6 ms·

Calling the world cup goals 5 seconds before they happen on TV

37 points by benjojo12 8y ago

timlod 8y ago
This is about the latency involved with live broadcasts. For a moment I thought someone tried predict goals based on gameplay information, and be able to forecast goals with a certain confidence - but I suppose the game moves too quickly and player performance is too inconsistent for this to ever work.
- pmiller2 8y ago
  Yeah, 5 seconds is an eternity. Maybe it could work 1-2 seconds in advance, but 5 is pretty unbelievable.
joezydeco 8y ago
It turns out there is a delay forced into the broadcast for the use of betting companies and alike. As they say, pics or GTFO. The problem is that betting companies do not want people to rapidly place/cancel bets just after a goal or otherwise major events. So how does that stop someone from placing or cancelling bets from a mobile device from inside the stadium? They could certainly evade any kind of artificial delay, in fact they would benefit from it. Wouldn't the betting agencies have the exact time of the goal down to the millisecond and cancel any post-event action?
- VBprogrammer 8y ago
  Not even as smart as that. What they do is apply a delay between taking the bet and accepting it. We don't have information at a millisecond level. Most sports data is supplied by people watching the game in a room, or using a bespoke mobile app at the event. It's a wonder Hawkeye type data hasn't been integrated but as far as I know it hasn't yet.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
twoodfin 8y ago
I’d always assumed the delay in live sports broadcasts was for production purposes: It’s much easier to choose the best camera angle when you’re a few seconds in the future.
- bluelemon 8y ago
  Nah, it' all done without 'looking ahead'. A typical match will be anywhere from 20 to 35 cameras, and doing look-ahead at broadcast quality would add an extra $200K just in infrastructure, and need another 40 production staff... The tarmac for the extra OB trucks wouldn't be big enough in many cases!
  - lozf 8y ago
    Interestingly, the BBC have been working towards this for some "nearly-live" events for a few years. https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/nearly-live-production https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/nearly-live-production
executive 8y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtsiding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtsiding
ksec 8y ago
If the TV / Cable Live broadcast is 5 seconds behind for betting purpose. Why cant IPTv / internet streaming be the same 5 seconds behind as well. It seems the whole World Cup broadcast is done without putting streaming as part of the distribution. Do TV station around the world gets the 5 seconds buffer delay as well? After all it will have another processing time once they add their own languages features and commentary into it.
petercooper 8y ago
The latency with stuff like iPlayer and other streaming is huge. I'm in a Telegram channel with some friends and we casually discuss the matches.. but sometimes there have been goals I've gone crazy about and others are like "what goal?" then they see it 30 seconds-1 minute later. I also tried listening to BBC Radio 5 commentary alongside matches shown on ITV and had to pause the TV by about 20 seconds.
ID1452319 8y ago
Last night I heard my neighbour cheering before Trippier's free kick had even hit the back of the net. Either he works for a betting company or his TV provider was a second ahead of mine!
- babaeth 8y ago
  Did you hear him broke his TV on Mandzukic's goal?

37 points by benjojo12 8y ago

This is about the latency involved with live broadcasts. For a moment I thought someone tried predict goals based on gameplay information, and be able to forecast goals with a certain confidence - but I suppose the game moves too quickly and player performance is too inconsistent for this to ever work.

pmiller2 8y ago
Yeah, 5 seconds is an eternity. Maybe it could work 1-2 seconds in advance, but 5 is pretty unbelievable.

joezydeco 8y ago

It turns out there is a delay forced into the broadcast for the use of betting companies and alike. As they say, pics or GTFO. The problem is that betting companies do not want people to rapidly place/cancel bets just after a goal or otherwise major events. So how does that stop someone from placing or cancelling bets from a mobile device from inside the stadium? They could certainly evade any kind of artificial delay, in fact they would benefit from it. Wouldn't the betting agencies have the exact time of the goal down to the millisecond and cancel any post-event action?

VBprogrammer 8y ago
Not even as smart as that. What they do is apply a delay between taking the bet and accepting it. We don't have information at a millisecond level. Most sports data is supplied by people watching the game in a room, or using a bespoke mobile app at the event. It's a wonder Hawkeye type data hasn't been integrated but as far as I know it hasn't yet.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

twoodfin 8y ago

I’d always assumed the delay in live sports broadcasts was for production purposes: It’s much easier to choose the best camera angle when you’re a few seconds in the future.

bluelemon 8y ago
Nah, it' all done without 'looking ahead'. A typical match will be anywhere from 20 to 35 cameras, and doing look-ahead at broadcast quality would add an extra $200K just in infrastructure, and need another 40 production staff... The tarmac for the extra OB trucks wouldn't be big enough in many cases!
- lozf 8y ago
  Interestingly, the BBC have been working towards this for some "nearly-live" events for a few years. https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/nearly-live-production https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/nearly-live-production

executive 8y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtsiding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtsiding

ksec 8y ago

If the TV / Cable Live broadcast is 5 seconds behind for betting purpose. Why cant IPTv / internet streaming be the same 5 seconds behind as well. It seems the whole World Cup broadcast is done without putting streaming as part of the distribution. Do TV station around the world gets the 5 seconds buffer delay as well? After all it will have another processing time once they add their own languages features and commentary into it.

petercooper 8y ago

The latency with stuff like iPlayer and other streaming is huge. I'm in a Telegram channel with some friends and we casually discuss the matches.. but sometimes there have been goals I've gone crazy about and others are like "what goal?" then they see it 30 seconds-1 minute later. I also tried listening to BBC Radio 5 commentary alongside matches shown on ITV and had to pause the TV by about 20 seconds.

ID1452319 8y ago

Last night I heard my neighbour cheering before Trippier's free kick had even hit the back of the net. Either he works for a betting company or his TV provider was a second ahead of mine!

babaeth 8y ago
Did you hear him broke his TV on Mandzukic's goal?