ESPN shows off new camera at NCAA tourny

[rekrul]

anyone catch the NCAA games yesturday? just wondering what eneryone thought of the new camera that follows the players at just above the glass level, riding on a track sort of system ( wonder too if it was a obstruction for the fans there ). If a player goes coast to coast its a great way to see plays develop, how a forward sees the ice and has little time to make a nice pass. Catches the speed somewhat though its hard to see that because the camera is moving at the same speed. Its probably the first live broadcast so during the DU-CC game they didn't use it too much during the early part of the game and used it more when it was a blowout.

Negative, you see it during the whole game, a bit of a distraction but you can get used to it just as you get used to the bottom crawl.

Championship is Sat at 7EST/4PST

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[nhlfan79]

It's an interesting angle, if not overused. I thought the camera's motion was a bit distracting as well when they were using their regular side camera. I'm really excited to see how it looks in HD during the Championship game. The semifinals were on ESPN2HD, which I can't get.

 

[Phelan]

I think they had the same camera at the Montreal/Edmonten outdoor game. I liked it though.

 

[ceber]

I think if the producers figure out how to use it it'll be good. In the Gophers-Souix game I think they mostly blew it. Missed several plays because they were dinking around with that thing. I prefer the traditional cameras when I'm watching live action (admittedly, that could be because I'm so used to it), but I do like the idea of getting to see replays from several different angles. I think that those tracking cameras would be great for replays. 'Course, we'll need to slow down the faceoffs again, so the broadcasters actually have time to talk about and show more replays.

 

[Slats432]

anyone catch the NCAA games yesturday? just wondering what eneryone thought of the new camera that follows the players at just above the glass level, riding on a track sort of system ( wonder too if it was a obstruction for the fans there ). If a player goes coast to coast its a great way to see plays develop, how a forward sees the ice and has little time to make a nice pass. Catches the speed somewhat though its hard to see that because the camera is moving at the same speed. Its probably the first live broadcast so during the DU-CC game they didn't use it too much during the early part of the game and used it more when it was a blowout.

Negative, you see it during the whole game, a bit of a distraction but you can get used to it just as you get used to the bottom crawl.

Championship is Sat at 7EST/4PST

Well, I ain'st the brightest person in the world, but common sense to me would be to put the sliding camera on the opposite side of where my regular camera would be.

 

[Habsfan 32]

I think they had the same camera at the Montreal/Edmonten outdoor game. I liked it though.

They did and it looked pretty good. It's something like the camera behind the net but this one is moving so it's better.

 

[Melanson]

Well, I ain'st the brightest person in the world, but common sense to me would be to put the sliding camera on the opposite side of where my regular camera would be.

The biggest problem with that is it tends to confuse the viewer if you are using the camera for live action. You cut from a shot of a player going in one direction to a shot of them moving in the other direction. This is a basic no-no in television production. If they are using it for replay only it would be great to have it on the other side to give a "reverse angle" of the play.

I personally loved the view from the camera. Anything that gives a closer look to the game and what is actually taking place on the ice is good IMO. There are a lot of subtle plays that take place in hockey that you don't always pick up on the standard TV angle. The little chips up the board, drop passes, certain stickhandling moves, etc. exemplify the artistry of the game. We need to see more of that.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Im glad someone brought that up, I really liked that camera a lot. A whole lot better then that past camera they had where it went across the middle of the ices on a string or something. Dasher cam was very nice.

 

[ColoradoHockeyFan]

anyone catch the NCAA games yesturday?

Abso-freaking-lutely!!!

just wondering what eneryone thought of the new camera that follows the players at just above the glass level, riding on a track sort of system ( wonder too if it was a obstruction for the fans there ).

I was actually a little more excited about it before the game than after having actually seen it in use. For me personally, while it offered a few interesting closeups following the action, those instances were few and far between compared to the number of times it actually detracted from viewability, particularly when the play is on the near side of the ice, and you flat out lose track of the play. Honestly, I still think they could do worlds of good by simply being more skillful with the standard side camera, bringing it closer so that the viewer is not seeing the game from such a distance all the time.

 

[Le Golie]

Well, I ain'st the brightest person in the world, but common sense to me would be to put the sliding camera on the opposite side of where my regular camera would be.

You are right about the first part... jk

If the camera were on the opposite side of the ice it would be pretty useless. All cameras have to be on the same side, imagine seeing a defenceman carrying the puck up ice from the normal camera view and then a cut to a camera on the other side - he'd be going the opposite direction.

Cameras on opposite sides are only used for reverse angle replays, which is hardly ever.

 

[Le Golie]

The biggest problem with that is it tends to confuse the viewer if you are using the camera for live action. You cut from a shot of a player going in one direction to a shot of them moving in the other direction. This is a basic no-no in television production. If they are using it for replay only it would be great to have it on the other side to give a "reverse angle" of the play.

I personally loved the view from the camera. Anything that gives a closer look to the game and what is actually taking place on the ice is good IMO. There are a lot of subtle plays that take place in hockey that you don't always pick up on the standard TV angle. The little chips up the board, drop passes, certain stickhandling moves, etc. exemplify the artistry of the game. We need to see more of that.

lol

Good call.

