[CASE STUDY]: 5 WAYS BASKETBALL CLUB VEF RIGA IS USING AUTOMATED VIDEO CAMERAS

Basketball club VEF RIGA has always been known for their innovation. On and off the court they have surprised us with great sports results (like winning five Latvian Championship titles - here’s a video from the last one) and impressive entertainment. Perhaps the innovation comes inspired through the history of the iconic Latvian brand VEF, which used to be in their glory days, one of world’s leading electrotechnical factories. I like to think it’s combination of things. Certainly the legacy and leadership that is not afraid to change.

It All Started with VTB Basketball League Recommendation to Use Automated Filming Solutions…

One of the professional leagues VEF RIGA participates in is VTB Basketball League. In recent news league announced recommendation for all of their participating teams to explore automated filming camera utilization options. In case if you haven’t heard of automated video cameras click here to read my post on what is automated filming cameras. The recommendation was based to fill in experienced technology gaps. See the list below of things VTB Basketball League was looking to improve:  

• Integration of Video Referee solutions
• Improvements in Game Streaming for non-televised matches
• Technology utilization for Scouting processes

For VEF RIGA this didn’t come as a ground-breaking news. They have always looked for ways to utilize technology and VTB League’s recommendation just connected the dots. Short after, Playgineering Solutions equipped VEF RIGA with full set of automated camera product - Playenterteinement Lite and high-performance video referee product - Playreferee. Let’s dive into this and examine the different use cases VEF RIGA will be taking advantage of in 2017 / 2018 season.

Use Case #1: Automated Game Filming & LIVE Stream in Youtube

To anyone involved in team sports management it’s not a secret that game streaming in live time can be a true pain. One, you need the camera equipment, second, you need the actual camera man and third, you need to answer a question on how will you push this media to online sources. While for higher level games obviously solutions come part as media deals, however what options do we have for non-televised games?

With Playenterteinement Lite (auto filming camera solution) one can trigger the game streaming with pre-build mechanism that comes part of auto filming camera. With a simple turnkey solution your game is automatically filmed and streamed to your selected Youtube channel.

Check out this VTB tournament game auto-camera filmed video (tell me the quality is not impressive):

Use Case #2: Instant Game & Practice Recording for Post Viewing Purposes

Recorded game data is available for team’s post-streaming use. Without much management filmed material is pushed to team’s selected web hosting and information becomes accessible. VEF RIGA is planning to utilize this feature for post-game analysis and also for practice recordings. Practice recording is a very valuable angle that helps coaches better analyze key performance indicators during the tactical sessions.

Use Case #3: Sponsor Representation on Social Media Networks

The live-streamed games are exposed to wide cast of online audiences. Any game, or even practice, can be live-streamed on Yotubue, that means VEF RIGA will be sharing this info through all their social channels to engage their fans. Not to mention - Youtube videos can be embedded on any other web platform. Perhaps VEF RIGA partners or sports media sites decide to share the info on their websites.

Cherry on top! Youtube streamed videos have extra layer of graphic dedicated to place sponsor information. Yes, they will be able to tell their sponsors that the audience reach has been extended to new heights through combination of social media sources. Who’s to say VEF RIGA don’t decide to run a Facebook sponsored story campaign exposing new audiences to the live game video. As you can tell, options are limitless here and main beneficiaries are the team sponsors.

Use Case #4: Zero Operational Costs

You don’t hear every day that an advanced technical solution can self-sustain itself. Especially in sports game streaming, the setup and the the process execution can run up some serious numbers. Well, with the automated filming solution like Playentereinement Lite your only concern is the internet bill.

Too good to be true, right? Well, let’s do a quick breakdown:

• Camera rental costs - $0.00
• Cameraman costs - $0.00
• Streaming right costs - $0.00
• Streaming maintenance - $0.00

I’d say it’s a pretty good deal. Especially when we’re thinking about all of the youth team sports team translations that will take place. Remember, the automated cameras can be turned on at any given moment which means VEF RIGA will be able to livestream all of their youth club and semi-pro team games. Isn’t that amazing? Certainly is and we’re sure that the fans that can’t make the travel arrangements to see the live games will be happy to hear these news!

Use Case #5: Video Referee Systems

What team wouldn’t want to improve their game refereeing preciseness? With Playgineering Solutions provided analytics cameras VEF RIGA game refereeing processes will be taken to the next level. Let’s analyse a bit what are the reason that make this particular referee video solution so effective.

To start off, the utilized video referee solution is fully compatible with VTB League’s technical requirements. Matter of fact, the video referee solution meets multiple NBA video refereeing requirements as well. To name a few:

• Review of Last Second Field Goals
• Review of Last Second Fouls
• Review of Flagrant Fouls
• Review of Player Altercations
• Review of Clock Malfunctions
• Review of Two-Point/Three-Point Field Goal Attempts or Fouls
• Review of Out-of-Bounds Plays
• Review of Shot-Clock Violations
• Goaltending/Basket Interference

While we can clearly see that the video referee system covers all angles of basketball game refereeing needs, the technical execution is quite impressive as well. Here’s a precise list of technical advancements VEF RIGA video refereeing systems will be equipped with:

• Multiple high-speed cameras with a single server
• High-precision Full HD image
• Fully portable mobile & modular solution
• Advanced slow motion & zoom to capture every detail
• Instant replay function for quick decision making

As you can see, the video referee solution is a major advancement in sports technologies. The opportunities presented are infinite and we’re just scratching the surface of the capabilities we will see in future. In case if you’re interested to chat more about sports tech solutions applicable for your team, drop me line at [email protected]. Other than that, looking forward to your comments and until my next post!