Baseball telecasts technology

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The following is a chronological list of the technological advancements[1][2][3] of Major League Baseball television broadcasts:

1930s and 1940s

[4]

1939

See also: Baseball broadcasting firsts, 1939 in baseball, and 1939 in television

On August 26,

WNBC-TV
.

Red Barber called the game without the benefit of a monitor and with only two cameras capturing the game. One camera was on Barber and the other was behind the plate. Barber had to guess from which light was on and where it pointed.

In 1939, baseball games were usually covered by one camera providing a point-of-view along the third base line.

1949

Main articles: 1949 in baseball and 1949 in television
  1. Equipment: Three
    Mezzanine level
    .
  2. Camera lenses: Fixed, no zoom capabilities.
  3. Replays: None
  4. Graphics: None
  5. Audio: One microphone on the play-by-play announcer.

1950s

[8]

1951

Main articles: 1951 in baseball and 1951 in television

On August 11, 1951, WCBS-TV in New York City televised the first baseball game (in which the Boston Braves beat the Brooklyn Dodgers by the score of 8–1) in color.

On October 3 of that year, NBC aired the first

playoff series by the score of 5-4 (off Bobby Thomson's now-legendary home run
).

1953

Main articles: 1953 in baseball and 1953 in television
  1. Equipment: Four
    Mezzanine level
    .
  2. Camera lenses: Fixed, no zoom capabilities.
  3. Video: Quality of picture has improved since the 1940s.
  4. Replay: None
  5. Graphics: White-text containing one line of information.
  6. Audio: One microphone on the play-by-play announcer and one mic is suspended from the press box for crowd noise.

1955

Main articles: 1955 in baseball and 1955 in television

1955[9] marked the first time that the World Series was televised in color.

1957

Main articles: 1957 in baseball and 1957 in television

[10]

  1. Equipment: Four cameras
    Mezzanine level
    while a fifth camera is added in center field.
  2. Camera lenses: Three fixed lenses on each camera that's manually rotated by a camera operator.
  3. Video: Quality of picture is a very sharp black-and-white.
  4. Replays: None
  5. Graphics: White-text only; information about the balls and strikes are added.
  6. Broadcasters: Analysts added to broadcast alongside the play-by-play announcer.
  7. Audio: One mic is suspended from the press box for crowd noise.

1960s

[12]

1961

Main articles: 1961 in baseball and 1961 in television
  1. Equipment: Five cameras: Four on the
    Mezzanine level
    and one in center field.
  2. Camera lenses: Zoom capability existed albeit, limited.
  3. Video: Black-and-white picture quality has improved.
  4. Replays: Yes; regular speed; no longer than thirty seconds long at a line angle only.
  5. Graphics: White-text only including two lines of text.
  6. Audio: Improved - Audience can now hear the crack of the bat.

1962

Main articles: 1962 in baseball and 1962 in television

On July 23, 1962, Major League Baseball had its first satellite telecast (via Telstar Communications). The telecast included portion of a contest between the Chicago Cubs vs. the Philadelphia Phillies from Wrigley Field with Jack Brickhouse commentating on WGN-TV.

1969

Main articles: 1969 in baseball and 1969 in television

By

greenscreen
composite of the stadiums' crowds) became a common practice for baseball telecasts.

  1. Equipment: Five cameras: Four on the
    Mezzanine level
    and one in center field.
  2. Camera lenses: Zoom capability existed albeit, limited.
  3. Video: Color became an industry standard.
  4. Replays: Yes; regular speed; no longer than thirty seconds long at a line angle.
  5. Graphics: Electronic graphics introduced.
  6. Audio: Improved - Audience can now hear the crack of the bat.

1970s

[13]

1974

Main articles: 1974 in baseball and 1974 in television
  1. Equipment: Seven cameras: One at first and third base each, one at home plate, one at center field, one at left field, and each in the dugout.
  2. Camera lenses: 18×1; the batter can now be seen from head to toe.
  3. Video: Color quality has improved since the 1960s.
  4. Replays: Slow-motion from all camera angles.
  5. Graphics: Video font with two color capabilities.
  6. Audio: Mono. - much improved quality; an effect microphone is placed near the field.

