GamePlan’s SIFT Takes Coaching Analysis to New Level

By Ken Kerschbaumer

GamePlan is looking to take coaching analysis to the next level with SIFT (Store It Forward Technology). The new software platform, to be demonstrated at the American Football Coaches Association Convention next week in Nashville, allows athletic departments to capture, cut, archive, and distribute massive amounts of video automatically without the need for traditional video- and data-server infrastructure.

“Coaches and video specialists have always wanted to keep all of their video and data in digital form with instant access to years’ worth of practice, opponent-scout, self-scout, and all of the other video that programs use,” says GamePlan COO Bill Levy. “Imagine having every opponent’s game in your conference for the entire season on your laptop.”

Levy says an automated SIFT-based system, including three editors, 12 coaching stations, 10 meeting rooms, and 3,000 hours of video storage and distribution can cost less than just the hardware that older systems require to run software.

MPEG-4 technology allows a coach to have a whole season of games on most laptops, according to GamePlan CEO Dave Glover. “Adding an external hard drive, like a Western Digital 500-GB USB-powered external drive, a coach can have an entire season of self-scout games, all opponent-scout games, practices, workouts, meetings, regular-season and preseason, or a coach can easily store many years of self-scout on a single drive.”

Components of the system include GamePlan Two Step DVD Eliminator Software, which rips DVDs to the network at high quality; GameDay Distribution System, allowing coaches to get full intercut video on the bus or plane ride home; and a multicam facility recording system that automatically records meeting rooms, weight room, and practice locations (accessed directly from the GP Coaching Station with Instant Replay capability).

Users can also take advantage of a wireless system for practice facilities to capture and mark instant replays from multiple angles, including low end zone, overhead shots, and even drill zones.

Those looking to leave DVD behind completely can use the Automated Internet Player Network. It offers online player-cutup delivery for athletes to view video with data from dorms or off campus, eliminating the need for DVD and other media.

“GamePlan SIFT is a very exciting new technology that revolutionizes the use of video in sports complexes, and Alpha Video is very pleased to offer the solution to our clients,” says Jeffrey Volk, director of the Alpha Video Sports & Entertainment Group. “SIFT will reduce the cost of large-scale multi-angle video-recording and -replay systems for facilities while automating capture and distribution of high-quality video. This is a must-see advancement at AFCA.”

Glover says the system supports P2 and SAT ingest. “Also, with our multicam product, you can sync frame-accurate intercuts, up to five angles,” he says. “Working with Alpha Video, we provide a practice-facility solution that will sync any angles a coach wants, including sideline, opposite sideline, end zone, opposite end zone, and field level, or wherever they want to put a camera.”

The system works by giving users a profile that can be updated with video clips and other information. When a user fires up his or her computer and connects to the network, SIFT checks to see if there are any updates and immediately delivers new content.

“Because SIFT is an automated update, the user actually does nothing and walks away with all of the video and cutups automatically,” says Glover. “SIFT has built-in intelligence that even allows a video director to e-mail data cutups to coaches who can load them from inside Microsoft Outlook.”