CBS Sports Looks To Wrap a Season of Innovation With Epic AFC Championship Production Dual Skycam and new-this-season Field Eye top the tech complement By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, January 17, 2020 - 1:10 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
When the CBS Sports closes out its NFL season with Sunday's Tennessee Titans-Kansas City Chiefs AFC Championship matchup, it will mark the conclusion of one the network's most technologically innovative campaigns. From the addition of Field Eye (Line-to-Gain camera technology) to an increase in high-speed cameras to more live aerial shots, the CBS Sports operations team has significantly boosted its NFL production complement this year and will lift equipment levels even higher for its largest production of the year on Sunday in Kansas City.
The goal in 2019-20 from Week 1 was to increase the A game with more facilities, including additional super-slo-mo technology, a dedicated weekly RF sideline camera, redundant power, more live aerials, and new technology such as Field Eye, says Patty Power, EVP, operations and engineering, CBS Sports. The playoffs, of course, ramp up week by week until we get to the AFC Championship, which features a significant increase to the tech.
Going All Out: 75 Cameras for Game, Studio Shows
CBS will deploy a whopping 75 cameras between the game production and remote studio shows at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, including two Skycam systems (high and low). The low will carry a weather instrument to measure wind and a decibel meter to monitor the loudest stadium in the NFL.
Lead Director Mike Arnold and Lead Producer Jim Rikhoff will have 15 high-speed cameras at their disposal, including four Sony HDC-4800's running at 4X slo-mo with high-level zoom capabilities and 11 Sony HDC-4300's running at 6X slo-mo. CBS will also have PylonCam systems in both end zones (totaling 16 cameras), four wireless RF cameras (including two Steadicams), a jib, two sideline carts, and live aerial shots from a fixed-wing plane.
Every week, our normal A game includes super-slo-mos, PylonCams, and a Skycam. In the game this weekend, we go way above those levels to capture as many angles as possible from a variety of camera technologies and innovations, says Jason Cohen, VP, remote technical operations, CBS Sports.
In terms of new technology, the biggest difference-maker this season has been CBS's Field Eye, which is created by the two wireless robotic pylons carried up and down the sideline to give fans a line-to-gain perspective.
Increase of the super-slow-motion cameras and a significant increase in live aerials have been great, says Cohen, but the Field Eye technology was our greatest new add: two wireless pylon-shaped objects have a robotic head, allowing full 360 pan and tilt with RF transmitters capturing incredible POV angles from the sidelines during game play.
CBS Sports will also have access to the Intel True View 360-degree replay system installed at Arrowhead Stadium. It leverages dozens of 5K cameras and Intel-based servers (processing up to 1 TB of data) for volumetric capture. Replays in the CBS broadcast will feature 360-degree reconstructions of plays that can be viewed from any angle (for example, the perspective of the quarterback reading the defense).
A total of 21 replay devices - 18 EVS replay servers, three Sony 4500 zoom-capable replay servers - will be on hand for CBS's largest NFL production of the season, along with five ChyronHego Mosaic graphic systems.
On Set, Inside the Compound: NEP SS CBS, F&F GTX 17 Team Up
The NFL Today studio show will be onsite for the AFC Championship Game with its full talent roster (James Brown, Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Phil Simms, Nate Burleson, and Jason La Canfora) and production team (led by producer Drew Kaliski and director Bob Matina).
CBS has erected two sets, one outside the stadium and one right on the field. The NFL Today production features its own dedicated RF cameras and a jib and will tap into the array of game-production facilities for its two-hour pregame show (beginning at 1 p.m. ET). The NFL Today will also handle halftime and postgame duties.
Inside the compound, NEP's SSCBS (A, B, C, and D units), home to CBS's A game throughout the season, will be deployed for game production. In addition, CBS has rolled out F&F's GTX 17A for the NFL Today studio show (pre/postgame and halftime) and GTX 17B to house studio graphics and four robotic-pan-bar operators.
CBS also has an army of technology vendors onsite to support the show. Filmwerks is supplying the power with two fully redundant twin-pack generators and three UPS systems. SMT is providing onsite 1st-and-Ten Line technology on four hard cameras, the All-22 camera, and the Skycam, as well as handling clock-and-score functions. Bexel is onsite with the audio sideline cart and is supporting RF communications, while BSI handles RF video, including the Field Eye cameras.
A Look Back: A Year of Innovation and Expansion
It has been quite a season for the NFL on CBS production and ops teams, which were coming off an epic production at Super Bowl LII last year. CBS Sports used the Big Game as a springboard to boost equipment levels and integrate cutting-edge technologies into its regular-season A-game production, and, according to Power, the moves have paid off.
The year has been very smooth thus far from both technical and operations standpoints, she says. Being able to grow the regular-season show as much as we did afforded the production team the ability to operate at a regular-season level that more closely matches the postseason, so the ramp-up isn't as significant and gives the viewers more during the regular season.
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
CBS Sports Looks To Wrap a Season of Innovation With Epic AFC Championship Production Dual Skycam and new-this-season Field Eye top the tech complement By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
