Super Bowl LVII will want to keep an eye out for a new technology from SMT known as 3D Top Fonts, a telestration system that will allow for the Fox Sports production team to offer replays with graphical enhancements and analysis much more quickly than previously possible.
(l-to-r) SMT’s Kirk Brown, Andrew Lorenz, and Rob McCarney at Super Bowl LVII where Top Font will debut.
The system is built around the OPTICS puck and player tracking system that SMT created for the NHL. Coupled with SMT’s OASIS AI engine OPTICS can detect real-time events and then trigger OPTICS to provide virtual graphics.
“We’re just applying it to football to speed up the process,” says Rob McCarney, SMT, special projects manager.
Kirk Brown, SMT, COO, says that the key is being able to not wait for the 800 milliseconds for the NFL’s Zebra official on-field player-tracking data.
“We’re taking the Zebra data when the guys are in the huddle, so we know who is who,” he says. “But then we’re tagging them with our AI as they go up to the line. And at that point we track everybody optically and predefine who we want to isolate and automatically render the replay.”
McCarney says before the play begins the producer chooses the players and what type of graphic elements to be rendered as the action happens. That allows SMT team to roll the dice and if the player does something noteworthy the replay with player trails or a preview of the route is ready to roll.
“Our producer will be able to choose what he wants to do, make a tag and put a disc under a player or show a connector between two players to show relative position,” he says. “And if the players aren’t involved in the play, it can be used to build packages for later.”
McCarney points to the NFC Championship game where Eagles Center Jason Kelsey was able to pull and move for three of the Eagles rushing touchdowns.
The 3D Top Font production area at Super Bowl LVII.
“The producer noticed that, and we were able to illustrate each of them for a package later in the game,” he says.
SMT sees a lot of potential for the system, especially for bringing new types of graphics to the actual live broadcast, not just replays. Andrew Lorenz, SMT, director of business development and technical integration, says the plan is to use Top Font for the upcoming USFL season as a testing ground to push the limits of a live application.
“And for something like that where no one knows the player’s names to begin with Top Fonts are going to be a phenomenal addition.”
