
America’s Cup: a Barcelona tech showcase
ISE InsightsThe America’s Cup, the final event of which took place in Barcelona in October, is a platform for many different technologies – not least audiovisual and broadcast.
Integrated Systems Events hosted representatives from business and consumer media at the America’s Cup Match to show them some of the technologies involved in bringing this world-leading event to the viewing public.
Dating from 1851, the America's Cup is considered the oldest and most important sailing competition in the world. The culmination of a six-team tournament that began at the end of August, the 37th America’s Cup Match was won convincingly by defending champion Emirates Team New Zealand (pictured), defeating challenger INEOS Britannia of the UK by seven races to two,
For the first time in its history, the competition was broadcast in 4K HDR – technology that enhances the adjustment of brightness, contrast and colour.
Barcelona-based GRUP MEDIAPRO, a leading group in the European audiovisual sector and a familiar name to ISE visitors, played a central role as the facilitator of the onshore production. It produced three hours of content every day of the two-month competition.
MEDIAPRO’s America’s Cup project included over 70 broadcast professionals, a control room, two audio control rooms, replay capability, camera control and an editing suite, as well as a mobile unit and crew to produce the opening ceremony preceding the final preliminary regatta. The group also supplied the technical resources for the competition's umpiring system.
MEDIAPRO received the feeds from the on-water and airborne cameras covering the competition – and generated the international broadcast feed. Additionally, the group provided six cameras following day-to-day life onshore.
Up to 12 cameras per yacht plus helicopters and chase boats captured the sailing action, while optical tracking technology delivered precise boat and camera location information to power graphics systems, providing viewers with live insights into racing.
Another company with an ISE connection that was involved in the America’s Cup is intercom company Riedel. An America’s Cup partner since the previous edition in Auckland, Riedel provided the broadband audio systems that allowed viewers to hear the action onboard the racing yachts, along with crew communication, on-shore intercom, and digital Tetra radio systems.
America’s Cup organisers said that for the first time ever, “Armchair admirals at home [knew] more about the course conditions than the sailors on the yachts”.
Real-time wind field visuals and AR/VR designs were supplied by WindSight IQ, an innovative turnkey solution designed, built and operated by America’s Cup Media and Capgemini. Combined with yacht simulators, WindSight IQ also allowed the production team to predict the optimal route for the yachts and to analyse the teams’ tactics and strategy.
The boats were covered with sensors measuring performance data of the boat, plus individual loadings on components and pressures in hydraulic cylinders. During the race, sailors could look at rig loading, target speeds, VMG (velocity made good), SOG (speed over the ground) and weather data. They also had onboard race management software that detailed the exact positions of the start and finish lines, boundaries and turning gate markers.
There was also real-time monitoring onshore. INEOS Britannia has two Mission Control Centres – in Barcelona and in Brackley, Northamptonshire – monitoring every conceivable data collection point on the boat.
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