MLB Postseason 2024: Fox Sports Brings Back DirtCams, FlyCam, UmpCam, and Drones

MLB Postseason 2024: Fox Sports Brings Back DirtCams, FlyCam, UmpCam, and Drones All NLDS, NLCS and World Series broadcasts will be produced out of trucks on-site By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Friday, October 4, 2024 - 2:28 pm

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Fox Sports throws out the first pitch on its MLB postseason run this weekend on Saturday with the start of the National League Division Series and it has plenty of technological firepower in store for its coverage. Once the NLCS and World Series hit, Fox Sports will deploy several of the specialty camera systems that have become staples of their MLB coverage this Postseason, including DirtCams, FlyCam, UmpCam, and live drones.

We're constantly improving the workflows and for this Postseason we will have new camera sensors, transmission and remote control of our entire arsenal of specialized camera technology, says Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations and Engineering, Fox Sports. We spend lots of time with our vendors all season to find the best places for these camera systems, some work and some don't, but when we hit the Postseason, we're ready to deploy and show the world how amazing these players are.

After producing the majority of its regular season games remotely as HRP (Home Run Productions) from its PICO facility in Los Angeles, all NLDS, NLCS and World Series broadcasts will be produced on-site. Fox Sports' primary mobile units throughout the post season will be Game Creek Video's Yogi (A & B units) and NEP's ND1 (A, B, C & D). Will continue to rely on remote technicians for some roles throughout the postseason as well.

Fox's NLCS coverage and World Series coverage will feature 18 to 20 manned cameras (including 10 super-slo-mo systems of various frame rates), plus an RF handheld, two RF MoVI gimbal systems, six robos, three POVs, two Phantom ultra-high-speed systems, two DirtCams (a third will be added for World Series), a FlyCam wired system, and a drone from BHA.

In addition, Fox will roll out 52 effects mics and three parabs to capture the sounds of the game, as well as a multitude of replay resources - 128 records and 30 playouts for NLCS and 142 records and 32 playouts for World Series - to ensure every moment of the drama is captured.

Postseason pregame and postgame shows open from the Los Angeles studio for the NLDS before shifting to on-site locations for the NLCS and World Series. These remote studio shows will be produced out of a separate truck on-site with additional remote technicians supporting the show.

Key vendors supporting Fox include CP Communications, Fletcher, Lumen, LiveU, The Switch, Game Creek Video, NEP, CES Power, RF Wireless, Beverly Hills Aerials, Bexel, and Pure Polish Fiber.

The operations team is led by Fox's longtime MLB stalwart Francisco Contreras and also includes Anil Leatherwala, Nick Utley, Nicole Perrin, Judy Acone, Eric Guyton, Monika Chislov, Jennifer Freund, Pam Chvotkin, Itzel Rocha, Hannah Seaman, Tom Lynch, Sid Drexler, Taihe Miller, Patrick Karayan, Brady Polansky, and Lou D'Ermillo.

We had another great regular season, Francisco Contreras, Nick Utley, and Nicole Perrin along with our tech team in the field did an amazing job coordinating and executing our productions across the league this year, reflects Cheney. We produced the majority of our games from PICO where we were able to continue to leverage all the resources of the facility which added to our broadcasts.

We're ready, adds Cheney. The Postseason is lining up with the best players across both leagues and we've got an amazing team ready to bring it to your home.

FOX Sports begins its Postseason coverage Saturday, Oct. 5 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app as the New York Mets face the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Game 1 of the NLDS.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/10/04/mlb-postseason-2024-fox-sports-...
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