The Masters New Technology

With the 72nd Masters wrapping up for Augusta, GA yesterday, we got to see first hand the new technology that was available for the first time at a Major. CBS Sports had several new tools to bring fans closer to the action and to understand what is really happening in the game. First of all the Masters was available on three screens, (for AT&T Wireless subscribers only). The screens were the television, the computer and your cellphone. This technology is advancing by the minute, so the picture quality is getting better and better. This was available last year but it had several kinks, such as slow load time, freezing and unclear picture quality. This year however the reviews have been mostly positive, which is a step in the right direction. CBS also launched the 3-D course views, which was unbelievable. Anywhere a player was on the course, CBS could show you the exact geographical situations the player would be facing. You got to see how the lie was, what they had to watch out for, the hills, runoffs and the like. It really gave you a first hand look at just how hard Augusta National really is and why the low scores have been declining over the years. It used to be when they said that the player had to hit it up 30 degrees, you just had to take the commentators words for it. Now you actually got to see what 30 degrees was and how the player would have to strike the ball to play the shot properly. The best views that came from the 3-D animation were when a player was stuck in the trees or rough, and to play the ball past some obstacles. As the viewer only certain angles are provided for you by television, so you basically had to guess what they were going to do. Now the 3-D showed how high they had to hit, what they had to play the ball around and how they had to do it. CBS also unveiled shot tracker for certain tee shots. This was great because on certain dog legs at Augusta you really have to fade or draw the ball or else you would find yourself in some real trouble. Shot tracker allowed the viewer to follow the path of the ball in slow motion so that you could see how the players struck it with his club, to do what the ball did. It was interesting to see how high the players shoot the ball and how much a fraction of an inch really matters. For the first year ESPN, covered the afternoon rounds of Day One and Two at Augusta. What ESPN did very well was they set up live views from Amen Corner and Scott Van Pelt even did a podcast recapping the days highlights. The Masters is one of, if not the, pristine tournament of the year and technology allowed coverage like no other. Finally, the best part of Masters coverage has been the same for years, just allowing a few sponsors to shell out an insane amount of money so that there were hardly any commercials. More sporting events should follow this premise.