‘Post-Cam’ debuts during BBC Sport coverage of rugby
Mar 25, 2004 12:00 PM
The special facilities team at BBC Outside Broadcasts uses the Post-Cam to capture rugby action on the field. Here, a member of the team mounts the Post-Cam above the padding on the rugby goal post. |
BBC Sport has developed an innovative remote 360-degree tracking camera housed around a rugby post that was used to enhance coverage of the Six Nations Rugby matches between England vs. Wales, and Scotland vs. France this week.
BBC Sport also plans to use Post-Cam at future Six Nations matches and at a number of Rugby League matches this season. Developed by BBC Outside Broadcasts, Post-Cam was used successfully during trial runs at the England vs. Ireland and Wales vs. France matches March 6 and 7.
A compact wireless device, Post-Cam is the latest in a line of innovations from the special facilities team at BBC Outside Broadcasts. The remotely controlled Sony 3-chip CCD camera is attached to the rugby goal post above its safety padding. It can provide 360 degree tracking footage of player action and crowd reaction.
For the first time, the Post-Cam was able to capture views of scrums, players’ goal shots as well as images of fans watching the action from behind the post.
Fixed above the pads on the post, and using a Link Research wireless digital video transmitter (COFDM), Post-Cam can remain unobtrusive and be rotated using a remote control device.
Post-Cam has been in development for some time, and through discussions in conjunction with BBC Sports’ Innovation Group the concept was brought to fruition this season. Post-Cam is a robust, flexible device that is weather resistant and does not interfere with rugby players or the game.
Post-Cam builds on other recent successes from the special facilities team at BBC Outside Broadcasts, such as the Crowd-Cam, which is used extensively for football and rugby matches and the Halibut-Cam, which tracks the underwater movements of swimmers as they cover the length of the pool.
Paul McNeil, BBC Outside Broadcasts adds, “The success of the England Rugby team has captured the imagination of the nation and we wanted to build on that by getting audiences as close to the action as possible. Post-Cam has been designed to operate within the field of play and will provide some exciting new perspectives on the game.”
For more information please visit: www.bbcresources.com.
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