 

[rekrul]

I actualy liked it better than the type of camera used in ESPN NFL game, the one that sort of puts it in the middle of the field, sometimes it catches something neat but to me its a distraction, football is more intersting seeing plays develop, passing routes and how DBs have to defend them. Here the camera is fixed so I liked it being in one place, a late goal by DU really caught the Forwards moving up ice, finding the wing and makeing the easy pass for a goal ( also saw CC Def giving up, not one of their best moments ).

 

[Levitate]

I think they just need to clean up the image quality...cuz it's always crap in hockey games

It'd look a lot nicer if it weren't so damn blurry

 

[HSHS]

I thought the camera was excellent and not a distraction. My favorite replay was during the ND/Minn game when Stafford took the puck up the right side from his blue line, past 3 defenders and 5 holed the goalie and nailed the post.

That angle showed close-ups of the little things that was discussed earlier... the chip up the boards, the quick flick of his blade knocking the puck forward through the other defender, then finally the rush down the end...

That play, especially shown from that angle, was breathtaking...

 

[Prof_it]

( wonder too if it was a obstruction for the fans there ).

The first period I sat towards the top- just below the press box, on the same side of the rink as the cam, and had no problems. The last two periods I moved to the opposite side- near the glass, facing the camera, and that really was the only time I noticed it. You knew it was there but it was not a distraction at all.

 

[Slats432]

Well, I guess for me, it wouldn't bother me, since I am a pretty saavy viewer if the direction changes with camera angle.

To me having the big black runner on the glass with the camera sliding back and forth is more of a distraction than a benefit.

I thought long ago that if they made the top of the boards or just the part that points to the ice transparent and put a camera inside the boards that could slide all the way around the ice, that would be more ideal.

 

[Munchausen]

Well, I guess for me, it wouldn't bother me, since I am a pretty saavy viewer if the direction changes with camera angle.

It's not about being savvy. Jumping from one side of the axis to the other creates a jumpcut and it's very distracting. It's a pretty basic rule of broadcasting and conventional cinema too. It's called the 180° rule. You never cross an imaginary axis (either left to right in sport or between 2 characters in a movie) because it will bother and confuse the viewer, even if for just a second. This is true for just about anything that is recorded or filmed. Cutting live between opposite sides of the axis during a game will be extremely desorienting, savvy or not.

To me having the big black runner on the glass with the camera sliding back and forth is more of a distraction than a benefit.

I thought long ago that if they made the top of the boards or just the part that points to the ice transparent and put a camera inside the boards that could slide all the way around the ice, that would be more ideal.

Well it would be good for one thing, which is speed, since the closer to the ground the camera is, the faster it appears to go. It might be an interesting idea, although it would certainly look weird if there's a check at camera level and all we see is knees.

 

[Marshall]

I like the viewpoint the camera provides, but do find it's placing distracting.

 

[rekrul]

The first period I sat towards the top- just below the press box, on the same side of the rink as the cam, and had no problems. The last two periods I moved to the opposite side- near the glass, facing the camera, and that really was the only time I noticed it. You knew it was there but it was not a distraction at all.

thanks for the info.

 

[Slats432]

It's not about being savvy. Jumping from one side of the axis to the other creates a jumpcut and it's very distracting. It's a pretty basic rule of broadcasting and conventional cinema too. It's called the 180° rule. You never cross an imaginary axis (either left to right in sport or between 2 characters in a movie) because it will bother and confuse the viewer, even if for just a second. This is true for just about anything that is recorded or filmed. Cutting live between opposite sides of the axis during a game will be extremely desorienting, savvy or not.

I was trying to figure out in my head if in the NFL they will cut to a receiver close up during a play on the opposite side of the field.(Besides replay)

 

[Holly Gunning]

I thought the camera was a negative. Not only was it very distracting in the normal shots, it also seemed to shake when you were watching through it.

I wish they'd stop with all these stupid camera tricks. The only good one is the net cam. There's a reason cameras are on tripods, so they are still, and out of people's direct line of vision.

 

[Munchausen]

I was trying to figure out in my head if in the NFL they will cut to a receiver close up during a play on the opposite side of the field.(Besides replay)

I don't beleive they do it live. The camera can switch to the extremities of the field/rink (directly on-axis) without affecting continuity but they'll never cross it entirely in one cut.

The rule though allows one exception for crossing that imaginary boundary line by placing the camera directly on-axis and then choosing to go either side of that axis to continue broadcasting, since an on-axis shot becomes neutral camera placement. But I've never seen a sport broadcasting use this technique. Only in movies. Or maybe they do it in football, can't quite remember.

If you want to cross the axis live in one motion, it can only be done by physically moving the camera across that axis but this implies a dolly shot (again, never seen it in sports, but I beleive they do something close to this for replays in football. Is it on Fox? The Matrix effect where they turn around a player or a play with multiple camera angles to reverse the angle of the replay).

 

[Tawnos]

I thought long ago that if they made the top of the boards or just the part that points to the ice transparent and put a camera inside the boards that could slide all the way around the ice, that would be more ideal.

This would be very foggy. The glass between the camera and the ice would get dirty and would get scratched so fast, it immediately becomes a crappy view. Although I guess they do the same thing with the net cam.