Sony and HBS Debut Virtual Finish Line System at Budapest Athletics Event

World Athletics introduced its Virtual Finish Line (VFL) system at the first Ultimate Championship, held in Budapest from 11 to 13 September, according to SVG Europe. The technology provided host broadcaster HBS with a near-real-time 3D reconstruction of the closing metres of sprint races.

The system was developed by Sony's Sports Entertainment Technology Development team. It brings together optical tracking, computer vision and fast 3D rendering to offer broadcast directors an extra visual option during live coverage.

Central to the setup is an optical-tracking array of 26 cameras installed at gantry height around the track. Each PTZ unit is motorised, synchronised and controlled over the network, creating a continuous capture line around the stadium. Sony engineer Koshino Sota, who oversaw the camera deployment, told SVG Europe that the cameras capture both video and motion data from video analysis, and that this motion data is used to build the visualisation.