Live From MLB All-Star: Fox Sports Takes Flight With SkyCam, Most High-Speed Cameras Ever Other cameras include C360 hemispherical, ActionStreamer systems By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - 3:32 pm
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As Fox Sports' biggest summer ever closes with this week's MLB All-Star Game, Fox certainly shows no sign of fatigue technologically. Not only is the network rolling out a SkyCam system for actual game coverage for the first time in MLB history, Fox will also deploy its largest high-speed-camera complement (including all 12 primary game cameras), two C360 360-degree camera systems, and ActionStreamer POV-style HelmetCams on the bullpen catcher, first-base coach, and Minnesota Twins pitcher Jos Berr os at Washington's Nationals Park.
Fox Sports' Brad Cheney (left) and Mike Davies inside Game Creek Video's Encore truck at the MLB All-Star Game in Washington D.C.
People always used to say Fox owned the fall with NFL and MLB Postseason, but, this year, we owned May through July, too, with the U.S. Open, World Cup, and now All-Star, says Brad Cheney, VP, field operations and engineering, Fox Sports. The capabilities of our [operations] team here are just unsurpassed. It's mind-blowing. For big events, we used to throw everything we had at it, and it was all hands on deck. That's the still the case, but now, when we have big events, everybody's [scattered] across the globe. Yet we're still figuring out ways to raise the bar with every show.
SkyCam Takes the Field: Adding a New Angle to the Diamond
Although Fox deployed a Spidercam system at the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego, this year marks the first time a point-to-point aerial system has been used for in-game coverage, according to Fox Sports and SkyCam execs. Two years ago, the system was used primarily for commercial bumpers and beauty shots, but the SkyCam system at Nationals Park is going to see plenty of action during the game itself.
Fox Sports is utilizing Skycam for MLB game coverage for the first time at MLB All-Star at Nationals Park
It's going to give us some really great shots that are unique for baseball because it really hasn't been done before, says Francisco Contreras, director, field operations, Fox Sports. You're definitely going to see it for live game [coverage], and it sounds like [director Matt Gangle] is going to use it a lot. Plus, the bullpen is right there, so we're going to get a lot of shots as pitchers walk out there. And then, for [non-game] shots, it can also capture both the Washington Monument and the Capitol in the beauty shot. So it's really the best of both worlds.
The introduction of SkyCam on MLB coverage is a long time coming (although ESPN has deployed SkyCam on the College World Series in the past). Nationals Park's vast open area in left field and left center field provided an ideal environment visually and also allowed the system to be installed (mounted on the center-field scoreboard and light towers in far left field) so that it would not interfere with action on the field.
For the last 10 years or so, anyone that does baseball has been trying to figure out how to get SkyCam into the game, says Cheney. When we started looking at Nationals Park, we could see there was the potential to do it here and it wouldn't get in the way of the play of game. Plus, it has that great open area in the outfield that opens up into the city. Obviously, it's going to be phenomenal as a scene-setter, but what we're really excited about is how useful it will be in the game.
Camera Spotlight: C360, ActionStreamer, and All the High-Speed You Can Handle
Having made its first All-Star appearance in Miami last year, the team at C360 is back for Fox Sports. Two C360 6K+ (25X HD), 60p camera systems are onsite providing 360-degree outputs: one at low home, one attached to the SkyCam system in left field.
One of two C360 360-degree 6K+, 60p camera systems on hand at Nationals Park is located at low-home.
Fox has the ability to integrate the low-home PTZ position live into the telecast, as well as for replays with full stop-action and zoom capabilities. Meanwhile, the SkyCam system is providing an immersive live stream to a YouTube 4K channel delivered to an offsite Fox VIP event. This stream will allow the viewer to virtually navigate the entire field with a touchscreen tablet, as well as integrate Fox Sports' linear feed and ticker as well.
C360 gives you a lot better coverage of the area at low home, says Cheney. It gives you a nice wide shot of what's going on, and we can zoom in and extract out of that if we want. The other thing it gives us is the opportunity to provide our multi-platform [outlets] like Fox Sports Go with more data and content for people to take a look at and to complement the broadcast.
The C360 workstation at MLB All-Star will drive positions at low-home and on the Skycam in left field.
Fox has also brought out several ActionStreamer wearable POV camera systems, which it plans to deploy on the bullpen catcher and the first-base coach. (UPDATE 7/17/18 10 p.m. ET: the HelmetCam also appeared in Fox's telecast on Minnesota Twins pitcher Jos Berr os as he took the mound for the fifth inning) The technology was recently used by Monumental Sports Network, which live-streamed HelmetCam feeds from two players during an AFL game between the Washington Valor and the Philadelphia Soul.
Our partnership with MLB brought this to us, says Cheney. Any time the league and MLB Network try things out, we're happy to be a part of it. The team at ActionStreamer has been great to work with, and the image looks great on the system. It's also been very adaptable to our needs - whether it's a cap or helmet or something else.
Fox Sports will have it's la
