NBA Summer League Spotlight, Part 2: A Breeding Ground for Production-Tech Innovation League experiments with new cameras, alternative formats, Vertical View' stream for mobile By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, July 12, 2018 - 4:05 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Over the past week in Las Vegas, the NBA and its network partners ESPN and NBA TV have once again used the NBA Summer League as an Innovation Lab to experiment with bleeding-edge production technologies. The NBA and its broadcasters are trying out a variety of camera positions at the Thomas & Mack Center - new applications for SkyCam, C360 360-degree systems, removable locker-room robos, a pan-bar robo slash camera, a Hat Cam - as well as new shot-trajectory-tracking and virtual-signage-replacement technologies.
We have an innovation fund at the NBA that is focused on exploring new ways for fans to watch NBA games and to create stronger fan engagement, NBA EVP, Media Operations and Technology, Steve Hellmuth said in Las Vegas this week. This year, we've really taken that to the extreme, and we've deployed our own truck at Thomas & Mack [Center] for the first week to produce two games a day in a variety of experimental modes in partnership with ESPN. And we're also testing out a lot of new cameras and [production] technologies that we're very enthusiastic about for the future.
CLICK HERE for Part 1 of the NBA Summer League Spotlight, focused on the league's testing of new cameras and other bleeding-edge technology.
Next-Gen Cameras in Vegas: SkyCam, Robos, Hat Cam
After deploying SkyCam at NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, ESPN has brought the aerial system to Vegas for the duration of its coverage (July 6-17).
A pan-bar robo is being used at NBA Summer League in low-slash positions at Thomas & Mack Center, requiring less space to operate than a traditional manned camera.
The NBA and ESPN are also working with Fletcher to test new robotic camera mounts in all team and referee locker rooms to allow robos to be easily mounted and removed for pregame, halftime, and postgame segments.
Traditionally, locker-room cameras are difficult to install. They're difficult also because they can sometimes make players uncomfortable, says Hellmuth. So we've created mounts in the locker rooms here that allow us to easily snap the cameras in and snap them out. If the coach agrees to a live shot from the locker room, the camera snaps in place, we do the live shot, and then we snap the camera out and walk away with it.
In other robo news, a pan-bar robo is also being used in low-slash positions at Thomas & Mack Center, requiring less space to operate than a traditional manned camera.
A Hat Cam is also being tested to provide POV shots for off-the-court applications, such as in-arena entertainment and roving reporters.
C360 Offers Possibilities for Refs, Broadcasters, Digital
C360 is also on hand testing its 360-degree camera systems for a variety of official-review, broadcast, and streaming applications.
NBA SVP, Replay and Referee Operations, Joe Borgia, on hand in Vegas to test a C360 camera for the leagues' replay system
For officiating, C360 has deployed its latest 360 camera system 38 ft. above the left foul line. With its 6K+ video (25X HD), the system offers a digital zoom that brings the width of the three-point line to a level at which it nearly fills the entire officiating monitor, still in HD quality. This provided NBA SVP, Replay and Referee Operations, Joe Borgia, on hand in Vegas to test the system, an unprecedented vantage point in a variety of key referee calls, including three-point shots. Development of this system will continue throughout the summer.
Joe Borgia was onsite and directed the testing, and it went very well, says Hellmuth. To potentially be able to get that angle to the replay center would be great. We still have some development work to do, but our goal is always to get our referees the best possible video and angles so they can get the picture and the right call as soon as possible.
Of note, the Summer League action fully utilized the NBA Reply Center in Secaucus, NJ, for the first time this year, thanks to Hellmuth and company's extending the High-Speed Arena Network (HSAN) to Las Vegas. The operation sent 25 video signals to Secaucus via a 10-Gbps circuit.
A C360 camera system courtside for NBA Summer League
The same hanging C360 camera system is also providing an all-22 perspective (or all-10, in the case of basketball), creating zero-angle video for game telecasts. This creates a completely unobstructed vantage point that will be key in enhancing the value of telestration.
This camera system is also mounted in the industry-standard above-the-rim robo position on the backboard, although it is much smaller than traditional robotic-camera rigs and provides a wider/higher-res view of the court. It is controlled by a joystick and control panel and could potentially be located at any at-home control room.
Recognizing the loss of the midcourt handheld camera in recent years (in favor of increased courtside seating), C360 is deploying the same system at midcourt, providing the coveted front-row-seat angle for basketball coverage without taking up significant space.
The NBA is leveraging the streams from these C360 systems to create content for the NBA AR app. Since the output of the C360 camera system can be directed live by the individual end user, fans could have the ability to change the camera angle and perspective. This opens doors to new immersive experiences that virtually transport fans onto the court and behind the scenes.
We want to create an experience where people can walk out onto the court or as if they are looking through a pane of glass down at the court with the AR app, says Hellmuth. So the NBA h
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...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
25/04/2024
Sundance Institute Founder Robert Redford during a press conference at the 1996 ...
25/04/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12361 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-booth-2024-960x540-1.jpg/> Set against a vibrant backdrop of innovation and collaboratio...
25/04/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12356 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-mod-win-960x540-1.jpg/>NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product...
25/04/2024
PHILADELPHIA Comcast beat earnings estimates in its Q1 2024 financial report, as streaming losses continued to decline and Peacock's paid subscribers spiked...
25/04/2024
SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken have inked new multi-year agreements with Tegna and Prime Video that will expand access to their games over broadcast stations and st...
25/04/2024
M2A Medias Matt Hughes asks, is it time for news broadcasting to shift to the cloud?
