Marshall Electronics cameras offer a pylon’s eye view of the Super Bowl for the first time
By Jim Bask
So there was some kind of sporting event last weekend.
And helping CBS cover the Super Bowl endzones for the NFL will be 16 of Admiral Video’s pylonbased cameras. The system has been tested during the regular season’s Thursday Night Football games, giving the teams as well as the broadcasters a clear view of an area of the field that’s traditionally been something of a blind spot.
The pylon cam: well padded to protect players and technology alike. The pylons are based on the company’s FiOPS Point of View camera and feature remote adjustment of video settings and the ability to change lenses without disassembling the pylon. The actual cameras are Marshall units, and signals are output via a small USB connector that doesn’t stop the pylon breaking away when a large man jumps, falls or is pushed over on top of it. Small mics are also buried in the turf nearby to pick up game sound near the pylons.
There’s a lot of new technology at work in the coverage of the Superbowl – even if you’re not a sports nut this article is well worth a read on how CBS are covering all the angles.
And if you are going to watch the game, you’ll be in good company: despite all the controversy around the NFL this year over 180 million Americans are expected to tune in to watch Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Coldplay. And apparently there’s a football game too.