NFL Playoffs 2022: CBS Sports Rolls Out New Sony F5500 Shallow-Depth-of-Field Camera, TrolleyCam, Live Drone for AFC Championship NFL Today show iw onsite in KC; RomoVision makes big strides By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, January 28, 2022 - 3:00 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Coming off one of the greatest games in NFL Playoffs history, CBS Sports is primed to deliver its biggest production of the year at the AFC Championship on Sunday. With more than 80 cameras covering the game and its NFL Today studio show onsite at Arrowhead Stadium, CBS is looking to go out on a high note in Kansas City.
Overall, it has been a really amazing season for us, says Steve Karasik, VP, remote productions, CBS Sports. We're looking forward to another exciting and innovative production on Sunday. I think we showed last week - not just in that unforgettable Kansas City-Buffalo game but also in the Tennessee-Cincinnati game - just how great our production can be. We're going to carry that momentum into this weekend, and we'll have every possible angle covered.
80+ Cameras: Sony HDC-F5500, TrolleyCam, Live Drone, and More CBS will be well-covered in the air - with TrolleyCam and Skycam cabled aerial systems, as well as a live drone - and on the ground with 16 super-slo-mo cameras and two shallow-depth-of-field wireless RF cameras on the sidelines.
CBS will use the Sony HDC-5500 on the sidelines as a combo broadcast/shallow-depth-of-field camera.
In addition to the Atlas Cam RF Sony PXW-FX9 shallow-depth-of-field system that has become a staple of CBS's NFL coverage, the network will deploy an RF Sony HDC-F5500 handheld shallow-depth-of-field system. The F5500, which first appeared on NFL coverage in November, can switch between a traditional broadcast sideline handheld configuration and a shallow-depth-of-field cinematic configuration.
We're very excited about the new Sony F5500 camera because it allows [the operator] to go back and forth between a normal game camera and a shallow-depth- of-field camera, says Karasik. We experimented with it on a regular-season game a couple of months ago, but we wanted to [formally] debut it for the first time on a major national game like this. We feel like it's going to add a whole new element to the broadcast.
The TrolleyCam will fly parallel to the field at speeds up to 65 mph.
The TrolleyCam point-to-point cabled camera system is back, having drawn rave reviews on CBS's Playoffs coverage last year and this year (check out the aerial replay shot it captured of a Bills-Chiefs TD at 00:27 in this clip). Provided by Flycam, the camera zips along a wire from one end of the stadium to the other at up to 65 mph to capture front- row angles for viewers.
It gives us a lot of really exciting and different types of shots that you haven't seen much in football, says Karasik. We got a lot out of it last year in the playoffs and so far this year as well. The TrolleyCam really shines on long runs and big plays, so, with the explosive offenses of both the Bengals and the Chiefs with guys like Tyreke Hill, Jamar Chase, and Travis Kelsey, there's going to be a real opportunity to get some exciting replays out of that TrolleyCam.
MECOLE HARDMAN TURNING ON THE JETSpic.twitter.com/EfEyXbzXoY
(via @NFL)
NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) January 24, 2022
After deploying a live drone first during a game in Green Bay earlier this year, CBS will bring back the Beverly Hills Aerial-provided camera for the AFC Championship.
The drone will give a lot of real impressive sense-of-place shots for director Mike Arnold to weave into the broadcast, says Karasik. We used [Beverly Hills Aerial drones] a lot on our SRX auto-racing coverage, and they were tremendous. We're excited to see what the drone can give us on Sunday.
Remote control for one of four Sony HDC-4800 high-speed 4K robo systems provided by Fletcher for zoom-in replays in Kansas City
3G Wireless is also supplying 20 pylon cams across the two end zones, as well as two line-to-gain cameras embedded in the first-down markers.
NEP's Aerial Video Systems (AVS) is handling RF for all the wireless cameras (including the Sony PXW-FX9) and also providing the RF Sony HDC-3500 handheld, and the RF system for the TrolleyCam system, as well as an RF Sony HDC-P1R Steadicam and an RF Sony 3500 handheld for the NFL Today studio show.
In addition, NEP's Fletcher division is providing four Sony HDC-4800 high-speed 4K camera systems zoom-in replays, two Sony HDC-P43 high-speed goal-post robos, a Sony HDC-P31 booth robo, two Sony HDC-P1R hallway robos, and a Panasonic AW-UE150 PTZ camera for the commentator camera system.
Inertia Unlimited is supplying the RF Sony PXW-FX9 shallow-depth-of-field camera, as well a Sony Venice 4K cinema camera in the booth to shoot play-by-play man Jim Nantz and analyst Tony Romo.
The broadcaster has gone heavy on Canon glass, including a full arsenal of 4K UHD-DIGISUPER 111x and 122x lenses. In addition, the SkyCam system is outfitted with a Canon CJ20ex5 lens, while the Sony 5500 has a Canon 17-120mm Cine Servo lens.
RomoVision Hits Its Stride: Now Available on First Replays As this season progressed, so too did CBS Sports' RomoVision augmented-reality-driven replay segments. The technology, which CBS created in conjunction with Second Spectrum (owned by Genius Sports) and the NFL's Next Gen Stats system, shows 11 X's and 11 O's on a virtual field on the left side of the screen as Romo breaks down the play.
By the time the regular season came to an end, CBS Sports was using RomoVision on first replays, thanks to an accelerated turnaround time in the truck.
A look at the @Juiceup__3 TD in RomoVision courtesy of @NextGenStats@NFLonCBS #BALvsPIT pic.twitter.com/gIEdtXyRfH
NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2
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...
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...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
NFL Playoffs 2022: CBS Sports Rolls Out New Sony F5500 Shallow-Depth-of-Field Camera, TrolleyCam, Live Drone for AFC Championship NFL Today show iw onsite in KC; RomoVision makes big strides By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
