Under the posts: How Aerial Camera Systems' PostCAM is bringing Autumn Nations Cup viewers closer to the action By Will Strauss, Editor
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 - 09:48
Print This Story
Saturday's Autumn Nations Cup rugby match at Twickenham between England and Georgia might have been a somewhat un-noteworthy one-sided affair on the pitch but off it there was at least one thing that caught the eye: the debut of PostCAM.
As the name suggests, PostCAM is a specialist camera system that is installed on the goalposts at either end of the playing area. It provides a unique view of try-line and end-of-field action and can be used for both live shots and replays.
At the weekend, PostCAM was used in the host broadcast as part of the world feed for England vs Georgia (pictured above) and to aid the Television Match Official (TMO). It will be used again on all England's home games at Twickenham during the tournament and at the Parc y Scarlets stadium in Llanelli for Wales vs England.
Supplied and operated by Aerial Camera Systems (ACS), the innovation consists of eight 1080p 3G POV minicams (four at each end) attached to the rear of the posts in the in-goal' areas using specially designed low profile adjustable mounts.
Powered by battery, PostCAM includes multi-channel video encoding and transmission equipment housed in a padded enclosure which is clamped to the post.
The enclosure is installed immediately above the lower sponsored padding while the mounts and the main body of the cameras fit inside the post diameter with the two inside cameras on each set of posts. The Reverse inside' and Gantry inside' are remotely operated pan and tilt cameras that can follow play.
As production gets more familiar with it, we would expect its use to become more common. It will depend to a certain extent on the flow of the game though.
Speaking to SVG Europe following the debut of PostCAM, ACS sales director Matt Coyde explained how the idea came into being.
Over the years we've watched a lot of rugby and seen the innovations that are brought in, he said. We've always felt that there's something that we could do in-and-around the goalposts because that's an area where there's a lot of action.
Once we had the idea, we went through various testing iterations looking at what was currently available on the market in terms of cameras.
Obviously there's a lot of challenges in placing cameras on the posts because they have to be small and discreet and you can't run power out to the posts as there's a live area of the pitch behind them. Also, there was the question of how you get all those feeds back? Do you just put one camera on and have an RF link? Or can you put more than one and switch the feed back from the post to the OB? We did a lot of research but what really helped was some innovations from Dream Chip Technologies and their UK representative, which is Broadcast Solutions.
This was the game-changer for ACS and PostCAM that allowed the concept to move forward and eventually secure approval from World Rugby for use on the Autumn Nations Cup.
We identified that Dream Chip's cameras would be suitable for the application because they were small, the right format and they also had a separate device called the Barracuda which allows you to encode live video outputs into an IP Stream, explained Coyde. This allowed us to create an array of cameras on each post and work within the space restrictions.
A shot from PostCAM captured during a test that took place ahead of the Autumn Nations Cup
To get the signals back to the OB compound where ACS has its own dedicated unit, PostCAM is wirelessly linked to a receiver behind the advertising hoardings. From there, the signal is cabled to the compound via fibre.
Within the compound itself, two operators control PostCAM's pan and tilt cameras. They are backed up by a support engineer who ensures a consistent wifi signal.
To optimise EVS requirements within the OB, the eight live video feeds are switched by ACS between each end of the pitch before being sent to the main truck.
CyanView RCPs are also provided to enable PostCAM to match the other stadium line cameras.
On Saturday, PostCAM was mainly used for replays but Coyde is convinced that as the technology beds in, it'll be used more and more, including for live shots.
We were really pleased with how the first match went. As production gets more familiar with it, we would expect its use to become more common. It will depend to a certain extent on the flow of the game as well, though.
Nobody else has tried to achieve this in the way that we've done it and using this range of new technologies.
Coyde is also optimistic there are more opportunities out there for PostCAM too, on other sports and other tournaments.
The idea was to try and do something new and different and I think that's what PostCAM does because it provides some brand-new angles. Nobody else has tried to achieve this in the way that we've done it and using this range of new technologies.
It is an efficient operation and is very cost-effective. Rather than having four separate video feeds going back, you can basically encode it into one cable or one link to your OB. I have no doubt there will be more applications for this in the future.
The Autumn Nations Cup is a new international rugby union tournament that has been developed to fill the gap in the schedules caused by the COVID-related cancellation of international rugby tours.
England vs Georgia in the Autumn Nations Cup took place on Saturday 14 November. Live coverage, produced by Sunset+Vine, was broadcast on Amazon Prime Video in the UK. The tournament continues until 6 December.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
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...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
Under the posts: How Aerial Camera Systems' PostCAM is bringing Autumn Nations Cup viewers closer to the action By Will Strauss, Editor 
