Miniaturized Components, Radically Improved Technology Make System More Viable
Video Camera Is Postage Stamp-Sized Silicon Chip
In 1991, “Helmet-Cam” was introduced as an enhancement for World League of American Football telecasts. Its system was state-of-the-art at the time, but the art and times have changed.
FOX Sports, the network that introduced the country to the “FOX Box,” “FOX Trax,” and “Catcher-Cam,” and the NFL, plan to re-introduce “Helmet-Cam” during the network’s live broadcast coverage of World Bowl 2000 on Sunday, June 25 (1:00 – 4:00 PM ET/10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT). The World Bowl is NFL Europe League’s championship contest, and this year it is being played at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. All four participating quarterbacks are tentatively scheduled to carry the system.
“Each production enhancement must help viewers enjoy the event more,” said Ed Goren, President & Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “The original “Helmet-Cam” provided very compelling pictures, but the technology was cumbersome. The size, weight and picture quality of this new system makes it completely functional for large scale production use right now.”
Working in conjunction with the NFL and two technology providers, FOX Sports has successfully developed a revolutionary helmet-cam system that is amazingly smaller and thereby more user-friendly than its predecessor. OmniVision of Sunnyvale, Calif. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a technology firm specializing in miniature imaging hardware, and the world’s leading manufacturer of CMOS imaging chips, has produced a silicon chip video camera the size of a thick postage stamp, and has married it to a camera lens no bigger than a shirt button. Total RF of Philadelphia, an Emmy Award-winning firm that has provided wireless infrastructure for sports television production for 10 years, has engineered a powerful transmitter the size of a matchbox utilizing advanced miniaturized components. The camera/transmitter package combines to weigh just three ounces. Together, these enhanced technologies make “Helmet-Cam” possible, but the improved mechanism itself isn’t the only difference.
In addition to its diminutive size, the placement of FOX Sports’ helmet-cam differs from earlier attempts. The World Bowl 2000 version requires the button-sized camera be mounted in the center of the helmet, just over the top of the facemask. Two extremely thin wires connect the camera to the transmitter, which is mounted inside the helmet underneath the padding. The entire system is powered by a small battery pack located within the helmet padding. The earlier helmet-cam system used a lipstick-sized camera covered with padding mounted inside the helmet next to the player’s cheek. The transmitter and battery were housed in a molded plastic encasement the size of a wide videocassette case mounted on the rear of the shoulder pads. The old system was wired together with a series of thick cables.
World Bowl 2000 features the Frankfurt Galaxy against the Rhein Fire. A native of Ulm, Germany, NFL on FOX announcer Sam Rosen calls the play-by-play with analysis from Bill Maas. Halftime features a taped segment with FOX NFL SUNDAY’S Terry Bradshaw, James Brown, Howie Long and Cris Collinsworth, who will be joined by John Madden, lead NFL on FOX game analyst. Ray Smaltz produces World Bowl 2000, while Rich Russo directs. Bill Brown is Senior Producer, FOX Sports, and Ed Goren and David Hill are Executive Producers, FOX Sports.