Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

2019 NBA Summer League, Part 1: The League Heads for the Next Technological Frontier

12/07/2019

2019 NBA Summer League, Part 1: The League Heads for the Next Technological Frontier The legacy of continuing innovation rolls on in Las Vegas By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor

Friday, July 12, 2019 - 11:09 am

Print This Story

Story Highlights

Every summer, the best amateur basketball players on the planet become instant superstars after being selected in the annual NBA Draft. Some who go undrafted make their presence felt moving forward. Whether you wore an expensive suit and celebrated in the green room of the Barclays Center or were dejected after your name didn't flash on the big board, it's time to go to work in the NBA Summer League. While these players strive to create a reputation in The Association, the NBA is extending its own legacy, pushing the boundaries of technology and laying operational groundwork for years to come.

A camera operator 10 rows from the sideline will record a seated angle from courtside.

Last year, [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver declared open season for testing, says Steve Hellmuth, EVP, media operations and technology, NBA Entertainment. We work in a unique partnership with Turner Sports and ESPN. We work together on things, so we share innovation, cameras, ideas, and meetings with vendors. It's a large technical summit that is completely dedicated to basketball. The equipment gets put into place, used, reviewed, and discussed from a league perspective of how these cameras can work in the venues and what we can do to move forward together.

MORE FROM NBA SUMMER LEAGUE

NBA Produces World's First 5G Smartphone Broadcast

Data-Tracking Reaches New Heights

ESPN Puts Flurry of Tech to the Test

Guess and Check: The League's Blessing to Ad-Lib, Improvise

Las Vegas comes with many freedoms and liberties on its own. At the Summer League, the league takes the motto of free will and runs with it. Having seen astronomical strides in creativity at last year's edition, the NBA has leeway throughout the 83-game schedule, which is spread over 11 days.

Fletcher cameras amongst the crowd will be handled with the help of a pan-bar.

As a broadcaster setting something up at a venue, you simply don't get enough reps: once the game happens, the game's over, says Hellmuth. At the Summer League, it's a unique experience because the Thomas & Mack Center is close to NBA specifications. If something doesn't work, we have another game coming up in minutes where we can fix it and move forward. We [also] schedule games that don't make it to air anywhere, so they are purely for testing. We have established a platform, truck, and facility where we can fail but pick ourselves up and try again.

While the league is spearheading initiatives to implement and test, the teams beneath the NBA umbrella are following suit.

It's great to see video coordinators or team [staffers] sitting on the bench and learning, he says. Every one of our teams get a big promotion during the Summer League, and it's always fun and exciting to watch.

Broadcasters are doing their due diligence as well. According to a Turner Sports spokesperson, the network is developing a new shot-clock graphic that will reside on the hardwood floor.

Cameras Above, Below, and Somewhere in the Middle

The Summer League is marked by an updated camera complement as well as the NBA's ambition to make the viewer feel at home courtside. This year, the technical team is deploying a multitude of aerial, robotic, and handheld cameras to achieve that goal. Within the stands, a handheld operator will be positioned at a semi-low angle to provide the unique vantage point that can be experienced only by a spectator onsite.

We're putting someone in a seat that is about midway between the foul line and baseline, and the camera is going to be operated from the person's lap, says Hellmuth. We'll be able to get a perfect view as if you were sitting on the 25-yard line at a football game. We've seen that shot on social media over and over again. It's a beautiful shot.

About 10 rows back and 15 ft. higher, a Fletcher robo is situated to capture a similar angle and is operated with the assistance of a pan-bar for normal functionality.

From the air, the league has installed three types of robotic aerial camera systems that can be used for any given game and can even be used as the main camera feed for some of the games.

The Spydercam offers a smoother transition and a little bit of a different look, says Hellmuth. We saw some things that ESPN executed on the ACC tournament that we thought went well. We're also looking at the Supracam, which is a two-point hanging system that has been used on a number of sports. We want to see if it could possibly be a replacement for Camera 1 or [be] the ideal camera on a reverse angle to provide full coverage for our playoff games.

View this post on Instagram

This angle of Jaxson Hayes' poster

A post shared by NBA on TNT (@nbaontnt) on Jul 9, 2019 at 11:47am PDT

--

Lastly, a 16 ft. JitaCam is placed under the belly of the centerhung scoreboard for the telecasts on NBA TV.

[The JitaCam] can occupy a space that even the Spydercam can't get to, notes Hellmuth. It's something that WarnerMedia is considering for the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago, so we're going to test it out here and see if it works.

Heightened Emphasis on Vertical Video

With a large youth demographic, the league is continuing its efforts experimenting with vertical video. After last year's incarnation saw footage begin to be presented in a 16:9 format, this iteration has made significant steps in producing vertical content in a live environment.

The league is testing vertical video to develop a sneak preview of ongoing games.

The experiment this year with vertical view was to see if we could
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/07/12/2019-nba-summer-league-part-1-t...
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 ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

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

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

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 ...

14/04/2026

Nielsen Appoints Roberto Ruiz to Lead Measurement Science

Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision. He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...

14/04/2026

LTN Appoints Mark Romano, Edward Cox to Leadership Positions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Grass Valley Adds Telestream Vantage, Pulse and UP to AMPP

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

XenData Announces Backup, Archive and Cloud-Connect for LucidLink

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires ARRI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Pann...

Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB 2026 New system removes PTZ pan restrictions for teleprompter-based productions Shotoku US...

14/04/2026

Telestream and Grass Valley Connect Live and File-Based W...

Integration of Vantage, Pulse, and Telestream UP with Grass Valley AMPP Ecosystem enables scalable, interoperable workflows spanning live production and file-ba...

