Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

ESPN buys technology company Vistas Unlimited

Broadcasting & Cable is reporting that ESPN has reached a deal to acquire Vistas Unlimited, a Texas-based development firm.

Vistas Unlimited has created “virtual insertion technology” to add ads or graphic elements to live sports coverage.

“This acquisition represents ESPN’s dedication to staying at the forefront of innovation and technology development,” said ESPN EVP of technology Chuck Pagano in a statement. “The team that is joining ESPN brings a wealth of knowledge on developing cutting-edge virtual components that enhance the fan’s enjoyment of a game telecast.”

Vistas Unlimited won a Sports Emmy in 2008 for its AimPoint system, which the Golf Channel uses to analyze putting by showing a blue line of the ball’s “optimal” path compared to the actual path it took.

For more about Vistas Unlimited, including video demonstrations of its products, visit its Web site.

Apprently this Chyron op didn’t major in ‘cummunication’

A tipster sent us this screen grab from Fox Sports’ Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

ESPN to launch 3D network

You’ve heard the phrase “going HD.” Is “going 3D” going to be next big thing?

ESPN seems to think so. The network has announced plans to launch a 3D network that will carry 85 live events a year.

The network faces many challenges for entering: namely the fact that a special television and 3D glasses are required to view the 3D video feeds.

ESPN to build massive facility for World Cup coverage

ESPN has announced plans to build a 12,700 international broadcast center in South Africa for its coverage of next July’s FIFA World Cup.

Previously ESPN relied mainly on partner feeds, according to Broadcasting & Cable, but the network’s new emphasis on building an international footprint has made the matches the No. 1 priority for  executives back in Bristol, Conn.

The ESPN facility will include the technical backbone needed to provide multi-platform live and taped coverage of the games, including segments on SportsCenter and pre- and post-game coverage and halftime shows. There is also a live nightly program planned devoted to coverage of the day’s matches.

Never before has ESPN produced World Cup coverage from the field. In fact, this effort is second only to the ESPN-X Games in terms of staffers needed to make it possible — 300 in South Africa in comparison to the 500 needed for the X Games.

ESPN plans to build two sets in the Johannesburg area and have nine ENG crews scattered about the region’s various venues.

Columnist laments on-screen clutter

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick has penned a column complaining about the amount of on-screen graphics TV networks use during sportcasts.

Mushhnick writes:

I don’t care if you have an 82-inch flat screen that speaks six languages, tracks the location of your in-laws and can carry a tune. Lost within modern baseball telecasts are baseball games. And the bigger the game, the less you see, the more you feel surrounded, as if the walls are closing in.

The column highlights the challenge networks face today of balancing having sharp-looking graphics, providing as much information as possible without making it hard to read and pack as much action and animation into graphics to keep the attention of audiences used to fast-paced and instant communications.

Park Place studio tweaks Web site

Park Place Studio, the Carnegie, PA based set design firm, has recently updated their website with a new gallery of work and updated information.

The site, online at www.ParkPlace.tv, has some of Park’s recent work for NASA, the United States Senate and KTNV. The new galleries make looking through pictures a snap and allow for quick viewing of all of Park’s work.

ESPN taking on local newspapers with local sports sites

ESPN has announced it will launch ESPNChicago.com in April, the first of what may be a series of local niche sites. By entering this market, ESPN seems to be aiming to capitalize on the dip in local sports coverage at both local TV stations and newspapers. The move also puts the king of cable sports head-to-head with regional sports nets such as FSN.

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Comcast Sports photos added

We’ve added photos from Comcast Sports. This is a great, modern set that has some stunning lighting and unique materials. The perforated metal behind the anchor desk and shiny black knee walls and headers are especially of note. The set also makes use of curved elements, including silver-toned ones on the sides of the set as well as backlit red ones on the desk and back wall.

Large gallery of MLB Network set photos added

We’ve added a collection of images of the newly-debuted MLB Network’s new sets. The new network took up residence in the former MSNBC building in Secaucus, N.J. with several new sets, including a half-scale baseball diamond, shown above.

MLB Network prepping for first pitch

USA Today has an article on the Major League Baseball Network’s upcoming debut on Jan. 1, including a behind-the-scenes video tour of the new studio facilities, which are located in the former MSNBC studios in Secaucus, N.J.

The new studios feature a half-scale replica of a baseball field, complete with bleechers and a interesting dimensional version of the MLB logo as a large background element.

ESPN aims to de-clutter Web site

The New York Times has an interesting article about ESPN’s efforts to reduce the clutter on its Web site in an effort to bolster ease-of-use and advertising opportunities.

Will 3-D NFL game set a trend? We hope not.

UPDATE: This experiment hit a roadblock when satellite glitches knocked the game off the air in some cities.

As you may have heard, the NFL will beam a game in 3D to select movie theaters across the country. Oh great. Can you see it now? “You’re watching Channel 6 Eyewitness News HD 3-D.”

Will sports fans respond? It will be interesting to see. On one hand, new twists on sports television such as the XFL didn’t catch on. But on the other, sports fans do enjoy goofy foam hands and cheese wedge hats so why not some cool 3-D glasses?

Do we realistically think 3-D will ever show up in news? Certainly not any time soon. Stations are still reeling from the HD switch — something that didn’t always pay off in the eyes of executives. Plus, it’s probably a bit too gimmicky for TV news.

That said, many people probably never though we’d see the day when a major cable network would use simulated “holograms” to create the illusion that in-studio anchors are interviewing field reporters.

It does give one reason to pause and wonder how television news can improve on HD once it becomes the norm. Certainly with all the research into such gadgets as paper-thin, flexible television screens and innovative projection technologies such as those seen in “Minority Report” we can expect something new sometime in the not too distant future.