Hot search! Running faster than athletes? This is indispensable for exciting game broadcasts

Since the opening of the Winter Olympics, all competitions have been very exciting, especially in short track speed skating and speed skating. The athletes were very fast. The audience, whether on the scene or in front of the screen, were nervous and excited, as if a round of competition would be over if they were not careful.

When watching the Olympic Games, have you ever wondered how the exciting and exciting scenes of the games were captured? How were the broadcast images we see shot?

Last night, the topic on Weibo #CCTV's Cheetah Camera Runs Faster Than Athletes# became a hot search, and everyone’s curiosity about it increased. Today, we will reveal its secret to you!

Revealed: The secret weapon for photographing the Winter Olympics

"The moment when athletes compete

The moment of crossing the finish line

Including after crossing the finish line

Excited, celebratory facial expression

Maybe this camera will be used to present it..."

This huge equipment, consisting of a gyroscopic track car and a 360-meter-long U-shaped track, occupies the outermost side of the speed skating rink. It has a special name - the "Cheetah" camera system.

The "Cheetah" system is an "ultra-high-speed 4K track camera system" developed by China Media Group over a five-year period. It is a special equipment specifically used for broadcasting the Winter Olympics long-distance speed skating competition.

The Cheetah camera system lives up to its name, with the speed of a cheetah.

In the Winter Olympics speed skating competitions, athletes can reach speeds of 15 to 18 meters per second, which is approximately equal to 50 kilometers per hour, and top athletes can reach speeds of 70 kilometers per hour.

The design technical standard of the "ultra-high-speed 4k track camera system" is a higher 25 meters per second, which is approximately equal to 90 kilometers per hour. It can not only track the positions of athletes in real time, but also realize acceleration, deceleration, overtaking and other actions according to broadcast requirements, and flexibly capture the game scenes.

In March 2021, at the "Meet Beijing" test match, the "ultra-high-speed 4k track camera system" made its debut, and the TV broadcast effect was extremely impactful.

Time Slice: A Black Technology That Can Dissect a Moment

In addition, Zhao Wei and his team have an exclusive black technology - time slicing.

What is time slicing?

"The few seconds an athlete spends in the air may seem fleeting to the audience, but we can capture these few seconds and physically cut them into pieces, showing the detailed performance of the athlete in these few seconds in one frame."

This technology can not only be enjoyed by the audience, but also provided to anchors, commentators and even referees to better evaluate the performance of athletes.

Source: Science Popularization China WeChat Official Account