Leading video systems manufacturer AJA provides effective in-venue AV solutions for live sport

AJA

With the UEFA 2020 European Championships amassing over five billion viewers last year, undoubtedly global interest in and engagement with football has never been as colossal as it currently is.

In an effort to capitalise on football’s worldwide appeal, stadiums and arenas are redefining the fan experience through a greater focus on in-venue AV (audio/video). With the viewing times for football matches being as varied as they are across the world, in-arena AV workflows must be designed to accommodate fans catching the action virtually or in-person.

Fans who engage with football both at the stadium and virtually expect high quality AV standards, especially at the highest level of the game. Hence, delivering a compelling experience to in-venue and remote fans requires a smart AV setup at the stadium which is comprised of the right technologies (such as cameras, routers, frame synchronisation, conversion technology and more).

From an acquisition standpoint, it’s essential to start with the highest possible quality video and audio signals from the pitch and also consider the content needs of rights holders, production crews, leagues, teams, and coaches. Juggling these requirements successfully subsequently equates to a lot of gear spread across the arena; however, 12G-SDI and Fiber equipment can provide assistance.

12G-SDI and Fiber solutions help to streamline audio and video signal conversion, recording, and transport to OB trucks, online platforms, in-venue displays and more. 12G-SDI solutions from AJA notably reduce cable clutter and troubleshooting on-site while also providing the bandwidth required to support 4K HDR content, ensuring a richer, more dynamic fan experience. AJA also offers a range of Fiber Solutions – from routers to video recorders converters and more – to support common needs that arise in the field, like conversion of baseband signals from coaxial to Fiber.

Signal routing is equally significant to ensuring a solid venue AV blueprint, especially given the volume of different capture technologies used today to acquire different player, team, and pitch views. In live sport situations, a variety of acquisition devices are in play – including ENG and drone cameras, cameras on wire above the pitch, cameras fixed in the goal, and ENG or iPhone cameras. This means that the right combination of 3G-SDI and 12G-SDI routers (like those of the AJA KUMO line) is necessary to allow a breadth of sources to be seamlessly routed from the venue to an OB truck and/or through a switcher while also utilising RF transport streams.

Moreover, venues are starting to explore the use of HDR and analytics to enrich the fan experience via in-venue LED display content or OTT streams that offer alternative views of the pitch interlaced with metadata and statistics. The effective application of both require the use of multiple frame rates and a level of consistency that demands frame synchronisation and conversion that is stable, reliable and – most critically – capable of implementing HDR workflows directly from a range of cameras and switchers in real-time.

Select frame synchronisation technology like the AJA FS-HDR is aiding in the process of enabling teams on the ground in venues to make immediate colour adjustments that allow greater vibrancy and key moments in a live matchup. Particularly in the case of OTT streams, AJA BRIDGE LIVE can assist by offering a comprehensive solution for live streaming arena content to a range of platforms like Twitch and YouTube, with support for SRT, HLS, RTMP/S, TRP/UDP, and MPEG-TS.

In addition to encouraging an elevated fan experience, these workflows, when paired with a device like the AJA Ki Pro GO multi-channel H.264 recorder, can provide coaches, players, and teams with invaluable footage right after a match for performance analysis. Furthermore, in the case of editorial teams, a USB drive recording of the match provides these aforementioned coaches, players, and teams with the capacity for compiling highlight reels or promotional content for online distribution.

Founded in 1993, AJA employs over 200 people worldwide in building industry leading video capture cards, digital recording devices, video routers, frame synchronisers and scalers, digital converters and professional cameras. AJA’s engineering has consistently supported advancements in broadcast technologies as well as format standards to provide video professionals with future-proof workflow solutions.

AJA also provides its unique technology to leading manufacturers and developer partners across the professional video industry for integration into their product lineups. High-profile media companies around the globe – along with broadcasters, networks, post-production houses, mobile truck operators, cinematographers, film editors and more – rely on the reliability, flexibility and performance of AJA technologies to accommodate an elite customer experience.

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Uplift Labs: Redefining movement analytics in sports

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Uplift Labs was created by co-founders Sukemasa Kabayama, Jonathan Wills, and Rahul Rajan. Each brings years of experience in tech innovation, uniting their expertise to build a cutting-edge startup dedicated to improving human movement.

Mission

Uplift Labs is driven by a mission to enhance human movement performance across all aspects of life.

Their AI-powered technology delivers advanced analytics designed to optimise performance while reducing the risk of injury across sports, fitness, and daily activities.

With a strong focus on movement and health, Uplift places human interaction at the forefront of coaching and training, helping people move better in all areas of life.

Key Partnerships

Uplift Labs collaborates with a range of leading organisations to push the boundaries of movement technology, including:

LAFC

AWS Startups

Nvidia Inception Program

Driveline Baseball

Athletes Unlimited

Investment Profile

Uplift Labs is backed by a prestigious group of institutional and individual investors. This includes prominent professional athletes such as Seth and Callie Curry, David DeCastro, Eric Gagné, Marc Gasol, Andrew Luck, and Renee Montgomery, as well as celebrated Olympic medallists including Kosei Inoue, Kosuke Kitajima, and Yuki Ota.

With a unique combination of cutting-edge AI, strategic partnerships, and world-class support, Uplift Labs is poised to transform how movement is understood, trained, and optimised.

Solutions

The company’s solutions are split into three categories of Sports performance, Sports medicine and Sports media. This is Uplift’s vision on how to tackle these issues in sports.

Sports Performance

Gather accurate and reliable data for comprehensive movement analysis.

Track 28 key points to generate kinematics and movement-specific events and metrics across entire athletic movements.

Optimise your athletes’ movement performance.

Elevate your assessment of athletic movements and unlock athletes’ full potential by analysing functional movements using only iOS devices.

Make data and insights accessible and easy to understand.

Evaluate player movements in a variety of ways across your organisation, from detailed kinematic data to directional reporting and 3D visualisations.

Sports Medicine

Quantify movement health to improve baselines, boost performance, and reduce injury risk.

Establish baseline movement abilities to track improvements and identify potential risk factors.

Perform detailed movement assessments.

Evaluate players or patients and generate reports with valuable, actionable insights. Using iPhones or iPads, our solution reliably captures biomechanical and kinematic data in any environment.

Prioritise player health by minimising injury risks.

Maximise performance and reduce risks by collecting detailed movement data that highlights deficiencies and identifies opportunities for improvement.

Support rehabilitation and recovery with objective measurements.

Use individualised movement analyses, reports, and visualisations to develop informed return-to-play programming and rehabilitation plans. Provide precise Individual Patient reports to guide recovery.

Sports Media

Captivate fans with biomechanical data overlays during live games.

Boost fan engagement by presenting exciting content that overlays biomechanical data, offering a new perspective on elite athletic performance.

Deliver valuable insights in real-time.

Integrate Uplift with your media production pipeline to analyse player movement and provide instant, ready-to-use insights during live commentary or replays.

Enhance the fan experience with clear, engaging visuals.

Offer simple, engaging data on athlete performance and skills to help fans connect with the action. Provide fresh insights for commentary and graphics, helping fans better understand movement analysis in the context of their favourite sports.

Conclusion

As soccer continues to evolve, technology like Uplift Labs’ AI-powered movement analysis is becoming increasingly vital for the sport’s future.

By providing accurate, real-time data and actionable insights, Uplift empowers clubs, players, and medical staff to optimise performance, prevent injuries, and enhance player health.

The ability to track and analyse movement in such detail not only elevates athletic development but also opens new avenues for fan engagement and storytelling.

Making Football Fairer: Dreamstock DSFootball Platform

Player scouting is one of the most challenging and vitally important tasks a club has to manage, without fresh and skillful new players a club will struggle to compete with its peers.

However, scouting can take a significant amount of time, manpower and research, leaving clubs with less resources at a significant disadvantage.

Additionally, for young players aiming for a professional career in football it can be extremely difficult to get noticed, especially if they are unable to frequently travel to far away tryouts.

To bridge the gap, Japanese organisation Dreamstock aims to reshape traditional scouting procedures via technology.

Launched in 2017, Dreamstock operates one of the largest online player selection platforms in the world – DSFootball.

Via DSFootball, Dreamstock strive to achieve three goals on the path to make football fairer for upcoming talents:

  • Create connections between club and players.
  • Generate opportunities through technology and innovation.
  • Transform the scouting market with transparency

DSFootball Platform 

Available in two packages, DSFootball is a multifaceted platform designed to aid both clubs and players. The first package is designed for grassroots clubs and academy players, while the second is a premium version tailored for professional clubs and players.

Through the DSFootball app, players create a profile that details their physical attributes, location, position and footballing history. Additionally, they can upload video clips of their performances to entice clubs to contact them.

For clubs, the DSFootball platform allows them to search for the perfect players to fit their unique needs by filtering their searches.

The platform houses a vast and expansive youth database for players across the U13, U15, U17 and U20 age groups, presenting the aforementioned player profiles to clubs.

These profiles showcase the important player information scouts need to know, so they can determine if potential players are suitable for them or note. Most importantly, the profiles showcase valuable game footage and clips, allowing scouts and coaches to see the potential of players without travelling to see them in person.

Through the DSFootball platform, clubs can individually contact interesting players via their profiles, or they can launch scouting events and tryouts to assess players in person. Furthermore, DSFootball allows for direct contact to player representatives to foster important connections and conversations.

Via DSFootball, Dreamstock provides a way for clubs to access and scout players they normally never would have been able to under traditional methods, as it drastically reducing barriers for upcoming young players.

In providing each of these services, DSFootball acts as a one-stop-shop for clubs, significantly reducing the amount of hassle they are subjected to.

Global Impact 

Developing from its two headquarters in Brazil and Japan, Dreamstock has achieved significant success in its short lifespan via the DSFootball platform. With the company and its platform having grown active in over 36 countries, encompassing more than 200 clubs and 50 leagues.

Through their work, Dreamstock has fostered key partnerships with premier competitions such as the Bundesliga, Serie A, Eredivisie and even Australia’s very own A-League.

As a product, DSFootball has been revolutionary. With over one million registered players on DSFootball, Dreamstock has created a premier destination for clubs to select future stars from, connecting players to clubs at a faster and more expansive rate than ever before.

For players, DSFootball has proven to be an excellent way to develop personally and attract attention from clubs. Of the one million plus registered players on the DSFootball platform, more than 100,000 are active participants in selection.

There is no sign of Dreamstock slowing down either, attaining over two million website views each month, illustrating a continued desire for the platform.

For more information on Dreamstock and the DSFootball platform, click here.

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