Before Starting Copa Amrica Run, TUDN Closes Out Liga MX With 360-Degree Video and Enhanced Data Analytics

Before Starting Copa Am rica Run, TUDN Closes Out Liga MX With 360-Degree Video and Enhanced Data Analytics The broadcaster partnered with Verizon to offer fans TUDN Vision By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - 10:32 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Mexico City's Cruz Azul soccer club was named the champion of Liga MX on May 30 after defeating Santos Laguna 2-1 on aggregate. That competition and several others were viewed through TUDN Vision, TUDN's 5G-powered virtual portal where supporters experienced the action in a 360-degree environment on mobile devices, as well as on-screen Enhanced Data Analytics on the linear broadcast.

[These implementations] provided opportunities for fans to learn and educate themselves as to what was happening on the field, says Miguel Angel Garcia, SVP, live events, TUDN, Univision's sports-programming division. It helped with the storytelling that we always try to deliver, and what made these unique was that everything was completely live.

360-Degree Viewing: In-Venue Experience Comes to Mobile Devices During a time when fans are gradually returning to venues, the decision to develop TUDN Vision found immediate results on two fronts: fans who have never had a chance or were unable to experience the atmosphere of a match could see the traditions of game day, and those who frequent matches are able to enjoy the experience from the comfort of home.

TUDN Vision was deployed during Cruz Azul's title-clinching Liga MX win on May 30.

Before releasing this digital-exclusive to the public, TUDN worked out numerous problems during an extensive testing phase in the four participating venues in Mexico: Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Estadio Ol mpico Universitario and Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and Estadio Nemesio D ez in Toluca. Led by TUDN VP, Digital Editorial Operations, Felipe Osorio, the team navigated through certain logistical and technological challenges.

When we started to look into 360-degree live shows with multiple cameras from a stadium, he says, it had never been done before, and there was always this fear of this not working. Due to the pressure on the global supply chain around microchips and other supplies, the second issue was not having a full test.

One of the bigger logistical obstacles was encountered at the Estadio Ol mpico Universitario. Once the largest sports venue at the time of its opening in 1952, the 72,000-capacity stadium, located on the main campus of the Universidad Nacional Aut noma de M xico (UNAM), has become synonymous with Mexican f tbol. Designed by some of the most well-known Mexican architects of the 20th century, the university was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007, a designation that added an extra set of precautions to this endeavor.

It made it extremely difficult to get permits from the city and university to do any installation of the infrastructure, Garcia notes. We weren't able to touch the field or construct any platforms, but we were able to get it done.

One of the technological hurdles during testing was RF bandwidth. In stadiums packed with fans as well as other media companies, TUDN faced the possibility of signal interference, but Verizon's 5G network enabled the broadcaster to push through the clutter.

https://www.sportsvideo.org/new/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/RPReplay_Final1623850905.mp4

In a large stadium, there can always be a lot of interference, says Osorio. At the beginning, we were not able to get a signal from the camera, but, by moving it around the field, we were able to finally get one. There was a lot of trial and error.

With testing completed, TUDN nailed down a production plan that would transport at-home viewers to the stadium in real time. At the core of the plan were three Insta360 Pro cameras, which captured all the onsite material, including fans walking into the stadium, players walking through the tunnel, and coaches speaking to the media during the postmatch press conference. During the match, the cameras are placed in close-up areas of the pitch, including the middle of the touchline and behind the nets.

A team of seven was separated into two groups: a technician stood next to each camera at each location to make sure the feed was being transmitted properly; the other four facilitated the live stream via a Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K production switcher in the onsite control room.

Overall, the experience served up another chance for fans to become invested in the teams, players, and action of Liga MX. For the younger demographic, this initiative was easily accessible and highlighted parts of a match that the linear broadcast can't always cover.

It brought the colors and feeling of being inside of the stadium, adds Osorio. If we were to have a normal camera, you would get only one angle, but [a 360-degree camera] allowed fans to turn the video feed around to see the lights, hear the different music, and be closer to the action.

AR and Stats: Enhanced Data Analytics Offer Glimpse Into Physical Game Augmented reality and ChyronHego graphics helped create real-time Enhanced Data Analytics.

360-degree video wasn't the only improvement seen during the Liga MX season. On the linear side, TUDN was able to present Enhanced Data Analytics through augmented-reality graphics and real-time player-tracking data. Proprietary cameras, including 16 used at Estadio Azteca, enabled overlay of AR graphics displaying 20 physical aspects of a game, including sprint speed, total distance run, hot zones for team possession, and free-kick distance.

We uploaded all of the information to the cloud in two clusters [for our remote-production teams]: one in Mexico City for the main production and one in Miami for games shown in the U.S., says Garcia. We worked with ChyronHego

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/06/30/before-starting-copa-america-ru...
	See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines