
U.S. Open Tech Gives NBC Sports Lead Golf Producer Tommy Roy Storytelling Tools Bunker Cams, FlyCam, Augmented-Reality Graphics Provide All the Angles for Fans By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Thursday, June 16, 2022 - 6:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2022 U.S. Open begins today at The Country Club in Brookline, MA, and, for NBC Sports Lead Golf Producer Tommy Roy, the efforts by the production and technical teams are a big part of helping him meet his goal of making viewers feel as if they were right there on the tees, the fairways, and the greens.
[It's about] experiencing the pressure of this cauldron and the ultimate reward for one player at the end, he says. We do it through a robust technical-facility setup while never losing sight of the fact that this golf event, more than any other, requires storytelling. It is an Open with many unknown qualifiers in the field, each having their own special story, and I still believe that every player who has earned the right to play in this field deserves the right to be shown on TV. So we'll do our very best to get all 156 players in the field on the air.
The 11th hole at Brookline may be only a 130-yard par 3, but the severe slope of the green will make it a centerpiece of this week's coverage of the U.S. Open.
The NBC Sports domestic team and the world-feed production team will have about 85 camera sources connected to the compound via RF and more than 200,000 ft. of cable. Six feeds will be produced over the weekend, including the main NBC domestic feed, a LIVE From feed, two Featured Group feeds, a Featured Hole, and the world feed, which will be delivered to more than 190 countries. Peacock kicks things off at 6:45 a.m. ET today ahead of the first group's hitting the course, beginning 45 hours of live coverage through the end of the tournament (counting Featured Groups and Featured Hole, that number jumps to more than 100 hours).
Roy says viewers will see shot tracing on all shots except for Holes 1 and 11, which will have high-speed shots.
We have speed shots for that opening tee shot, he says. Particularly for the 11th, a short par-3 that falls off on all sides, it's a much better way to cover that.
Golf Central Live from the U.S. Open has been broadcasting from The Country Club in Brookline, MA, since Monday.
Roy says bunker cameras will be deployed at Holes 5 and 16 (a total of three bunker cams across the two holes) and a FlyCam on a 130-ft. elevated cable running behind the 18th green will provide an aerial look, which will be complemented by live drone and airplane shots. We also have a Scorpion crane that can see Holes 15, 16, 17, and 18.
The 11th isn't the only green featuring a significant slope. The front of the 8th green slopes way off, Roy notes, so balls are going to be spinning back.
We have a robo on a tree to see that, he notes. We also have our hole graphic models and our virtual graphics and will have the Ross virtual graphics that we used in the Super Bowl and the Olympics.
Other enhancements include Pinpoint wind technology and Pinpoint greens technology to calculate the breaks, and the 4D replay system will be deployed at the 12th tee with 88 cameras to capture tee shots from all angles. NBC will also use eight RF HD cameras, and Featured Groups and Featured Hole will be captured with nine RF HD 1080p cameras, along with five effects mics and three talent mics. Panasonic HE130 robos will be on three tee boxes, and Sony P50 robotics will be used for Featured Hole coverage. A super-slo-mo and an X-mo will also be put to use.
It's lots of technology, he adds, but the key thing we need to pay attention to is the storytelling, which happens to be right in our wheelhouse.
Roy and the NBC Sports production team will call NEP ND7 and ND1 home for the weekend; NEP Supershooter 9 and ST9 will house the alternate-feed productions. NEP Supershooter 8 and ST8 are on hand to support the USGA world-feed efforts, and NEP ESU will handle signal distribution for the USGA. Also onsite will be NEP Fiber 1 and Fiber 2, Cable Truck 1, XL1, and BSI's Golf 4 trailer.
The technical efforts are not lost on the on-air talent. Having landed here at NBC, says NBC Sports Lead Golf Analyst Paul Azinger, I'm amazed at what goes on behind the scenes. When Tommy Roy says he's going to get all the players on TV and can do that, it's a feat that probably only he can pull off. Honestly, it's pretty chaotic for us on Thursday and Friday. The effort that goes into scouting a course like Brookline to create 100 hours [of golf content] on the air blows my mind. When you have all the internet feeds and what have you, it's such a sophisticated and complicated thing. It's a miracle to me it ever comes to pass. I don't know how it happens, but it does.
Covering all the golfers begins with the most basic of processes: having a list.
We do check off the names, says Roy. That starts with Brandt Packer, who's producing the mornings each day and is keeping track of it. We try to get as many of them in as possible. Some of them slip through the cracks when we're trying to find them and get them on the air in some sort of meaningful way. Just showing a shot you can do, but I want it to be a good shot, some sort of meaningful shot so that the guy gets a little bit of love on the air.
LIV Golf will no doubt be a storyline this weekend, but Roy and NBC Sports Lead Golf Play-by-Play Announcer Dan Hicks say it is all part of being journalistically sound.
If a guy's in contention, you cover him, says Hicks. You mention that he's part of the LIV Tour. You cover that because that has been obviously a gigantic talking point, and then you see where the championship takes you from there.
But Roy is clear on where the
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...