Computers Replacing Camera Ops?

admin

Categories: TV Sports

Tags:

Computers Replacing Camera Ops?

Seems I missed the news that Disney is underwriting research to improve automated cameras by having them mimic the moves of human sports camera operators.

“Having smooth camera work is critical for creating an enjoyable sports broadcast,” said Peter Carr, an engineer at Disney Research. “The framing doesn’t have to be perfect, but the motion has to be smooth and purposeful.” “This is the sort of progress we need to realize the huge potential for automated broadcasts of sports and other live events,” added Jessica Hodgins, a vice president at Disney Research.

I wonder if having the basketball actually in the frame will be a future a requirement for televising a college “C” game on ESPN? After all, who needs camera ops when you have recurrent decision trees?

(Click on thumbnail for a larger version.)

UPDATE: The robots are taking over. See The robotic cameras tracking the stars of German football.