A camera system that can render any desired viewing angle from within a scene has been installed AT&T Stadium (formerly Cowboys Stadium) in Arlington, TX for broadcasting Dallas Cowboys NFL games. The freeD replay system from Replay Technologies will be featured during NBC Sunday Night Football's broadcast of the first Dallas Cowboys home game versus the New York Giants on 8 September.
The freeD system at AT&T Stadium in Arlington will incorporate 24 Teledyne Dalsa Falcon2 CMOS cameras. Twelve cameras will be positioned around each end's red zone – the area of the field between the 20-yard line and the goal line – to provide highly detailed freeD replays during the Cowboys/Giants NFL game.
‘Being able to seamlessly move from side to side and around an entire play without switching shots will entertain and inform the fans in Cowboys stadium and the National TV audience on NBC,’ commented Fred Gaudelli, producer of NBC Sunday Night Football. ‘Fans will think they're playing a video game or watching a sci-fi movie, but they'll actually be viewing real NFL football as never presented before.’
The Falcon2 camera's 12 megapixel resolution significantly increases the image quality of the freeD system, allowing it to capture more of the action with the ability to 'go in closer' while retaining HD quality. Teledyne Dalsa Xcelera frame grabbers, which are optimised for the Falcon2 cameras, are being installed in the control room at the stadium to capture the camera data and to interface with the freeD system.
The freeD system uses sophisticated algorithms to create three dimensional photo-realistic real-time scenes, comprised of three dimensional pixels that represent the fine details of the scene. This information is stored as a freeD database that can render any desired viewing angle from the detailed information.
The freeD system was first used in 2012 at the Players Championship PGA golf event and then at the London 2012 Olympic Games gymnastics competition. The system is currently deployed at Yankee Stadium in New York and is a regular feature of Yankees home games broadcasted by the YES Network with an average of 30 second rendering time.
‘The freeD system has the potential to revolutionise how professional sporting events are enjoyed on television and other media,’ commented Patrick Myles, vice president, business development and communications at Teledyne Dalsa. ‘We are proud to partner with Replay and provide them with our cameras and frame grabbers for AT&T Stadium and as their freeD system is adopted at venues across North America. Together, we are enabling new user experiences and levels of interactivity for the viewer with the highest possible image quality.’