1975

Main articles: 1975 in baseball and 1975 in television

In the bottom of the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series[14] at Boston's Fenway Park, Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk was facing Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pat Darcy. Fisk then hit a pitch down the left field line that appeared to be heading to foul territory. The enduring image of Fisk jumping and waving the ball fair as he made his way to first base is arguably one of baseball's greatest moments. The ball struck the foul pole, giving the Red Sox a 7–6 win and forcing a seventh and deciding game of the Fall Classic. During this time, cameramen covering baseball games were instructed to follow the flight of the ball; reportedly, Fisk's reaction[15] was only being recorded because NBC cameraman Lou Gerard, positioned inside Fenway's scoreboard at the base of the left-field Green Monster wall, had become distracted by a large rat.[16] This play was perhaps the most important catalyst in getting camera operators to focus most of their attention on the players themselves.[17]

1980s

[18]

1983

Main articles: 1983 in baseball and 1983 in television

On July 6, 1983,

Chicago's Comiskey Park. During the telecast, special guest analyst, Don Sutton helped introduce NBC's new pitching tracking device dubbed The NBC Tracer.[19] The NBC Tracer was a stroboscopic comet tail showing the path of a pitch to the catcher's glove. For instance, The NBC Tracer helped track a Dave Stieb curveball
among others.

1985

Main articles: 1985 in baseball and 1985 in television

In

Minnesota was the first program to be broadcast in stereo by a television network.[20]

  1. Equipment: Eight cameras: One at first and third base each, one at home plate (a low home angle is added), one each in right field, center field and left field, and one in each dugout.
  2. Camera lenses: 40×1; tight shots of players are routine.
  3. Replays: Super slow-motion replays became a new technology.
  4. Graphics: Computer generated in multiple colors.
  5. Audio: Mono - much improved quality.

1987

Main articles: 1987 in baseball and 1987 in television

For the 1987 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals, ABC utilized 12 cameras and nine tape machines. This includes cameras positioned down the left field line, on the roof of the Metrodome, and high above third base.

1990s

[21]

1990

Main articles: 1990 in baseball and 1990 in television

In

telestration technology that they dubbed CBS Chalkboard. CBS Chalkboard made its debut eight years earlier during CBS' coverage of Super Bowl XVI
.

1992

Main articles: 1992 in baseball and 1992 in television

For CBS' coverage of the 1992 All-Star Game, they introduced Basecam,[22][23][24] a lipstick-size camera, inside first base.

1993

See also: 1993 in baseball and 1993 in television

During CBS' coverage of the 1993 World Series, umpires were upset with the overhead replays being televised by CBS. Dave Phillips, the crew chief, said just prior to Game 2 that the umpires want "CBS to be fair with their approach."

Rick Gentile, the senior vice president for production of CBS Sports, said that Richie Phillips, the lawyer for the Major League Umpires Association, tried to call the broadcast booth during Saturday's game, but the call was not put through. Richie Phillips apparently was upset when Dave Phillips called the Philadelphia Phillies' Ricky Jordan out on strikes in the fourth inning, and a replay showed the pitch to be about 6 inches outside.

National League President Bill White, while using a CBS headset in the broadcast booth during Game 1, was overheard telling Gentile and the producer Bob Dekas:

You guys keep using that camera the way you want. Don't let Phillips intimidate you.

1995

See also: 1995 in baseball and 1995 in television
  • April 1995 - ESPN debuted in-game box scores during Major League Baseball telecasts. Hitting, pitching and fielding stats from the game are shown along the bottom of the screen three times per game.

1996

Main articles: 1996 in baseball and 1996 in television
  1. Equipment: Ten cameras: Eight manned cameras plus two robotic cameras. Six tape machines plus one digital disk recorder.
  2. Camera lenses: 55×1
  3. Graphics: Computer generated and in
    FoxBox
    is introduced.
  4. Audio: In Stereo and surround sound; wireless mics are placed in the bases.

1997

Main articles: 1997 in baseball and 1997 in television
  • May/June
    College World Series
    .

On July 8, 1997,

Cleveland). For this particular game, Fox introduced "Catcher-Cam" in which a camera was affixed to the catchers' masks in order to provide unique perspectives of the action around home plate.[26]
Catcher-Cam soon would become a regular fixture in Fox's baseball broadcasts.

In addition to Catcher-Cam, other innovations (some of which have received more acclaim than others) that Fox[27] has provided for baseball telecasts have been:

2000s

[29]

2000

Main articles: 2000 in baseball and 2000 in television

For a Saturday afternoon telecast of a

Fox aired a special "Turn Back the Clock"[30] broadcast to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the first televised baseball game.[31] The broadcast started with a re-creation of the television technology of 1939, with play-by-play announcer Joe Buck
working alone with a single microphone, a single black-and-white camera, and no graphics; then, each subsequent half-inning would see the broadcast "jump ahead in time" to a later era, showing the evolving technologies and presentation of network baseball coverage through the years.

