Baseball broadcasts made easy: picture-in-picture solution, almost plug-and-play level of simplicity

About the project

Professional first-league baseball broadcasts always get excellent coverage: animated graphics, score information in the picture, and great shots. They serve as an excellent video-analysis tool for coaches, fans, marketers, and many others. For small clubs, however, the situation is different. If they want to have several pieces of information in a single picture, they either need a really experienced IT expert, or a broadcasting station with an extra dedicated operator and know-how, or both. The Eagles Prague baseball club decided for an easy-to-use solution developed by CamStreamer and was able to show live in-game score info using only two cameras.

Technical solution

Baseball broadcasts of the Eagles Prague matches are now performed using two Axis IP cameras with installed CamStreamer App and CamOverlay App. A new feature of CamOverlay gives it picture-in-picture (PIP) capability using a second network camera. The main source of the picture is provided by an AXIS P1365, which broadcasts the game from the field and uses the CamStreamer overlay PIP from an AXIS M1125 within the same network that’s zoomed in on the scoreboard. Setup is extremely easy and involves merely adding the IP address and password of the second camera to the overlay in the broadcasting camera and then setting the position and dimensions of the PIP. After that, there’s no need for an operator.

If you want to know more details about the way how to set it up – read our blog article.

Conclusion

Picture-in-picture has proven to be extremely easy to use and reliable. A Q-series Axis camera, such as the AXIS Q3515-LVE, is recommended for use as the main broadcasting camera because it provides better audio quality and has better weather protection for fixed installations. With the technology now tested, it can be quickly set up and used for any type of sporting event without the need for additional employees to service the broadcast. Transportation and surveillance are two more examples of the variety of applications well suited to PIP.

What do you need?

Axis network camera

• Use any compatible camera from Axis Communications with ARTPEC-5/6/7/8 processor
• The Axis camera portfolio can be found at axis.com
• Don’t forget to check the compatibility with CamStreamer apps
• MSRP starts at $419 

CamStreamer apps

• CamStreamer App is a smart application for streaming live video directly to Youtube, Facebook and many other platforms. With CamStreamer App installed, Axis IP cameras don't require additional equipment to stream content.
• CamOverlay App is a smart application which enables dynamic and graphic overlays directly on an Axis IP camera. Set up is easy and both options, presets and custom graphics services, are available.
• MSRP $499