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Lucent scores at tennis tourneys
The perfect match for company's technology
By John F. Thorsberg, CBS
MarketWatch
Last Update: 11:28 AM ET Jul 23, 1999
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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- What's the quickest way to
access real-time scores during a pro tennis match?
If the match is on the ATP Tour, then
instantaneous results are available by
clicking on the association's Web site where
chair umpires update point-by-point action
using hand-held, wireless computers.
The umpires are using a WaveLAN system
from Lucent Technologies (LU: news, msgs)
to put fans with an Internet connection right in
the middle of tournament action. It's part of a
bigger effort, called LucentVision, to give fans a better view of
the game.
Why does Lucent give a hoot about tennis? You might as well
ask what's in a name. The high-tech company launched a big
advertising campaign in the U.S. last year after it spun off from
AT&T. In the rest of the world, however, the reaction was "Lucent
who?"
Rather than extend
the expensive
advertising
campaign, Lucent
looked for another
way to spread the
word.
That swings the story
back to tennis.
Tennis tech
Lucent wanted to find a way to integrate itself with a sport that
could actually make use of its cutting edge technology. A
marriage of tennis and technology? Well, sort of.
"Tennis clearly is in a lot of places around the world. The people
drawn to tennis are more affluent, better educated, and with a
higher correlation to business people, decision makers and
influencers," said de Taygos. "We measure our brand
awareness internationally and we've seen a positive impact
there from this relationship (with the ATP Tour)."
With the current arrangement, Lucent gets exposure every time a
commentator uses the LucentVision system. And that's quite a
bit of exposure.
LucentVision is being used for telecasts of the Mercedes (DCX:
news, msgs) Super 9 Tournaments and at the ATP Tour World
Single and Double Championships later this year. The
broadcasts can be on ESPN (DIS: news, msgs), ESPN
International and the Eurosport network.
"As commentators talk, and as you see the
new techniques we developed, the viewers
can connect Lucent with Bell Labs and
connect the name with technological
innovations," said de Tagyos. "That's really
what we are all about."
LucentVision
The basics of tennis haven't changed much
over time. Sure, the rackets have gotten
bigger. Technology has helped cut their
weight, increase their strength and improve
their playability. The balls are better, too. But
the court remains the same size and the net
is the same height. And therein lies a
problem when showing the dynamics of the
game on television.
"There some limitations from having just a
long court view, based on the simple physics
of camera work," de Tagyos said. "With that
view, and the depth of field, you lose the
sense of speed. You still pick up some, but you can't get the full
sense of it. Part of that is due to how the court is viewed."
And de Tagyos thought Lucent could find a way to help. With
some prodding of the scientists at Bell Labs, that idea
blossomed into LucentVision, which uses computer vision
techniques to track the position, direction and speed of players'
movements during matches. Video cameras attached to
computers record those movements and store them in a special
database. Commentators can retrieve the visual database
information and then use LucentVision to analyze play and
illustrate performance.
The on-screen images resemble the color radar weather maps
frequently seen on local newscasts. Red zones represent a
player's primary hitting areas on the court. Yellow, green and
blue zones show secondary hitting areas.
"With the use of cameras that are totally unobtrusive, we can
track every movement on the court," he said. "We're able to
capture a raft of information that literally ends up being
represented in these LucentVision maps that really are a graphic
representation of the player's strategy and how well it works."
"Anything which visually enhances what we are saying verbally is
a real addition to the broadcast," added Simon Reed, an ATP
broadcaster for Eurosport. "I think LucentVision will be a vital
ingredient in the future."
Coaching tool
"I look at some of them after a match," said ATP player Carlos
Moya. "Although I know what I did right or wrong during a match,
these maps help me understand some parts of my game against
other players."
The next innovation for LucentVision? Testing of a ball-tracking
component is underway and 3-D animation is on the drawing
boards. A radar gun can only capture the initial speed of a ball
as it leaves the racket, but LucentVision will be able to
continuously track the speed of the ball, and the players.
"When people like Pete Sampras hit a flat or almost flat
backhand, or Andre Agassi rips a backhand, that ball is moving
so amazingly fast, we'll be able to capture the speed of that," de
Tagyos said.
"This will be an evolution of new views and new looks that allow
the occasional fan and real fan to climb inside the head of the
player. To vividly see the strategies and vividly see the
athleticism and get a new point of comparison." |
