ACTV

October 22, 2010

When BMW Oracle Racing announced the use of 72-ft cats for the 2013 America's Cup, they took a huge flyer off the safe course of sticking with the monohulls of the past. But the past has also meant rather lackluster TV. With the America's Cup embracing new technology, it's no surprise that BMW Oracle also plans on raising the bar of the event's TV coverage.

"One of the goals set out by Larry Ellison was to expand the TV so that it will attract the everyday sports viewer, not just the racing fanatic," remarked Tim Jeffery, Director of Media Operations. "If we can get more new viewers interested in sailing who are not into sailing yet, it will be good for the sport as a whole and not just the AC."

Some of the plan is to have plenty of HD cameras onboard and good audio to listen in on the key players on the crew. "We will have every crew member miked, and we will have the ability to interview the crew while they're on the water to get their perspective on how the race is going and what they are planning."

Asked about the unusual move of putting a live camera operator on each boat, Tim said, "Although remote cameras are very capable these days, the ability to catch the action and take direction will be much easier if there is a human operator." And we imagine them at times hanging on for dear life.

One of the key players just hired by BMW Oracle is Stan Honey. More recognizable as a navigator and weather guru, Stan is also one of the early leaders in TV graphics and data from cars and boats. His company Sportvision is the one that developed the virtual first down lines on football broadcasts and the windows of information in NASCAR.

"Our goal is to make a virtual race track using live video," said Stan. "By using a video feed from a helicopter high above we will super-impose the data coming off the boats. Other cameras on even more helicopters will also be used for the video feeds."

And what about the chase boats with cameras onboard? "We are looking at some powered catamarans with gyro cameras, but they will have to be fast enough to keep up." It sounds very busy with all the hulls and helicopters flying, and we asked Stan about the air regulations and bandwidth restrictions. "San Francisco has its challenges," said Stan, "with land getting in the way of signals and a crowded, small venue, but the FCC and FAA have temporary permits that can be used for events like this."

Wouldn't it be nice to turn on the TV, crack a beer, and watch live AC racing in full HD without having to explain to your non-sailing friends what the hell is going on?