Recently, we formed a new team within NEP dedicated to advancing specialty capture within NEP, and developing new, cutting-edge solutions for our clients. This new team brings together the industry-leading knowledge of our Fletcher, BSI and AVS teams so they can collaborate with each other easily and seamlessly as one team. This new specialty capture ‘think tank’ is bringing each team's individual expertise together to develop a new generation of solutions that will drive the industry forward. Their job is to take the pie-in-the-sky ideas that come in from their colleagues and clients and turn them into workable innovations that solve problems and enhance the viewer experience.
All of these teams – Fletcher, BSI and AVS – have been known throughout the industry for their innovative solutions, pioneering many of the important advances in RF, robo cam, aerial, and high-speed technologies. Here are some of their more recent developments:
First Down Cam, the most recent collaboration between Fletcher and BSI debuted for NFL coverage on September 29th. It combines cutting-edge robotics and RF technology to capture a unique angle on the field. Built from scratch in-house, this new camera is mounted on the pylon that is moved up and down the field by the line judge, while an operator at the truck controls the pan and tilt via RF.
In 2018, Fletcher debuted TRACE, their fully-automated tennis player follow system. This advanced capture systems has allowed us to save our clients money in infrastructure and time. You can capture all of the action on one court with two people, which previously might have required an entire mobile unit to handle.
Pan Bar, a specialty robotic capture system designed for covering golf, also made its debut within the last month. This system allows for multiple robotic cameras to be set up on the green that can all be operated remotely – from any location, regardless of where the tournament is – by one single operator. The single operator can switch between cameras on a dime and control pan and tilt. This was developed using technology we previously developed for NASCAR to follow cars through the turn.
Low Home is a new robotic camera designed to sit right behind home plate, and is so small it won’t block any spectators or cause any sight-line issues on the field.
So what is coming next? Keep your eyes out for new developments including an automated trace system for horse racing, a Stump Cam for cricket, and advances in using bonded cellular technology… our specialty capture team is just getting started.
