Canal+, HBS, AMP VISUAL TV gear up for Rallye de France
Last year the Canal+ group innovated by being the first to produce and broadcast live all the stages of the French round of the World Rally Championship.
The Rallye de France which will take place in Alsace (in the east of France) from 3 to 6 October will be broadcast live for Canalsat subscribers once again.
“Although last year we were mainly on the Sport+ channel, for the 2013 edition we will be present on Canal+ Sport for the Power Stage (the special stage for which the Frenchman Sébastien Ogier could take the world title) and also on Canal+ for some of the stages during the last day,” explains François-Charles Bideaux, Sports Production Director for Canal+.
As was the case last year, AMP VISUAL TV will handle the technical set up. Two helicopters equipped with Wescam systems will fly over the timed sections and 10 cars will carry Kappa on-board cameras equipped with transmitters and compact flash cards to record footage. On the ground, seven tripod-mounted cameras will cover the race while two beauty shot cameras on cranes will be placed near the Zenith in Strasbourg, the venue where the winner will be feted and where the OB truck and RF OB unit will be located.
A specially modified aircraft belonging to AMP VISUAL TV will be used to transmit the various signals from remote sources, sometimes as much as 100 kilometres away from the RF OB unit. The aircraft is a recent purchase acquired via the buyout of Alfacam as last year a pressurized airplane was hired for the occasion.
HBS is the TV production partner of the World Rally Championship since the season started. It was appointed by the Sportsman and Red Bull Media House companies who are the WRC promoters for the FIA (International Motorsport Federation).
The main innovation concerning TV production is a solution developed by Trimaran who are experts in dynamic digital signage for sports events. It is used for visualizing the distances between the cars in 3D and is based on the Georacing 3D tracking solution developed by Trimaran for sailing events.
“Basically, TV viewers can see a 3D reconstruction of their favorite drivers’ cars. The racing car will be seen in full resolution whereas the virtual positions of its competitors that have already passed by will be transparent image overlays. The aim is to be able to visualize the distance separating them,” adds Bideaux.
A microchip placed on board the vehicles is able to transmit relatively precise timings during the stage. The application is called Virtual Live Timing. On arrival, the official time will be displayed.