BOSTON—The Boston Red Sox have installed a state-of-the-art robotic pod camera system in partnership with Nikon at Fenway Park to capture still images and full-HD video.

The remote system, from MRMC, a Nikon group company, enables operators and photographers to control the cameras from a distance, thereby minimizing the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nikon said.

“In these times, we have had to adapt at a far faster pace than ever before when it comes to the way we operate, and that includes producing content for our fans, sponsors and partners,” said Billie Weiss, senior manager, Photography, Boston Red Sox. 

“We are extremely pleased with the image quality and capabilities from the MRMC Robotic Pods and are already discussing new opportunities to use the technology at all Fenway Park events in 2021.”

The Red Sox organization worked with Nikon Professional Service to install five Robotic Pods, a modular camera system housing that can be remotely controlled by an operator from a custom software interface, the company said.

Photographers/operators can capture high-quality photos and video for broadcast, social media and marketing with the Robotic Pod systems. The system makes it possible to cover an entire game without ever leaving the booth, Nikon said.

Cameras are positioned on the roof of the press box, on the third and first baselines, overlooking centerfield and the bullpen and directly behind home plate to provide a low-angle shot; however, the Robotic Pods can be repositioned to meet the changing needs of the team, it said. 

The Robotic Pods enable 360-degree camera movement and zooming, which makes it possible for the systems to deliver shots not available from fixed remote cameras. The photographer can remotely control zoom, focus and exposure, and the system can save preset capture points to repeat shots easily with precise consistency, Nikon said.

The pods provide a constant FTP stream of images delivered in real time that are ready to be used by authorized photographers, press agencies and on social media to promote fan engagement, it said. 

The system can also capture imagery to create GIFs and time-lapses. Cameras can be equipped with a variety of lenses to capture action on the field or the ambience of the ballpark. A single operator can control multiple pods, the company said.

More information about the Robotic Pod System is available on the MRMC website.

More information on Nikon imaging products is available on the company’s website. 

BRISTOL, Conn.—One of the oldest rivalries in baseball will have a new look for an upcoming game, as ESPN has announced that it will debut its new “Statcast AI Edition” broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball for the Red Sox and Yankees game on Aug. 16.

This Statcast-driven alternative viewing experience will air on ESPN 2, alongside the traditional Sunday Night Baseball telecast on ESPN.

The broadcast will feature innovative on-screen graphics, data and information provided by Statcast AI. The announcing team for Sunday Night Baseball: Statcast AI Edition will include play-by-play voice Jason Benetti, analyst Eduardo Perez and MLB.com Statcast insider Mike Petriello.

The Statcast broadcast of the game will also be available to stream via the ESPN app.

ESPN has previously used Statcast technology for coverage of the Home Run Derby and "Baseball Tonight" pre-event shows.

A second alternative Statcast broadcast on ESPN 2 will take place on Aug. 30 for a game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

BURBANK, CA.–Bexel, an NEP Broadcast Services Company, provided a host of equipment and engineering support for the five games of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium.

Bexel was again called upon for the eighth consecutive year to support the Post Season for MLB Network, starting with the Wild-Card and Division Series with 10 Panasonic AJ-PX270 handheld AVC-ULTRA HD camcorders to cover its press kit needs. Eight AJA KUMO 32x32 HD-SDI routers were chosen for signal distribution to ensure the highest signal quality and powerful signal control.

For the Championship Series, Bexel supplied MLB Network with an IPTV system with monitors, which were used throughout the production compound to deliver program feeds, with additional monitors positioned in operational trailers.

As the 2018 World Series were planned at both Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium, Bexel equipment and engineering support were ready to be on-site at both locations for MLB Network for the duration of the game series. With equipment coming from both Bexel offices in Burbank and Dallas, the company supplied the entire signal distribution hardware to deliver the vast number of signals between outside broadcast trucks used for MLB Network, MLB International, and Japan’s national public broadcasting organization NHK. Of the OB trucks, NEP Mobile Units were on-site with EN2, SuperB, and NCP14.

As part of the signal distribution hardware system, Bexel implemented a large router and DA infrastructure for both Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium. Two Bexel engineers were dedicated on-site, and traveled between Boston and Los Angeles to manage the signal distribution hardware for the World Series.

Due to a small compound at Fenway Park, Bexel outfitted MLB Network productions with ‘glass cows’ to help move fiber across the city’s street. Each glass cow is a 72-breakout fiber patch panel, moving TAC-12 single-mode fiber cables extended out to audio, video and camera feeds.

To round out the bases, Bexel also supplied ancillary gear to MLB International with a number of Litepanels Astra 1x1 LED panels, Sound Devices 688 12-input field production audio mixers, and MultiDyne VF-9000 video fiber optic transport frames.

WATERTOWN, MASS.—There’s not much else like experiencing a game at Fenway Park and for the next four nights select fans will have the chance to do so from their couch. Regional sports network NESN has teamed with Intel to produce four Red Sox games with the Intel True VR system, starting tonight, Sept. 5, and running for the next three games.

Fans with select Samsung phones can use Samsung Gear VR headsets to view unique camera angles in virtual reality. Phones that will work for the broadcasts include Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, Note 5 and Note 8.

During the game, viewers will be able to select between four locations at Fenway Park to view the VR broadcast, or they can select a mode that automatically switches between seven locations. Real-time statistics will display behind viewers in the 360-degree landscape. Commentary and HD replays from the NESN broadcast will be included in the VR broadcast. Each game will also offer a new camera location.

For people to watch the VR broadcast, their Samsung Gear VR headset and Samsung phone need to have the NESNgoVR app. In addition, the VR broadcast is only available to consumers who can authenticate with their TV provider.