How to buy an instant replay system on a budget
By Jim Bask
Instant replay is an essential part of quality sports programming. New lower budget options are now available to help smaller venues and schools do instant replay. This is giving these smaller production added entertainment value while also providing officials the ability to review plays.
Cameras, lenses, and video mixers have all come down in price far faster than instant replay systems in recent years. One of my early gigs in sports was shooting professional hockey over 10 years ago. The new $10,000 video camera I was assigned at the start of the new season replaced an aging $30,000 camera, while the new VDR instant replay system in the live video booth cost the arena over $50,000, replacing an aging system that was also over $50,000.
The price required to set up an instant replay system is less than ever before. The exact cost depends on the demands of your video production and how many angles need to be captured. So which type of system is the best for you and your budget?
Independent Producers and Schools – less than $10K
To start, Instant replay systems are made up of two primary components. One is the device, which today is exclusively hard drive based, that records and plays back instant replay clips. The other component is a device that controls the instant replay devices. This controller can be a computer with a keyboard, but ideally it is a separate professional control surface with customized buttons and a T-Bar for quick and efficient operation…[continue reading]