2001

Main articles: 2001 in baseball and 2001 in television
  • April 15, 2001 - ESPN Dead Center debuted on Sunday Night Baseball with the Texas Rangers versus the Oakland Athletics. This new camera angle, directly behind the pitcher, is used provide true depiction of inside/outside pitch location and is used in certain parks in conjunction with K Zone.
  • July 1, 2001 - ESPN's K Zone officially debuted on Sunday Night Baseball.
  • The
    FoxBox
    becomes a banner at the top of the screen.

2002

Main articles: 2002 in baseball and 2002 in television
  • April 7, 2002 - ESPN became the first network to place a microphone on a player during a regular-season baseball game. "Player Mic" was worn by Oakland catcher Ramón Hernández (who also wore "MaskCam") and taped segments were heard.
  • May 26, 2002 - "UmpireCam" debuted on ESPN, worn by Matt Hollowell behind the plate in the New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox telecast.

In October 2002,

Fox televised the first ever World Series to be shown in high definition
.

2003

Main articles: 2003 in baseball and 2003 in television
  • March 30, 2003 -
    ESPNHD, a high-definition simulcast service of ESPN, debuted with the first regular-season Major League Baseball game of the season - Texas at Anaheim
    .

2004

Main articles: 2004 in baseball and 2004 in television

Starting in 2004, some TBS telecasts (mostly Fridays or Saturdays) became more enhanced. The network decided to call it Braves TBS Xtra. Enhancements included catcher cam, Xtra Motion, which featured the type of pitch and movement, also leadOff Line. It would also show features with inside access to players.

In October 2004,

FoxBox
and graphics are upgraded.

2005

Main articles: 2005 in baseball and 2005 in television

2006

Main articles: 2006 in baseball and 2006 in television
  • April 2, 2006 - A handheld camera brings viewers closer to the action for in-game live shots of home run celebrations, managers approaching the mound and more.
  • May 1, 2006 - 'K Zone 2.0' debuted on ESPN's Monday Night Baseball.

2007

Main articles: 2007 in baseball and 2007 in television

For their 2007 Division Series coverage,

TBS[33] debuted various new looks, such as the first live online views from cameras in dugouts and ones focused on pitchers. TBS also introduced a graphic that creates sort of a rainbow to trace the arc of pitches on game replays. The graphic was superimposed in the studio so analysts like Cal Ripken Jr. for instance, could take virtual cuts at pitches thrown in games.[34]

2009

Main articles: 2009 in baseball and 2009 in television

During their 2009 playoff coverage, TBS[35] displays their PitchTrax graphic full-time during at-bats (with the center field camera only) during the high-definition version of the broadcast in the extreme right-hand corner of the screen.[36]

Meanwhile, for their own 2009 playoff coverage, Fox announced that they would occasionally include this stat on replays: Speed of pitches as they leave pitchers' hands as well as their speed when they cross home plate.[37]

2010s

2010

Main articles: 2010 in baseball and 2010 in television

2011

Main articles: 2011 in baseball and 2011 in television

With the start of the 2011 postseason,

TBS planned to introduce the following[39]

  • Bloomberg Stats: TBS would use Bloomberg Stats as means to integrate comprehensive statistical information into each telecast.
  • Liberovision: This is an innovative 3D interactive telestrator meant to give fans a new perspective of instant replays.
  • New graphics that intend to feature improved functionality with a nostalgic feel.
  • Pitch Trax:[40] An in-game technology that illustrates pitch location throughout the games.

The screen on TBS's

letterboxed version of the native HD feed to match Fox's default widescreen
SD presentation, allowing the right side pitch tracking graphic to be seen by SD viewers.

For the

Fox debuted infrared technology[41] that's designed to pinpoint heat made by a ball making contact — with, say, bats, face masks, players' bodies — and mark the spot for viewers by making it glow. During Game 1, Fox used "Hot Spot" to show that a batted ball was fouled off Texas Rangers batter Adrián Beltré's foot.[42]

2012

Main articles: 2012 in baseball and 2012 in television

Fox's 2012 World Series coverage would include a camera whose replays could generate as many as 20,000 frames per second, the most ever seen on Fox—and up from about 60 frames per second on regular replays. The camera would allow viewers "to see the ball compress" when batted, similar to how cameras now show golf balls getting compressed when struck. The technology for the camera originated with the U.S. military looking at replays of missile impacts.[43]

2016

Main articles: 2016 in baseball and 2016 in television

At the beginning of the 2016 season, TBS introduced new graphics[44] that were used all season including the postseason.

