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IMadGINE: A system for the automatic replacement of advertising boxes on live television

The IMadGINE System was developed to increase the profits of event rights holders, programmers, sports venue owners, teams, organizations and leagues, providing real-time electronic replacement and advertising insertion.

Introduction.

IMadGINE is a virtual advertising system that allows the replacement or insertion of boxes and advertising boards, or of any other type, during a real-time television broadcast. The system accurately locates the positions to be replaced in each video frame without taking into account camera movements or zoom. The boxes are almost "fixed" or "tied" to a predetermined location of the sports field or arena, and will change to accommodate different camera angles and perspectives. The system is mainly used in the transmission of sporting events and its greatest added value consists of its ability to virtually increase the advertising space physically available on the sports field. In addition, it is possible to customize the boxes according to the needs of the target audiences of those countries that receive the live television broadcasts of the events with the IMadGINE Country box system of Orad.

The system operates in a UNIX environment and on Silicon Graphics computers based on the particular equipment and programming developed by Orad Hi-Tec Systems.

Main requirements for virtual advertising.

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To consider sporting events as true commercial systems for virtual advertising, all of the following requirements must be met during sports television broadcasts:

  1. Ability to work with an unlimited number of cameras. Most sporting events are covered with multiple cameras.
  2. Ability to make polished cuts between the different chambers.
  3. Ability to handle fast camera movements with all degrees of freedom (panning and chopping), and the resulting blurry image.
  4. With modern coverage schemes, most sporting events are covered with EFP X55 to X70 telephoto lenses resulting in many zoom-in and zoom-out lenses.
  5. In sports such as basketball or ice hockey, excessive occlusion of player boxes is introduced.
  6. The virtual box or board can enter or exit the camera's field of view by any combination of panning, swooping, or zooming.
  7. Ability to simultaneously replace and insert the signature.
  8. That it can work both outdoor and indoor environments.
  9. That it can work in all types of weather and lighting conditions.
  10. That it can work with any sport and in any environment.

Players should appear blocking parts of the virtual ad as they would actually block a physical billboard or signal. A perfect replacement requires the identification of foreground objects (players) by ocluding the box to inhibit replacement at occlusion locations. The foreground consists mainly of the players but also of the ball or other objects on the field. Replacing arbitrarily colored virtual boxes can lead to some difficulties. Consider, for example, that a player's red shirt occludes an equally red portion of a box. Obviously, color contrast cannot be used to identify occlusion. What's more, since the player is a non-rigid object, motion or shape information cannot be used accurately enough to ensure a perfect replacement.

The IMadGINE system.

The entry point of the entire system is the set of cameras that the programmer has mounted on Vector 70 Pan &Tilt heads. Each camera moves to cover in the field the boxes designated to be replaced or inserted. In this phase, the system operator marks the initial position of the boxes to be replaced, the system automatically "learns" the initial position and colors of the boxes, and the operator automatically chooses the type of replacement of the signature or insertion. Several insertion methods are possible:

  1. The "cooperative" replacement of the board for each signal. In order to insert signals that are likely to be occluded (such as regular boxes in basketball games), colored cooperative boxes are needed for the system to operate. This is achieved using the chroma key combined with luma key techniques as well as boxes that have one or two shades of blue, or one or two shades of green. Specially colored boxes are tracked and replaced by virtual signals, with or without occlusion.
  2. Signs and logos can be inserted on the surface of the field or on the grass, in areas where the background color is uniform. The background is pre-identified for the system to insert the ad. Normally, the regular soil of the field is sufficient for insertions.
  3. Combinations with the color or texture of the field. An ad can be inserted either as a completely opaque image or mixed with the background. The combination has the effect that the ad can appear somewhat transparent, allowing a subtle view of the background. This method can be used anywhere, such as on the lawn, in the crowd or in buildings.

Images do not need to be rectangular and any form of ad can be inserted such as circles, letters, etc.

Signals can be programmed to appear at any time and can be removed and changed through dissolvence or any effect or cut. Of course, the rolling effect is also possible.

During operation, the analog video signal from the camera is transmitted to the system for digitization and processing by a computer specifically designed by Orad Hi-Tec Systems. The DVP-2000 (Digital Video Processor) is a supercomputer capable of performing up to 100 Giga operations per second, synchronized to the digital video signal. This computer accurately locates the designated boxes in the visual and texture field, and locates the desired graphics for replacement in the video frame. The output signal of the DVP-2000 is a digital video signal (D1) with the original video replaced.

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IMadGINE's country system is based on a Silicon Graphics O2 computer and Orad's DVP-2000 supercomputer. The system receives the video signal and replaces the designated boxes in the live video to meet the requirements of local advertisers. The country-by-country system replaces boxes in remote locations and you can insert different graphics games convenient for each country.

The capabilities of IMadGINE

IMadGINE and its "sapling" system, the graphical sports commentary tool CyberSport, has been successfully used in different sports shows in both PAL and NTSC. Programmers such as ABC, TV-Globo, Channel 7, SKY Sports and TM3 in Germany, have achieved the replacement and insertion of animated and regular 2D and 3D ads in different locations within the fields of sporting events such as football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, beach football, motorsport, athletics and many more.

Special advantages of IMadGINE over other systems include:

  1. IMadGINE employs a camera tracking system that uses sensors manufactured by Orad Hi-Tec Systems itself. In this way, the rapid movements of the camera are provided with continuous accuracy. In contrast, the other systems employ pattern recognition methods that use existing lines in the field affected by the blurred pattern during rapid camera movements, thereby diminishing the system's ability to accurately track the camera and maintain the position of the advertisement.
  2. Orad's sensors have a much higher resolution: in the "panning" mode, 1 million readings are produced in 360° and in the "chopped" mode, 1.4 million readings in 360°. The higher the sensor resolution, the more accurate the tracking of camera movements, producing a more accurate signal positioning.
  3. Any number of cameras that use only one IMadGINE system can be integrated. Other systems require, on the contrary, one system for each camera. This is a significant saving since most events require multiple cameras.
  4. IMadGINE offers the possibility of making fast camera movements with all degrees of freedom (panning and chopping) and the handling of the resulting blurred image.

The system, easy to move and install, offers other advantages:

· It has up to 32 different virtual boards and inserts for each camera.

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· He has the ability to replace an entire strip of billboard around a stadium with full occlusion (240 meters).

· It can operate in any weather, indoors and outdoors.

· It can deal with difficult occlusions of boards or physical boxes of players and spectators.

· 3D animated objects can be inserted anywhere on the field and stadium.

· You can combine advertising messages over crowds and viewers.

· Messages can be targeted to specific audiences in different countries during the same TELEVISION broadcast; a trait that can generate greater profits and returns.

· You can manipulate the boxes and boards to fit into any space.

· Boxes can be exchanged with a preset schedule so that changes can be made during the event so that the same space can be used to accommodate multiple advertisers.

· Up to 100 advertising formats can be stored and transmitted during an event, generating higher returns and attracting more advertisers.

· Boxes and boards have a variety of animation possibilities and can therefore increase their potential use by advertisers.

Summary.

The IMadGINE System was developed to increase the profits of event rights holders, programmers, sports venue owners, teams, organizations and leagues, providing real-time electronic replacement and advertising insertion.

The capabilities of the IMadGINE system are applicable for all types of sports and shows, whether outdoors or indoors or in small or large stadiums.

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