Better web/telecasts of FIRST competition matches

[David Brinza]

The web-cast and television broadcasts of FIRST matches sometimes don't provide the best view of the action on the field. If ever you've tried to scout teams from these broadcasts, you know exactly what I mean.

The close-up shots of robots during the match might be visually pleasing, but they generally don't allow the viewers enough perspective to follow the flow of the game and performance of the robots. It's agreed that the view from high above isn't very good either - you cannot see the team numbers on the robots and the robots seem tiny on the field.

Perhaps views from above and behind the driver stations might provide a better perspective. Also, use of Picture-in-Picture technology could improve coverage of the matches. Another possibility is to use split-screen coverage of the field during the match and selected replays during field reset. This would require use of video recorders, a knowledgeable director and perhaps play-by-play commentators - just as you find in professional sports broadcasts. Students (high school and college) who wish to go into sports broadcasting, reporting, and/or videography could find FIRST competitions an excellent training ground. If some mentors with experience in this trade could work with the students, the broadcasts would be much improved compared to what we currently see.

P.S. I think the FIRST field announcers do a tremendous job, their commentary is generally right-on in terms of tracking the action and flow of the matches. One problem is that the video is often not "in-sync" with what the announcer is describing, so the viewers can feel as though they are visually missing the action.