JUST WONDERING...

Click on the stadium to open a larger picture and see how long it takes you to find the little one chip wonder shooting the football game.

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Can't find it?

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Well, don't feel bad.

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Just like every BCS bowl and NFL playoff game on Fox, you couldn't find X-MO because it wasn't there.

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What gives?

SURFING (the net) WITHOUT SPENDING (your per diem)

I've been confronted with a common problem amongst free-lancers: how to get onto the Internet without getting gouged by the hotel or having to rely on a weak, intermittent, or password protected press signal at the venue.

Well, for those of us with a Sprint Treo freedom is nigh. We can use them as modems for our laptops. There a couple of different approaches to this end ranging from the entirely legal and very expensive to what we could euphemistically call "creative" and free.

To stay within the law Sprint requires a "Phone as Modem" contract costing $39.99 per month. That's a lot of money if you ask me. In addition Sprint requires basic data services starting at $15.00 per month to get the ball rolling. That's $660.00 for an Internet connection? C'mon!

A second method requires basic data services and a visit to PDAnet to pay for and download their software. It's $34.99 for the software and it loads easily. You can be surfin' the net within minutes using the USB sync cable that came with your phone. PDAnet will not take any responsibility for any additional fees should Sprint notice your additional data usage but from my experience it's only those folks downloading music or movies that cause any concern.

A further, more creative method requires just basic data services, a little ingenuity, and the desire to stick it the "man". It may be the most challenging technically but for tech geeks like us it's a piece of cake. I suggest a Google of the phrase "Internet on Air" which will lead you to Trevor Harmon's web page detailing directions for your 650, 680, 700 or 755p. It took me about 30 minutes to download the hack, get a trial version of Resco Explorer (which is a really cool software program - think Windows trees for your phone) and then move the hack via Resco to my phone's RAM. Again, common sense use of data services is suggested. Simply checking your mail and surfin' the net shouldn't be a problem.

One additional note: I used the USB cable that came with my 755p because I have a pre Bluetooth laptop but if you have Bluetooth on your laptop you can surf via Bluetooth.

Now that's cool.

CBS ROLLS EYES AS PVI CAN'T PRODUCE YELLOW SNOW

Unlike Fox Sports who has all their technology on site for each of their weekly NFL games, CBS Sports deploys PVI's "Virtual First Down Line" from NEW YORK for all but their "A" game each week. This saves money but takes risks, especially when Mother Nature gets involved.

And when it snows as it did on Sunday in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, visually detailing the line of scrimmage and yards-to-go proved impossible, leaving CBS' viewers out in the cold.

(A Really) Good Thing Comes In A Small Package

You may have seen shows that use this and not even known it. You many have worked on shows that use this and not even known it.

And that's precisely the point.

Meet the Iconix HD-RH1.



The Iconix HD-RH1 camera is all about size. And it produces a very big picture from a very small unit.

Quite simply, measuring a miniscule 4 inches with lens, it is the world's smallest HD camera.

This camera is finding it's way more and more into sports productions. It has been successfully employed for working shots in announce booths and for unique POV and beauty shots around ballparks and arenas.

With a price tag under $16,000, it's physical size isn't the only thing that's small.

The HD-RH1 will work in any and all HD formats: 1080sF, 1080P, 1080i, and 720p.

It also can output in SDI, DVD-D and analog.

And, when placed next to a Sony HDC-1500 camera, video engineers say the pictures are nearly identical.

That is not to say it doesn't have a limitation or two. It does.

Distance is not the HD-RH1's friend. At least not distance from camera to CCU.

The camera and CCU are connected by a 10 meter cable. Period. So, unless you're shooting something inside the truck, a video engineer can't control it alone. A frame shaker will help out, but access to the CCU is still essential for creating optimum results.

Like many POV's, interchangable lenses are used rather than a single zoom. Obviously that can pose some problems when the look you want is somewhere between the available sizes (15 mm, 4 mm and 2.4 mm). Having something like an 8 mm lens would be a nice option to have.

