Replay video in Michigan Stadium

Submitted by Section 1 on

After a full year of our big new scoreboards, some of the problems are more glaring than ever.

Stadium sound = improved.  It couldn't be anything other than an improvement, over the 1950's technology that previously existed until 2008, and the "pardon our dust" inadequacies in '08 and '09.

Video quality = nice.  They are big boards.  We have two.  Nice.

The rest leaves a lot to be desired.  I am beginning to have a hard time believeing it is just me, when I find the stats column so hard to read; I used to think that I was just so used to the old boards with analog-lit digits, that it was just old habits.  After a year-plus, I no longer think so.  They really ought to be thinking about a redesign.

Which brings me to my big gripe - video replays of football action.  They are about as bad as they could possibly be.  I don't know how much of it is deliberately bad; some of it certainly is.  The specific complaints:

  • No replay of plays under review or controversial calls.  This is "deliberate" insofar as it is in large part B1G policy.  A completely crappy policy that ought to be reviewed and promptly reversed.  (If anybody can find the citation to the official conference rule, I'd be grateful.)  The SEC (whose refs are 1000% better than B1G refs) has reversed its old policy on the subject: http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/27/sec-to-show-more-replays-on-stadium-video-boards/ 
  • Replay that is essentially a kind of isolation-view on individual players.  Lots of smart football fans complain about standard television video, which never shows all 22 players on the field, as is the case with game film used by coaches.  Michigan Stadium video replay actually goes in the opposite direction, with video that shows almost nothing more than one player carrying the football.  A nice Wall Street Journal writeup on "All-22 film":  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577015903150731054.html 
  • Inefficient use of the boards.  Our new scoreboards, all-digital of course, were supposed to be a big advantage in that they could show monster-sized HD video and then switch back to score-and-stats at the click of a mouse.  And so they do.  If it were up to me, I'd do more split-screen views, with the numbers column remaining up and part of the screen doing video and replay.  You can save the monster-view for big replays on disputed calls, etc.

Rosey09

September 9th, 2012 at 8:20 PM ^

Does anyone think it would be useful to have a ribbon style scoreboard that runs the length of the luxury boxes? I enjoy being able to view those for stats/scores when I'm at other venues.

GVSUofM

September 9th, 2012 at 11:15 PM ^

has nothing to do with the video, per say, but rather the audio/speakers on the new video boards. Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the imbalance of sound in the stadium, with only sound coming from the north scoreboards, and none from the south scoreboards??...Then, to my surprise, I noticed speakers only on top of the north video boards and none on the south. This clearly explains why all the sound only comes from one end, but why in the world would they want it set up that way? I'm in section 20 ,and have been for a very long time, and yesterday was the first time I ever noticed the sound disparity issues. It had the car radio effect when your sitting in the back and the driver accidently changes the speakers to 'front' and you can't hear anything but muffled sounds as a result. Thoughts MGoBloggers?!

Section 1

September 9th, 2012 at 11:46 PM ^

If speakers were anywhere other than on the scoreboards (aiming lengthwise down the centerline of the Stadium) there would be bad echoes bouncing off the glass of the two concourses.  And if you had speakers at both ends, there would be a kind of reverb effect when the sound from one set of scoreboards hit you before the other.  The straight solution is to put all of the sound in one end.  I presume that the north end is the obvious choice for speaker placement because that is where the students are (MOAR NOYZE!) and the sound blowing through to the south bothers fewer people outside the stadium, since that is just golf course and Pioneer that way.

 

http://www.psni.org/project/the-big-house/ 

AMazinBlue

September 9th, 2012 at 11:43 PM ^

the scores of other games often enough.  I was there yesterday and they only reported/showed scores of other games twice.  I said this all last year and I'll say it again, they should use the bottom section of the scorebaord that usually just says "MICHIGAN" through most of the game as a 'ticker' style scrolling scoreboard, continuously showing Top 25/B1G and games of local interest scores.

Since they block wireless signals, you can't really use a smartphone in the stadium so you can't get other scores. 

Believe it or not Brandon, many of us actually care about other games besides the one we are attending.

And they stop selling the radios that gave us the game broadcast so I could hear the play-by-play from the radio in real-time not delayed.  The AD seems to be power hungry.

KyleMac

September 10th, 2012 at 8:49 AM ^

There's no need to display the stats ALL THE TIME.  During plays and during replays the full scoreboard should be used.  In between plays and at all other times, the stats can be shown.  Also, why aren't the stats just shown on the bottom.  Go 16:9 aspect ratio and use the full width of the screen for video, and put the stats under the video on the bottom.

Eventually, they should consider using the speaker area as more video space reserved solely for stats.  Put UM stats on one side of the big screen and Visitor stats on the other, use the full big board MOAR!!!!!!

profitgoblue

September 10th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^

I think every play should be replayed.  Every fan (except Herm) would benefit and I don't see what's the big deal about not being able to do it (except if B1G regulations do not allow it).