Pylon Cameras Make Super Bowl 50 Debut

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF.—It was a historic night on Sunday, with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos winning Super Bowl 50; but there was also a first for the Super Bowl broadcast. Super Bowl 50 marked the first time that pylon cameras were used. Introduced earlier in the NFL season, the pylon cameras for the championship game were supplied by Admiral Video and featured Marshall Electronics HD POV Miniature Cameras.

CBS, who broadcast the game, had been using the pylon cameras for “Thursday Night Football” all season long. After using four pylon cameras to capture action near the goal line in previous games, the number of plyon cameras was raised to 16 to provide more angles of the entire end zone.

This was just one of the new broadcast techniques used for the big game. Additional tools included CBS’s high-res EyeVision 360 camera system, and virtual first down and end zone lines, which were used to help determine a pair of touchdowns during the game.

Pylon cameras are currently installed on a per game basis, but groups are currently working on a permanent installation system according to Admiral Video.