The score box, which was originally docked to the top and left edges of the screen, was completely redesigned for 2017 after much criticism during the 2016 postseason for its large size. Like the 2016 score bug, the current one still stands in the top left corner, only it is smaller.

2020s

2020

Main articles: 2020 in baseball and 2020 in television

The 2020 season was delayed until July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fox soon announced that they would virtually fill the seats[45] of Chicago's Wrigley Field, Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, Washington's Nationals Park, San Diego's Petco Park and other ballparks that it broadcasts games over the next several weeks. Announcers later spent time explaining and demonstrating the use of virtual fans[46] during the July 25 game between the Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0803248250
    .
  2. ^ "Technological Innovations in Sports Broadcasting". Engineering and Technology History Wiki. 28 September 2015.
  3. ^ Moore, Jack (13 October 2015). "What's Wrong With TV Baseball? Learning From Red Barber and MLB Classics". The Hardball Times.
  4. ^ Baseball's Best: 1930s-1940s
  5. ^ "70 years ago today, the Dodgers made TV history". Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  6. ^ Major League Baseball made TV debut 70 years ago today
  7. ^ Walker said Red Barber was among the announcers to handle the play-by-play duties of the games in Boston and critics complained the cameras often didn't show the part of the action he was describing. A regular-season game typically used two or three cameras, Walker said, but that would increase to four for special events such as the Series. (Fox is using 26 cameras this year.)
  8. ^ Baseball's Best: 1950s
  9. ^ "Harry Coyle revolutionizes MLB broadcasts". NBC Sports History Page. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2017-08-06.
  10. ^ "As Bob Costas mentions on the MLB Network show, the great part about watching this game now is there's no center field camera, no replays, no different angles, very few graphics (except to put the players names in all caps with white letters), the announcers work alone, there's maybe something missing without any close-ups of the players and no bullpen shots. For a black-and-white telecast, it's pretty stark". Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  11. ^ "NBC gains television and radio rights to World Series". NBC Sports History Page.
  12. ^ Baseball's Best: 1960s
  13. ^ Baseball's Best: 1970s
  14. ^ Verducci, Tom (October 21, 2015). "Game Changer: How Carlton Fisk's home run altered baseball and TV". Sports Illustrated.
  15. ^ In 1975 baseball announced a new kind of TV deal. Coverage of the World Series, playoffs, and All-Star Games would alternate between NBC and ABC. The networks saw the advantages: postseason baseball play was the perfect time to begin promoting the new fall TV season. Dual network coverage also brought an element of competition without economic overtones-quality of coverage. Then came October 21, 1975. The Boston Red Sox, unable to win a World Series since 1918, were on their way to a loss in six games to Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine". But a three-run pinch-hit homer by Bernie Carbo tied the game in the eighth, and in the twelfth (by then it was 12:34 a.m.) Carlton Fisk hit a solo shot over the "Green Monster" to win the game. Sixty-two million people saw it, and television couldn't have planned it better, because as Fisk hit his homer, the camera in the left field scoreboard followed him, not the ball, and on replay the audience saw Fisk furiously trying to wave the ball fair. It was the first-ever home run reaction shot. The next night, 75,890,000 people watched the seventh game, and baseball was definitely back. In 1976 baseball received revenue from radio and television approaching $51 million. Lou Harris said in 1977, "For the first time since 1968, more sports fans in the country follow baseball than football." Ten years later baseball received $350 million.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Bruce Lowitt, "Rats! Fisk's homer" St. Petersburg Times, November 23, 1999
  17. ^ Seth Mnookin, "Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts and Nerve took a Team to the Top" pg. 40
  18. ^ Baseball's Best: 1980s
  19. ^ "Take a look at the latest in technology, as the NBC Tracer tracks a curveball (from the 1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game)". Archived from the original on 2006-05-07. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
  20. ^ Romo, Christian (29 May 2014). "The Top 5 Broadcasting Tech Milestones During Vin Scully's Career". SportTechie.
  21. ^ Baseball's Best: 1990s
  22. ^ Jul 7, 1992 - For two years, CBS' baseball telecasts have been criticized for missing steals of second base. No longer. Meet Basecam. MLB officials have approved producer Ric LaCivita's request to install Basecam, a lipstick-size camera, inside first base in the July 14 All-Star Game in San Diego. ...
