Sports

Sony High-Definition Technology Covers the NFL Championship Game
More than 50 HD Cameras Used for Main U.S. Broadcast

More than 50 Sony high-definition cameras covered every angle of the National Football League's championship game, broadcast Feb. 7 on the CBS Television Network from Miami's Sun Life Stadium.

NEP Broadcasting provided several trailers for pre- and post-game, main game and the half-time show. The Sony gear used by NEP for the main broadcast in the United States included HDC-1500 multi-format cameras and HDC-3300 super-motion camera systems, which were positioned throughout the stadium. In addition, a Sony MVS-8000A production switcher, HD videotape recorders, displays and supporting production equipment were also used to deliver the game.

According to George Hoover, senior vice president of engineering for NEP, the Sony cameras and switchers have continuously proven themselves in high-profile live event productions, and he was confident in their ability to perform flawlessly again during the game.

"These technologies deliver a range of functions that are critical to delivering quality live football coverage," Hoover said. "The cameras work extremely well, they have fast response and very good sensitivity, and the switchers give us the flexibility we need."

"The technology used to cover a game of this magnitude needs to have the power to fully integrate the level of graphics that NFL fans have grown accustomed to while still producing as clean a feed as possible," said Ken Aagaard, senior vice president, operations and production services at CBS Sports. "The Sony HD equipment offers a significant level of production flexibility and the image quality is extremely high. This all translates into delivering an enhanced viewing experience for the consumer at home."

This was the fifth consecutive year that Sony has provided its professional HD equipment for the NFL's big game, and its technology has evolved to meet the game's increasing production requirements and more complex camera angles.

"This is the biggest stage for television broadcast production," said Rob Willox, director of Sony Electronics' content creation group. "Our multi-format live production technology is the perfect fit, and will help to add an extra layer of excitement and reality for viewers."