Watching sports in high-definition is impressive, especially professional football’s defining game - the Super Bowl. The sharp, crystal clear picture essentially gives viewers front row seats to the action, letting them take in the game as if they were actually there. Even more impressive is watching the high-definition, slow-motion instant replay of a bone-crushing tackle, or the gracefulness of a wide-receiver making a gravity-defying catch. However, effectively recording such action for a high-definition broadcast, especially at Super Bowl XLII, is easier said than done.
Mounted high in
- The agile, toe-dragging sideline reception by the Giants’ Amani Toomer in the second quarter.
- The fumble by the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady with seconds to go in the first half.
- The
jaw-dropping, ball pinned-against-his-helmet reception by the Giants’
David Tyree late in the game, which paved the way for the Giants’
come-from-behind win (perhaps the most-used slow-motion replay in sports
history.)
The process involves a highly technical approach, one that has been mastered by the production company Inertia Unlimited. With an impressive resume that includes prestigious sporting events, such as the World Series of Major League Baseball, the British Open of the PGA, as well as the Olympics, the company has established itself as the leader and go-to source for high-definition, slow-motion capture and broadcast. The key element of Inertia Unlimited’s slow-motion replay system, dubbed X-MO, is the Phantom V10, a revolutionary high-speed digital camera from Vision Research, Inc. Essential to the overall operation of X-MO, the V10 serves as the backbone and provides the high-performance required to record each and every play of fast-action sports.
FOX Sports’ Super Bowl Set Up
Understanding the value that slow-motion instant replay has for its viewers, FOX Sports utilized four high-definition, standard, replay cameras at Super Bowl XLII. Each of the four cameras recorded the action on the field at speeds of 180 frames-per-second (fps), providing slow-motion replay throughout the game. Taking its slow-motion capabilities to the next level, and further enhancing the viewing experience for the millions of fans watching throughout the world, FOX Sports called on Inertia Unlimited to help record this year’s Super Bowl in “ultra-slow motion.” By using the Vision Research Phantom V10, Inertia Unlimited was able to record the key plays of the game at speeds ranging from 300 fps to 500 fps, resulting in playback that was 1.5 to 3 times slower than that provided by the other standard slow-motion cameras.
Camera System Adds Another Game Facet
“We were proud to again provide the ultra-slow-motion replay for the Super Bowl,” said Jeff Silverman of Inertia Unlimited. “FOX Sports is sincerely dedicated to its viewers and goes above and beyond when it comes to broadcasting any sporting event, not just the Super Bowl or the World Series. By employing the Inertia Unlimited slow-motion replay system, FOX Sports was able to essentially provide another facet to the game, one which undoubtedly astounded those who watched from the opening kickoff to the presentation of the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the New York Giants.”
Added Silverman, “When you witness a key play in real time, and then view that same play as seen through the lens of the Vision Research Phantom V10 high-speed camera, the difference truly is night and day. Thanks to the ultra-slow-motion playback that Inertia Unlimited provides, viewers can see aspects of the game that were never before visible, even with a standard slow-motion camera. At the speeds and resolution that the Vision Research Phantom V10 can record, one can actually witness in clear detail what happens to a player’s body during a hit or as he advances the ball. Super Bowl viewers were amazed and left in awe by what they saw.”
Boasting a specially designed CMOS sensor, the Vision Research Phantom V10 offers a shooting speed of 480 fps at its full resolution of 2,400 x 1,800 active pixels. When used for live, high-definition television broadcasts, as with Inertia Unlimited’s X-MO system, the Phantom V10’s CAR (Continuously Adjustable Resolution) feature comes into play, which allows Inertia Unlimited to fine tune and adjust the active image area in 96x8 pixel increments. This allows the operator to maximize the field of view by closely matching the shape and dimensions of the test subject in the horizontal and vertical plane. Using this precise adjustment in combination with infinitely variable settings for other operating parameters allows Inertia Unlimited to fine tune the X-MO setup with more accuracy. This flexibility allows the user to optimize recording speed, exposure, and recording time for the exacting requirements of each shot.
The Vision Research Phantom V10 Used 720p HD Resolution
During Super Bowl XLII, the Phantom V10 was set to a 720p resolution, and recorded each play at a speed of approximately 300 fps. The footage was then broadcast at a frame rate of 30 fps yielding 10X slow-motion. The Phantom V10 can also reach speeds at up to 2,000 fps at a resolution of 720p, making the camera ideal for capturing high-speed events, such as a professional golfer’s swing. The Phantom V10 is also equipped with HD-SDI output, including 720p, 1080i and 1080p at 24, 25, 59.9 and 60 fps.
Designed exclusively by Vision Research for high-speed recording, the Phantom V10’s CMOS sensor supplies 14-bit pixel depth coupled with excellent sensitivity, a feature required when using telephoto lens. Typically, the Vision Research Phantom V10 high-speed camera utilizes a standard Nikon F-mount lens, however, Inertia Unlimited’s team of engineers have tailored the camera to their specific needs, outfitting it to accept B4 mount lenses.
Additionally, to make sure that the slow-motion replay provided by the Vision Research Phantom V10 was as seamless as possible, Inertia Unlimited modified the camera color matrix so that its output matched that of the other cameras providing footage. Color and lighting was spot on in regards to the other cameras in use and when shown as part of the instant replay of a particular play, footage from the Vision Research Phantom V10 was indiscernible to the naked eye.
“There are other manufacturers that offer high-speed digital cameras, however, none can match the performance yielded by the Phantom V10. The camera’s blazing speeds at high-definition resolutions make it the ideal solution for recording fast action sports. It’s the heart of our X-MO system and the camera gives us the ability to remain at the forefront of the industry and provide the services that our customers come to expect,” concluded Silverman.