  23. ^ Jul 8, 1992 - At baseball's All Star Game on Tuesday night CBS will introduce the basecam a lipstick size camera planted in first base The camera will give ... live CBS asked for live microphones but major league baseball turned the network down insisting on editorial control of the managers comments ...
  24. ^ Jul 12, 1992 - CBS television's coverage of Tuesday night's All-Star baseball game will offer a new viewing perspective -- a camera implanted in first base. ... runners taking their leads and breaking for second base,` said Ric LaCivita, lead producer for CBS Sports coverage of Major League baseball. ...
  25. ^ "THE RIGHT CALL". New York Post. 2007-10-21.
  26. ^ David, David (17 November 1997). "A Particular Point of View Courtesy of Catcher Cam, Couch Potatoes See the Pitch as Clearly as the Batter". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  27. ^ But thinking about the current state of video-computer trickery, I'm reminded of a Patton Oswalt routine: just because science can do something doesn't mean it should. ("We've made cancer airborne and contagious--you're welcome!") Fox Sports' baseball coverage is almost unwatchable, with all the stupid exploding graphics, robotic pitchers and talking baseballs. Not to mention the endless shots of fans in the stands, which some idiot in Fox's production department thinks the viewer at home loves to look at. If I wanna see some maniac in face paint, I'll go to the Ren Fair.
  28. ^ thedartmouth.com Archived March 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ Baseball's Best: 2000s
  30. ^ Turn Back the Clock (2000) home page at Hollywood.com
  31. ^ Hecken, Phil (August 25, 2016). "Broadcast Throwbacks". Uni Watch.
  32. ^ TBS juggles broadcast teams after Mets disappear
  33. ^ Where TBS deserves plenty of credit is allowing the games to be the star. Unlike Fox, TBS did not bludgeon the audience with an overabundance of crowd shots or fan interviews. Much of the camera work was exceptional. The close-ups of insects feasting on the neck of Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain were so creepy that they could have been filmed by Wes Craven. For the most part, TBS did a nice job of letting the pictures work for them. Some of the graphics proved problematic, though. As SI's Tom Verducci pointed out, the Leadoff Line, the nine-foot arrow that measured the lead a runner gets off first base, overtly gimmicky and intrusive. Some SI.com readers complained that the graphic at the top of the screen showing how many runners were on base was too small. (To its credit, Behnke said that TBS adjusted it prior to the final game of the Indians-Yankees series by deepening the border and edgings.) Look for the same graphics to return for the LCS -- the Leadoff Line is sponsored by Travelers, not that most fans would know -- including the addition of microphones placed in the bases. "It's always a work in progress and we are our own worst critics," said Behnke, who averaged four hours of sleep during the Division Series. "We have this package for many years but I would say this: We are overwhelmingly deeply proud of what we have done through the divisional series and I can assure you that it will only be better when we done through the divisional series and I can assure you that it will only be better when we crank it up on Thursday."
  34. ^ "He'll be standing at a home plate with a bat," Behnke says. "Balls will come in just like at the games. It will be very real." In a vaguely hallucinatory way.
  35. ^ "Spying on TBS' Dodgers-Phillies NLCS". Archived from the original on 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  36. ^ Hiestand, Michael (September 30, 2009). "TBS ready to roll out postseason MLB coverage". USA Today.
  37. ^ ESPN taking a cut at virtual pitches
  38. ^ Fox to fly cameras over NLCS and World Series
  39. ^ Fang, Ken (30 September 2011). "Turner Sports Unveils Coverage Plans & Announcing Teams for MLB Postseason". Fangsbites.com. Worldpress.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-14.
  40. ^ Hoffarth, Tom (19 October 2011). "FoxTrax vs. TBS' PitchTrax vs. ESPN's K-zone, and why the network covering the World Series won't be confusing viewers with a live fake strike zone graphic". Los Angeles Daily News. Los Angeles Newspaper group. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  41. ^ Hiestand, Michael (30 September 2011). "Fox to use infra-red technology in World Series coverage". USAToday.com. Gannett Co. Inc.
  42. ^ Imber, Gil (20 October 2011). "Fox Celebrates New Technology at Expense of Texas Rangers". bleacherreport.com.
  43. ^ Hiestand, Michael (10 October 2012). "Hiestand: Costas' 12-year MLB playoff absence ends". USA Today. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  44. ^ Bucholtz, Andrew (October 4, 2017). "A year after their giant score bug, TBS now has a tiny one, and is still getting complaints". AwfulAnnouncing.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  45. ^ Steinberg, Brian (July 23, 2020). "Fox Will Fill Empty Baseball Stadiums With Virtual Fans". Variety.
  46. ^ Nagelhout, Ryan (July 25, 2020). "Fox Put 'Virtual Fans' In The Seats For Cubs-Brewers And It Was Extremely Weird". UPROXX.

External links

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