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CBS SPORTS CONTINUES TO SET THE PACE WITH GROUNDBREAKING GOLF TECHNOLOGY FOR 2019 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

 

May 8, 2019

 

CBS SPORTS CONTINUES TO SET THE PACE WITH GROUNDBREAKING GOLF TECHNOLOGY FOR 2019 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

MOTION CAPTURE AND AERIAL TRACING ADDED TO CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS GIVING VIEWERS UNEQUALED INSIDE-THE-ROPES EXPERIENCE

Critically-Acclaimed Enhanced 4D Replay, Hawkeye Green Technology and Expanded Toptracer Returns

CBS Sports will continue its long-standing tradition of innovation and cutting-edge technical advancements as it unveils its break-through motion capture technology, showcasing the analytics and physics of the swings from the best players in the world like never before. Click here to view the technology (for viewing purposes only).

Also, for the first time ever on any golf broadcast, CBS will debut Aerial Tracing. Using live video from the blimp in conjunction with Toptracer technology, CBS will provide complete shot trajectory for the players from tee to green, allowing viewers to get a clear picture of each shot shape from the blimp.

With the broadcast of the 101st PGA Championship at Bethpage State Park, Black Course in Farmingdale, NY, CBS will deliver viewers an unequalled inside-the-ropes experience as it also brings back enhanced camera swing analysis through 4D, Hawk-Eye Green Technology – giving viewers a unique perspective on the putting line as well as the undulations of the green – plus all 18 holes of Toptracer technology including, Toptracer RF, 4K HDR on the final three holes, Smartcart, SwingVision, Aerial Drone Coverage and full course wind metering.

CBS will also utilize nearly 200 cameras and 175 microphones covering 41 miles of multi-strand fiber, equaling 492 miles of actual fiber connectivity, viewers will not miss any action on the grounds at Bethpage State Park.

Production and Technology elements in detail:

  • Motion Capture – Debuting for the first time ever on any U.S. network at this year’s Masters Tournament in Augusta, CBS, partnering with SIMI, explores human body analytics during a golf swing. Using eight high end industrial camera systems on the 11th tee box, this highly innovative motion capture technology will highlight the swings of the best players in the world and display full body skeletor analytics. The technology will allow for swing analysis including, but not limited to, hip and shoulder rotation, arm and knee contortion angles and the speed of the golf club both pre-and-post impact.

  • Toptracer – CBS will use Toptracer broadcast technology on all 18 holes, using 3D radar tracking to provide the viewer with a true sense of distance, height, curvature and more. Tracing live tee shots on various holes showing the apex, ball speed, distance and curve will once again be staples of this technology.

    • Aerial Tracing – For the first time ever, CBS will feature Toptracer over live video from the blimp. Combining blimp footage with Virtual Eye Hero technology and Toptracer, CBS can give provide complete shot trajectory for the players from tee to green.  

    • ARL Virtual Eye - Virtual Eye technology returns this year with increased coverage on all holes (except the par 3s). Virtual Eye uses Toptracer ball tracing capabilities on tee shots within a 3D Hole model while simultaneously showing the golfer hit shots from the tee. Virtual flyover animations also return, giving a second shot perspective once the ball comes to rest including GolfTrax information providing key statistical information for both individual players and holes. 

    • Toptracer RF - Toptracer will outfit two RF mini cameras in order to provide ball tracking graphics and statistics on a player’s second shot from the fairway anywhere on the course.

  • 4D Replay – CBS Sports will bring back 4D for the pivotal 15th hole tee box at Bethpage Black. Introduced for the first time on a U.S. Golf broadcast a year ago at the 2018 Championship PGA at Bellerive, CBS will double the number of cameras for 2019 to 90, allowing for an even better video display of the swing to showcase a 180 degree look around the player.

  • Hawk-Eye Green Technology    

    • Putt Predictor - The Putt Predictor demonstrates the extreme differences in the line that a putt can travel and still go in based on weight of the ball strike. It provides a shaded area between the line of a hard putt to the back of the hole and a soft putt line that has the most movement. If a putt leaves the shaded area between the two lines the viewer knows that it will not drop.  

    • Undulation Grid - A graphical grid overlaid on a green along with moving arrows to highlight the undulations of a green.

  • 4K HDR – Bethpage State Park’s closing holes 16, 17, and 18 will be captured in 4K beginning Thursday and concluding with the final round. 

  • Smartcart – Introduced two years ago for the first time at a PGA Championship, Smartcart returns. The 72-inch mobile screen, attached to a custom-fitted golf cart for broadcast applications, will be used to analyze and telestrate a myriad of data including golf swings and shots, difficulty of holes, and scorecards bringing a new dimension to golf coverage with compelling content from action on the course.  

  • SwingVision – CBS returns its Emmy Award-winning technical innovation, SwingVision, featuring super-slow action to break down players’ swings and demonstrate shots from various parts of the course but this time two SwingVisions will be deployed to capture twice as many dramatic high speed replays of dramatic golfer shots.

  • Aerial Drone Coverage – CBS Sports’ aerial drone coverage captured all the elevations, undulations and hazards of Bethpage. Drones allow for a much more dynamic look at each hole for the viewers from the “player’s perspective.”

  • Wind Analysis – CBS will have detailed analysis of the wind conditions at Bethpage for all 18 holes and will deploy anemometers strategically around the course to illustrate the weather and wind patterns during the tournament days.

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CBS Sports Contact: Robin Brendle 212/975-1533              rlbrendle@cbs.com