Fox Sports will be using several new technologies for its
coverage of Speedweeks 2013, including 4K cameras for replays, new in-car
gyro-stabilized cameras and improved graphics.
For the coverage, Fox Sports will be using its Fox Super
Zoom 4K system, which was introduced last year during Fox Sports' coverage of
MLB and the NFL. The 4K "Super Zoom" camera produces pictures with five times
the resolution of normal HD cameras and captures the action at 300 frames per
second. This additional resolution allows producers to zoom in to smaller
details that would not be visible with HD cameras. The resulting images are
encoded at regular HD images and incorporated into the regular HD telecast.
The coverage will also use a "Gyro-Cam," which is a gyro-stabilized,
in-car camera mounted in the center of the cockpit. It rotates as cars enter
Daytona International Speedway's extreme 31-degree banked turns. These views
demonstrate how dramatic Daytona's turn angles are at race speed.
In addition, Fox Sports will be using a VIZ-RT encoded camera
that places virtual three-dimensional virtual objects on screen, and a CAMCAT.
Supported by two gigantic cranes outside the track, the CAMCAT cameras can
speed up to 85 miles per hour along a 2,900-foot long cable.
