3D Graphics for the Hockey Night in Canada

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Reports & Services | 3D Graphics
3D Graphics for the Hockey Night in Canada
CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” has led hockey coverage in Canada for nearly six decades, and at the end of 2010, the program undertook Canada’s first 3D hockey telecast. The
broadcaster used two HyperX3 on-air graphics
systems from Chyron to package its hockey
graphics for the 3D environment, integrate
them successfully into the broadcast workflow, and provide a visually striking 3D viewing experience for audiences across Canada.
Chyron’s New York facilities to help identify
the type of graphics required and ensure
that they could be delivered in stereoscopic
3D through Chyron systems. Among the graphics that CBC wanted displayed in 3D was
the score bug. Because this bug normally is
created through another system, Chyron delivered a plug-in for our Lyric PRO 8 software
that yielded that same capability, supporting
not only the score and game clock, but also
Lyric PRO 8 enabled us to create engaging 3D
graphics. Planning the actual incorporation
of 3D graphics into the live 3D sports event
presented us with a less-familiar challenge.
Watching a sport like hockey televised in 3D is
almost like watching an actual game through
a window. Adding 3D graphics to this scene
takes some practice and knowledge. Understanding this, the network hired a stereographer from 3ality Digital, and we worked with
him to place different types of graphics correctly in 3D space to ensure the viewing experience was superb.
Placing 3D Graphics in 3D Space | The look
and feel of graphics floating in the Z space is
critical. If a handheld camera is in a low position while shooting hockey players on the
ice, and a fan’s head comes into the shot, it
shows depth. If, however, the operator puts a
“super,” such as the player’s name, on screen
at the same time, it doesn’t look right. To
the human eye and mind, it seems that the
graphic should be between the head in the
foreground and the player on the ice. Avoiding this kind of situation requires care on
the part of camera operators and graphics
operators, as the sudden intrusion of elements in the foreground can really throw off
the viewer.
The hockey matchup between the Montreal
Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs, longtime rivals in the NHL, was aired live from
Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on Dec. 11, 2010.
The Chyron systems allowed the CBC to incorporate a dynamic 3D score bug and other graphics with 3D objects and animation in this
landmark broadcast.
The Score Bug | CBC planned for the event
well in advance, sending its lead operator to
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shots on goal, power play timers, out-of-town
score updates, promos, and other stats.
While the Chyron HyperX3 system already
supports graphics playout in 3D, we helped
CBC redesign its existing graphic elements
into 3D elements and then reconstructed the
network’s messages in 3D. The resulting realtime 3D object animations, lighting, and textures really enhanced the graphical look and
impact on-air.
We found that adding graphics to shots in
the commentary box also required special
attention. Due to the space constraints of
the booth, the play-by-play guys were shot
at close range with a wide-angle lens, with
the large expanse of the arena behind them.
Each commentator had his hands crossed on
his lap, and we saw that when we added a
super – such as a commentator’s name – it
looked as though the graphic should be positioned between the commentator’s hands
and his body. Controls in Lyric PRO 8 allow
operators to make those changes, so it was
an easy problem to fix in rehearsals. When
the announcers were put on air during the
game, their name supers looked perfect in
front of their hands.
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SPECIAL 3D/3G OB VANS
Reports & Services | 3D Graphics
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If done well, the positioning of graphics in the Z
space makes for a great effect when shown in
the 3D environment. They positioned cutouts of
hockey players and other objects in the Z space
against an animated background, and the combination was striking when animated in 3D.
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Reports & Services | 3D Graphics
Phil Carmichael was a Chyron operator
and designer for the CBC in Calgary and
Edmonton from 1982 to 1995. He worked
very closely with CBC Sports in providing
on-air graphics for many sporting events
such as “Hockey Night in Canada,” the
CFL on CBC, and the Winter and Summer
Olympics. He joined Chyron in 1995 as a
product specialist for the iNFiNiT! line of
products and now is vice president of product marketing for Chyron. Although his
main job today is in marketing, he continues to work closely with news and sports
broadcasters across the industry.
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In a 3D Broadcast Graphics have to float
In contrast to HD productions that use edgeto-edge graphics and score bugs, the CBC 3D
production very purposefully did not use these types of graphics. The on-screen positioning
must allow graphics to float, rather than anchor
to one side of the screen or another. Knowing
these issues, we helped CBC change some of the
graphics accordingly. Because the scorebug is on
the screen almost all of the time, we adapted it
to float at the top of the screen.
Lyric PRO 8, combined with the scorebug application, provided a great deal of freedom in
enhancing animations. In fact, CBC was able to
add elements to the scorebug just before the
start of the game. They brand their telecast
with the CBC logo on the bug, so when it is
off-screen during replays and other promos,
the network branding is lost. With this being
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SPECIAL 3D/3G OB VANS
Canada‘s first-ever 3D hockey telecast, the CBC wanted to maintain its brand presence on-screen
at all times. With that goal in
mind, the CBC team made a small
change just prior to the game, adding a transparent CBC logo that
would appear when the scorebug
animated off. This kind of flexibility was an added bonus for CBC,
and the extra bit of branding
throughout the broadcast helped
to reinforce the CBC identity not
only for Canadian viewers, but
also for those in the United States watching via Comcast cable
services.
Canada. At the Heritage Outdoor
Classic at McMahon stadium in
Calgary on Feb. 20, 2011 CBC carried out the second 3D broadcast
where the Calgary Flames hosted
the Montreal Canadians.
Article 3D Graphics.indd 89
Within many broadcast facilities
the Chyron HyperX3 on-air graphics system plays a key role, and
our work with CBC demonstrates
that those broadcasters already
working with the system have
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the means – through a simple
change to their hardware settings – to launch stereoscopic
graphics playout when the time
is right for them.
Studio Monitor KH 120
One HyperX³ for Playout of the
Scorebug and one for Full-Frame
Graphics | CBC was able to integrate 3D graphics playout into its
usual hockey broadcast workflow
without making any real changes
to operations. For the playback
operator, the shift to a 3D telecast had a negligible impact on
workflow. The operator recalled
scenes the same way he does for
regular HD broadcasts, and when
he played to graphics to air, the
Chyron software did the work in
producing the 3D stereoscopic
display. The network used one
HyperX3 system for stereoscopic
playout of the scorebug and a
second system for all full-frame
graphics and lower-thirds.
Thanks to advance planning
and our experience with live 3D
broadcasts in the United States,
as well as the flexibility of our
Lyric PRO 8 software and the powerful real-time playout capabilities of the HyperX3 system,
we were able to support CBC’s
successful 3D hockey broadcast.
The network pulled off the first
in what promises to be a long
series of 3D hockey broadcasts in
Reports & Services | 3D Graphics
The first member of
the Neumann KH Line
KH 120
Studio Monitor Systems
www.neumann.com
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