Watching athletic practice films is inching even further from tradition as new tech is making it possible to not only watch instant replays from high-speed cameras, but to sync the footage with fitness tracker data. JVC on Monday announced the GY-HM660SC, a ProHD sports coaching camera designed for collegiate and professional sports that could change the way your favorite athletes train.
The camera is designed to work with the XOS Thunder HD video coaching system. With this integration and an onboard GPS, the coaching camera time stamps the footage in universal time, making it easy to find the footage that correlates with each player’s biometric or positional data. Using the XOS Thunder system and a mobile app, footage is then categorized based on the type of play, such as separating offensive and defensive plays or keeping all the kickoff footage in one location.
Footage is sent directly to that streaming platform using Wi-Fi or a 4G LTE connection, which means coaches can skip the upload process, and not only access footage as soon as practice is over, but access footage that’s already tagged and organized. That system saves hours in the video coaching process, JVC sais.
The hardware in the new coaching camera uses much of the same gear inside JVC’s GY-HM660, a mobile news camera, including a 23x zoom lens. The three sensors are updated from the company’s 2015 coaching camera, the GY-HM650SC, with improved sensitivity.
“We are pleased to continue building on our partnership with XOS Digital with the upgraded GY-HM660SC,” said Ian Scott, vice president of the JVC Professional Video Division. “Our camera is the perfect complement to the XOS Thunder HD system, because it resolves sync issues and helps coaches streamline their video workflows. It’s also a great camera that captures exceptional video footage, even when shooting conditions are less than ideal.”
At $6,795, the camera likely won’t find a home outside collegiate and professional venues, but sports fans can get a peek at just how video tech is enhancing the game. The camera, available now, is on display at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, which runs through April 27.
