Why Super Bowl LIII Is Like Nothing We’ve Ever Seen Before

For those who would rather not spend the minimum $2,225 it costs per ticket to get into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, CBS has got them covered. Head Producer Jim Rikhoff will oversee what millions of fans will be viewing during the 53rd Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta, Georgia. The city will be hosting the event for the third time.

Twenty-eight pylon cameras will be positioned in the end zones. There will be slow-motion cameras attached to the goal posts. Every detail, scene, and angle will be captured with the addition of live augmented reality (AR) graphics.

“We are indeed going to be adding a significant amount of AR graphics to this year’s Super Bowl LIII broadcast from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” said Mike Francis, the VP of Remote Engineering and Planning for the sports division at CBS told the Broadcast Bridge.

More than a few precise, top of the line, 4K cameras will be providing close-ups during the game.

“This will go far beyond 1st & 10 lines from multiple angles. For the first time we are going to be employing virtual graphics in conjunction with mobile, wireless cameras such as our Steadicam, the SkyCam and a TechnoJib,” Francis said.

During this year’s game, three 8K cameras will be added to the 115 cameras that have been installed all over the stadium rafters. Inside production trucks, touch screens with custom software that reduces motion blur will let operators zoom in on shots up to 10 times without negatively affecting resolution.

Prior to the game, a combination of overhead and sideline cameras will display a “shockwave” going through the turf, created by AR. Once the game commences, clips with irrelevant players can be easily cut out, thanks to the 38 cameras that will feed into Intel’s True View 360-degree replays.

“This could give us that one little shot,” Aagaard said, “So of course it’s worth it.”

CBS Sports Digital’s general manager, Jeff Gerttula has spent more than a year fine-tuning the streaming infrastructure for this game.

“It brings the streaming business forward because you’re really pushing the limit of your current infrastructure,” Gerttula told Sports Illustrated. “Really, we’re actually pushing the internet to its physical limit.”

Last year NBC’s Super Bowl coverage marked a record for streaming devices with 6.1 million viewers watching away from cable television. CBS is predicting that it will beat that, since the game and commercial ads will not be blocked by a pay wall.

Kick off is set for 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday.

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