The HD-RH1 also has an appetite for light and it eats a lot of it. In most applications, this shouldn't be a problem, but it is helpful to know that the camera requires a stop or two more than most HD cameras.

Regardless, the pros far outweigh the cons, making the Iconix HD-RH1 a terrific addition to almost any sports production.

Many Thankful They Can't See This Turkey

Thanksgiving is usually a favorite holiday because many of us get to avoid the aggravation of a few days spent with aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws by working out of town (and getting paid time and a half for it too!)

Thanksgiving 2007 is also notable because it marks the return to the NFL stage by one it’s most accomplished network directors, Craig Janoff. (Yes we know he directed some preseason games. The games don’t count, so the shows don’t count either, okay? Go ahead, sue us.) Janoff’s final season directing MNF was 1999, which included ABC’s coverage of Super Bowl XXXIV (34), coincidentally played at the site of tonight’s game: Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

Janoff and producer Mark Loomis head NFL Network’s 2007 slate of games, beginning with tonight’s (ahem) turkey, Indy @ Atlanta. Feel free to insert your own Michael Vick “dog of a game” joke here if you must.

Loomis returns for NFL Net’s second season of live game coverage while Janoff replaces John Gonzales, whose contract wasn’t renewed. (To add insult to injury, Gonzo then had to endure Notre Dame’s disastrous season, directing for NBC. Poor guy.)

And because it’s illegal to have a pro football package without him, Ya-Man is there too.

As you probably know, NFL Network isn’t seen my many people without DirecTV, Dish Network or some other provider that isn’t Comcast or Time Warner. And though the NFL continues to try to force their way onto the basic cable tier through lawsuits and - most recently - pleas to congress (your tax dollars at work!), their flagship broadcasts are only available to a small percentage of fans when compared to games carried by Fox, CBS, NBC and ESPN.

So, if you wondered if their coverage would mirror their audience (you know, scaled back), we have some of the tech specs of what will be used this season:

27 cameras plus clocks (via Game Creek Yankee Clipper)
13 HD hard cams (2 carts)
1 HD Super Mo hard cam
5 HD hand held cams (1 RF)
2 HD Super Mo hand held cams (1 RF)
2 HD LPS cams
Cable Cam
3 100X lenses
3 86X lenses
8 75X lenses
2 Six (6) channel EVS systems
6 Four (4) channel EVS systems
3 Super Mo EVS systems
1 Final Cut Pro Editing Suite
And a plane-cam to show what the Georgia Dome looks like at night. Live!

NFL Network is also rolling out a “new” digital still cam technology that is said to provide clearer images than those featured in other broadcasts (USA Today). Basically, they have a photographer sending high res jpegs back to the truck. It sounds like something already used on NBA games, no?

SportVision tells us they will have a new wrinkle for scoring drives that could be pretty cool.

There’s also a two hour pre and one hour post game show (via NCP 10) with ten cameras including a steadicam and a jib.

As far as audio specs go, we’re pretty sure there will be lots of mics around the Georgia Dome. There’s an A-1 and a sub mixer, plus a lot of A-2’s all busy loading up on OT as this is being written. We left messages and waited by our phones, but now it’s late and we’ve got an early call, ya know?

NFL Network’s game broadcast will have more than 120 people working in Atlanta (and on each of their eight games), which ranks them up there with NBC’s and ESPN’s prime time game crews. Their pre and post shows employ dozens more. That’s a pretty good effort when you consider how many people can’t see tonight’s game in the first place. Subtract the people tuning in but asleep from the effects of tryptophan (turkeys) or from other decapitated Thanksgiving-day fowl (Falcons), and it’s possible that NFL Network has more people working this game than they’ll have watching it.

Doesn’t matter. Janoff will have the crew all fired up like it’s another Super Bowl.