14/04/2026

Dalet Appoints Brian Doheny as President and Chief Revenu...

Enterprise growth leader to scale Dalet's next phase of innovation and global expansion New York, NY April 14, 2026 Dalet, a leading technology and ser...

14/04/2026

Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event

Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event Directed by Tia Fuller, the Prince Project (April 16-17) brings together more than ...

14/04/2026

Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable

Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound. April 14, ...

14/04/2026

Appear Expands X Platform from Core to Edge at NAB Show 2...

Appear launches include XM estate management and new X Platform processing enhancements to add density for next-generation hybrid & IP workflows, X5 is also now...

14/04/2026

Synamedia turns OTT content into TikTok-style feeds with...

Addressing the needs of a new generation's viewing habits, Synamedia launches GO Shorts. The AI-powered module turns existing catalogues into TikTok-style ...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026 - Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Soluti...

Vubiquity, an Amdocs company and global leader in technology-led media services, will be showcasing a new end-to-end streaming solution in collaboration with El...

14/04/2026

LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB S...

LiveU today announced a significant expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, introducing integrated support for Sony's file-based workflow solu...

14/04/2026

BBC World Service TV selects Open Broadcast Systems for I...

Open Broadcast Systems (https://www.obe.tv/) has announced that BBC World Service has selected its decoders for IP Television distribution. The high-quality, lo...

14/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21 Brie Clayton April 14, 2026 0 Comments Major update adds new Photo page bringing Hollywood's most a...

14/04/2026

Sinclair's WTOV Taps Brightline for Lighting Upgrade

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Grass Valley Showcases Alliance Ecosystem at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

FCC Selects New Lead Administrator for U.S. Cyber Trust Mark Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Gray Media Names Jim Hays GM of WTHI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

NAB Blasts CTA in FCC Sports Probe Comments

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Wowza to Showcase AI-Powered Video Workflows and Emerging...

Wowza will return to NAB Show 2026 with a set of live demonstrations focused on how video infrastructure is evolving for a new generation of AI-powered and oper...

14/04/2026

Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackle Piracy in Live Sports Streaming

Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackle Piracy in Live Sports...

14/04/2026

Living in Boston: A Guide for Incoming Boston Conservatory Students

Living in Boston: A Guide for Incoming Boston Conservatory Students From navigating the T to balancing school with professional gigs, a current student shar...

14/04/2026

Just What Is Genre These Days, Anyway?

Just What Is Genre These Days, Anyway? Understanding the business and art of genre-bending in 2026. April 13, 2026 By Bryan Parys Illustration by Jack Fla...

14/04/2026

Lenora Helm Hammonds Is Turning Passion Into Plan A

Lenora Helm Hammonds Is Turning Passion Into Plan A The dean of the Professional Education Division has seen the industry from all sides. Now shes bringing it...

14/04/2026

How Michelle Zalabak Found Her Dream Career in Music and Finance

How Michelle Zalabak Found Her Dream Career in Music and Finance The Warner Music Group deal analysis manager helps determine what artist catalogs are worth a...

14/04/2026

SES, Japan Airlines to Expand Multi-Orbit Inflight Connectivity to Long-Haul Fleet

Luxembourg, April 14, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, today annou...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Composition Builder 2026 application for macOS enables TV stations and Live Event broadcast...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:live pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel Live Production Playout solution for video and static or real-ti...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:play pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel automated 24/7 Master Control playout solution with SD, HD and U...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate More Details: live:cut is an option to just:in mac pro 2025 and enables multicamera production workflows for up to 16 cam...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Just In Mac Lite NDI application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specific...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Just In Mac Lite application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specifically for...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:in mac pro is a macOS-based client-server multichannel capture solution to record SDI, HDMI, N...

13/04/2026

Jnger Audio Joins EBU ADM Implementers Group as Founding Member

Telos Alliance has announced that J nger Audio has joined the EBU ADM Implementers Group (ADM-IG) as a founding member. The group is focused on advancing ADM an...

13/04/2026

NAB 2026: Grass Valley to Showcase Alliance Partner Ecosystem

Grass Valley will demonstrate its Alliance Partner ecosystem at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C2408, Central Hall, April 19-22), showing AMPP integrations across live pr...

13/04/2026

NAB 2026: Media Links to Demonstrate IP Transport Solutions

Media Links will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2033), demonstrating IP transport solutions for live production including hitless protection technology, Xscen...

13/04/2026

NBC Sports Partners with Overtime for OT7 Football League and Navy All-American Bowl

NBC Sports has announced a programming, distribution, and sales partnership with...

13/04/2026

FloSports Promotes Jayar Donlan from COO to President

FloSports has promoted Chief Operating Officer Jayar Donlan to President, effective immediately. In his new role, Donlan will lead the company's commercial,...

13/04/2026

MASV Case Study: PanCam Pictures Uses MASV for Remote Post-Production at Senior Bowl 2026

PanCam Pictures, the documentary production company founded by Paul Camarata, us...

13/04/2026

NAB 2026: Mimir to Showcase Cloud Production Platform

Mimir will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (North Hall, Booth N2850), demonstrating its cloud-native media production platform with new capabilities including Mimir Cu...

13/04/2026

NAB 2026: BBright Adds RIST Protocol Support to IP Gateway

BBright has announced that its IP Gateway now supports the Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) protocol. The addition will be introduced at NAB Show 2026 ...

13/04/2026

Net Insight Awarded ESA NAVISP Development Project for PNT Technology

Net Insight has been awarded a development project through the European Space Agency's Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP), with co-funding f...