ever production of golf as an Olympic sport from Rio in August, and the return of the Ryder Cup competition to U.S. soil in September. And there are three FedEx Cup events between the Olympics and the Ryder Cup.
NBC is using Pinpoint ultrasound technology to measure wind speed and direction at the Players Championship.
Every one of those has its own challenges, but what makes us strong is the team, says Ken Goss, SVP, remote operations, NBC Sports. That's what I am most proud of: how the team can come together.
There are a couple of noticeable additions to this year's production of the Players, not the least of which is a two-point Cablecam system covering the most famous area of the course: the 16th and 17th holes. It extends from behind the 16th green, over the lake, past the little island in the middle of the lake, and behind the famed 17th island green.
Also new this year are two virtual-graphics enhancements: an overlay on greens will allow viewers to see the undulations within live video coverage, and Pinpoint ultrasound measurement of wind speed and direction is updated four times a second.
We started planning this months and months ahead of time and have well over 200 people onsite, notes Ryan Soucy, senior director, golf operations, NBC Sports.
Also helping in planning this year is that NBC Sports Technical Manager Dan Beard has moved to within driving distance of TPC Sawgrass, making it possible for him to stop by the course during the off-season.
A permanent piece of PVC tubing was put in for the bunker camera on the 17th hole, he says, and I was able to zip down for the day and then get home.
The TV compound is chock-full of NEP production units. ND4 A, B, and C are at the center of the production and supported by SS24, which rolled in from the Kentucky Derby. Two CP Communications trucks are handling more than 20 wireless cameras as well as RF-mic needs for eight on-course reporters. NCP7 is supporting Sky Sports (which brought in its own edit cabin), and NHK is working out of SS20. PGA TOUR Entertainment is using two trucks from LMG.
As usual, NBC is stepping up coverage of the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes. A time-lapse camera located under the 16th-green camera tower offers shots of the massive crowd's descent onto the area throughout the day; a flanker camera between the 16th green and 17th tee offers tight reaction shots of players and a wide shot of the green; a super-slo-mo camera shoots reactions on the island green at 300 fps; a handheld is located behind the 17th for a reverse shot; and a hard camera behind the 18th tee can be turned around to get shots of the crowd around the 17th hole. Added into the mix are shots from a camera in the bunker at 17, the Cablecam, a blimp, five RF handheld cameras, and handheld Inertia Unlimited X-Mo slo-mo systems.
We also have a camera crane that can go 120 ft. in the air and get a look at the second shot on 16 and can also provide a tee-to-green overview of the entire 17th hole that the blimp can't get, says Beard. It shows the whole spectrum of the stadium area.
At the 17th hole, use of the Protracer system, which allows producer Tommy Roy and his team to display the ball's flight path, has been expanded. Three Protracers are in use: one behind the tee, another on the camera tower behind the green, and a third mounted on the scoreboard, located to the left of the green.
Pinpoint (Wind) Accuracy
Another big addition to the Players coverage this year is improved wind-speed and -direction data courtesy of Pinpoint, a UK-based company that takes measurement to the next level with sensors measuring direction and speed ultrasonically.
[The sensors] provide a reading every .25 seconds, explains Simon Roper, visualization director, Pinpoint. That allows us to show genuine real-time wind measurements. The system has been used by the British Olympic sailing team, he adds, so it is state-of-the-art robust technology that we will also have at the [British] Open Championship in July.
The 6-in.-wide ultrasound wind devices have two circles lined up vertically and 3 in. apart. At the bottom of the top circle and at the top of the bottom circle are four nodes that emit an ultrasound wave. As the wind passes between the two circles. the sound waves move depending on the speed and direction of the wind, and that movement is measured and translated into wind direction and speed.
On the 17th hole, says Roper, we have one unit at the tee box and another that is above the hospitality side of the 17th hole, so we can see what the wind is like above the stadium.
The wind data can be matched up with replay video so that, if, for example, the ball is hit long or short of the green and ends in the water, the replay allows viewers to see how the wind impacted ball flight.
The Pinpoint system's advanced technology offers some solid advantages over the traditional wind-cup measurement tool and enable wind averages to be measured over a period of time. For example, with the cup system, if the wind is blowing at 30 mph one second, 10 mph the next, and then back to 20 mph, the 10-mph reading won't register because the cups never had a chance to slow down to 10 mph. The arrow that shows wind direction will also overcorrect compared with the Pinpoint system
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
The Players golf championship, arguably the PGA TOUR's most important annual event and one considered by many to be a golf major in everything but name, is under way in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. For NBC Sports, the Golf Channel, and their production teams, this year's event kicks off what is arguably their busiest golf slate ever.