By Contributor
Published: April 25, 2024
M2A Media's Matt Hughes ...
25/04/2024
Cintel Scanner G3 HDR Restores Egypt's Cinema Treasures to Their Former Glo...
25/04/2024
Sinclair Broadcast Group said it named Kevin Coskren chief meteorologist at KTUL, its ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma....
25/04/2024
The Business of TV News, a new one-day event featuring Martha Raddatz, Shannon Bream, Glenn Kirschner and other major figures in television news, happens at Hot...
25/04/2024
Conditions put on the proposed sale of WADL Detroit, to Mission Broadcasting have created a potential drama in the Motor City....
25/04/2024
TelevisaUnivision reported a $52 million loss in the first quarter, up from $3 m...
25/04/2024
Comcast reported flat first-quarter earnings as it reduced the red ink at Peacock but continued to lose video and broadband customers....
25/04/2024
Music-video network Vevo said it launched its app on Telly, the company offering consumers free dual-screen TVs in return for data about what they're watchi...
25/04/2024
Future Today said it has introduced a redesigned user interface for about half of its 300 streaming apps, including Fawesome, HappyKids and iFood.TV....
25/04/2024
The writer and director of a hit Czech series tell Robert Shepherd about their approach to portraying real-life Pakistani kidnappings on the small screen, while...
25/04/2024
Notorious DIT will work with the Liverpool Film Office to increase opportunities for regional talent
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 25, 2024
Notorio...
25/04/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
25/04/2024
Lightware Visual Engineering, a leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the professional integrated systems market and a pioneer in signal management...
25/04/2024
Net Insight has entered into a collaboration with DMC Production that positions Net Insight at the forefront of sports broadcasting in the Nordics. Net Insight ...
25/04/2024
GlobalM has announced a strategic partnership with scoopa, the specialists in broadcast-quality content distribution, offering a complementary service for live ...
25/04/2024
PlayBox Neo announces the completion of a new multichannel playout system for the DDish direct-to-home satellite television network in Mongolia. Based in the na...
25/04/2024
Canadian music producer and engineer Garth Richardson also known as Gggarth due to his stutter - has embraced immersive audio by installing a PMC monitoring s...
25/04/2024
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced that Televisa, the Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company, has chosen Synamedia as its pa...
25/04/2024
OTTera, a leading provider of end-to-end OTT and FAST channel solutions, proudly announces its strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, a global leader in adv...
25/04/2024
The American Tobacco Campus will be hopping with activity tonight and this weekend with two fun events!
Durham Night Market
At last! The Durham Night Market i...
25/04/2024
WEST CHESTER, Pa. Video commerce provider Qurate Retail Group has launched The Big Dish, a new culinary-themed FAST channel on The Roku Channel....
25/04/2024
LOS ANGELES The Hollywood Professional Association has announced that submissions for the 2024 HPA Engineering Excellence Awards are now being accepted. This re...
25/04/2024
NEW YORK The digital media measurement and analytics firm DoubleVerify has announced that it has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for Video Vie...
25/04/2024
SAN FRANCISCO Fox Corp.'s ad-supported streaming service Tubi has announced a licensing agreement with the sports platform DAZN that will see DAZN Ringside ...
25/04/2024
NEW YORK In the runup to the 2024 IAB NewFronts, the IAB has announced three key appointments to its leadership team....
25/04/2024
Epic Games releases Unreal Engine 5.4 with new Motion Design Mode, Unreal VCam f...
25/04/2024
Content Creation, Production, Distribution Is In a State of Flux
Andy Marken April 24, 2024
0 Comments
My empathy is creeping towards what I would de...
25/04/2024
The Carolina Panthers and Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) announced they have...
25/04/2024
Berklee Student Riko Sasaski Named 2024 Yamaha Young Performing Artist The accomplished saxophonist secured a spot among the elite winners of this year's ...
25/04/2024
Stations everywhere take pride in having a main anchor who comes from the market they represent. That applies in St. Louis, too, but it also pertains to general...
25/04/2024
Edward Moody is joining the WBTW Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, anchor crew, and will anchor the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts alongside Trish Williford. He comes f...
25/04/2024
MTV said the 2024 Video Music Awards will return to New York and take place at the new UBS Arena....
25/04/2024
Season three of comedy The Outlaws premieres on Prime Video May 31. Stephen Merchant co-created the show, and stars. There are five episodes....
25/04/2024
The E.W. Scripps Co. is evaluating offers for Bounce, its multicast channel for African-American viewers, according to a report from CNBC....
25/04/2024
Paramount Plus has ordered a second season for Dora, the animated preschool show based on Dora the Explorer. The show, featuring Dora on a rainforest adventure ...
25/04/2024
Bayanat AI PLC (ADX: BAYANAT), a leading AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company P.J.S.C. (ADX: YAHSAT), the UAE&#...
25/04/2024
April 25th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES AUDIO STORYTELLING AND GAMES LINEUP
Audio Storytelling Program Features 10th ...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: Verizon Expands Broadband Capacity To Handle the Spike in Demand Mobile cells will help accommodate first responders, social media, sports betti...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: NFL Media Teams With The Fantasy Footballers on Hybrid, REMI Pro...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: ESPN Motors Into Detroit With Trio of Simultaneous Live Presenta...
25/04/2024
Published On: April 25th, 2024
data-orig-src=https://www.sgo.es/wp-content/upl...
NBA Summer League Spotlight, Part 2: A Breeding Ground for Production-Tech Innovation League experiments with new cameras, alternative formats, Vertical View' stream for mobile By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
