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Unfortunately the problem with implementing this in other sports is the same problem with implementing a centered camera view in baseball - infrastructure. In

by javanix 17y ago

Unfortunately the problem with implementing this in other sports is the same problem with implementing a centered camera view in baseball - infrastructure. In order to get the awesome Madden-esque camera views that you describe (at least for outdoor sports), stadiums would need either overhead camera supports or massively zoomed in angles from the ends of the stadiums, and it would be nearly impossible to guarantee a consistent angle between venues.

drawkbox 17y ago
Until we have lightweight drone type cameras that can be placed at any point of a 3d mapped field... Imagine the fun of that, you could control the cameras in almost a 3d software setting. Or maybe one day computer vision will be so good that it can infer any angle/point on a field from multiple inputs.
smhinsey 17y ago
You can see this sort of thing starting to creep into NFL coverage, I think mostly FOX Sports. They have a number of robotic cameras strung across the field on wires, and they use them to put together some fairly impressive replay scenes, though they can't follow the ball very well with them so you don't see them cut to during live action that often. I'm not sure how you start introducing this to sports like baseball with its non-uniform stadiums and fields, although things like the NBA and NHL seem like great candidates and I am sure you will continue to see this spread. I think ESPN's Axis uses something like it in baseball and basketball already, but that may just be fancy editing/extrapolation with existing angles. You used to be able to choose among a group of 4 or more camera angles on a couple of the DirecTV sports packages as well, and you likely still can do that. I know NASCAR is deep into that sort of thing, but I am not a fan so I don't know much about it.
- madh 17y ago
  Axis does use fancy extrapolation. But yes, with Skycam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skycam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skycam) awesome angles are possible. Baseball fields are too large for Skycam and the Skycam would probably interfere with play. For the NBA and NHL, Skycam is really impressive.

by javanix 17y ago

drawkbox 17y ago

Until we have lightweight drone type cameras that can be placed at any point of a 3d mapped field... Imagine the fun of that, you could control the cameras in almost a 3d software setting. Or maybe one day computer vision will be so good that it can infer any angle/point on a field from multiple inputs.

smhinsey 17y ago

You can see this sort of thing starting to creep into NFL coverage, I think mostly FOX Sports. They have a number of robotic cameras strung across the field on wires, and they use them to put together some fairly impressive replay scenes, though they can't follow the ball very well with them so you don't see them cut to during live action that often. I'm not sure how you start introducing this to sports like baseball with its non-uniform stadiums and fields, although things like the NBA and NHL seem like great candidates and I am sure you will continue to see this spread. I think ESPN's Axis uses something like it in baseball and basketball already, but that may just be fancy editing/extrapolation with existing angles. You used to be able to choose among a group of 4 or more camera angles on a couple of the DirecTV sports packages as well, and you likely still can do that. I know NASCAR is deep into that sort of thing, but I am not a fan so I don't know much about it.

madh 17y ago
Axis does use fancy extrapolation. But yes, with Skycam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skycam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skycam) awesome angles are possible. Baseball fields are too large for Skycam and the Skycam would probably interfere with play. For the NBA and NHL, Skycam is really impressive.