Academy - Training in a real environment

The Academy – technology for intensive training of VAR teams and TV specialists

The work of a video-refereeing team (VAR, AVAR) and replay operator (RO) as well as live broadcasts mean strict time constraints and the need to anticipate the development of quickly changing situations. This requires a higher qualification of all specialists - directors, cameramen, video engineers, sports graphics specialists, VARs, assistant VARs and replay operators. The slomo.tv Academy system is developed and tailored to train specialists and enhance their skills by means of individual training, team training, and collective analysis of video footage.

The Academy is a specialized hardware and software system for multichannel synchronous playback with the ability to:

mark events,
simultaneously search on all channels in real time,
synchronously play back (simultaneously with the search), including in slow motion.

The Academy solution can be implemented as a standalone device or as an option for any of the slomo.tv servers.

What is the Academy used for?

The main purpose of the complex comes out of its name – Academy. It is designed for training on the real equipment in the environment as close as possible to the real workflow, but without the excessive levels of stress and the high cost of a mistake, as any situation can always be revisited and worked through again. The Academy allows practicing individual skills and procedures in various situations. For example, an operator can practice showing replays on the same equipment on which he/she will work in the future.

It is essential not only to know the functions of all the buttons, but also to understand the situation and react to it correctly. There can be 4 to 32 video signals coming in, so it is important to know where to look, what to focus on and to be able to make the right decision in the shortest possible time. With the help of the Academy it is possible to learn how to do all of the above and to practice the skills and situations to the necessary extent. At the same time, there is no need to host expensive live events, as the Academy uses previously recorded materials from the past events. Thus, there is no need to train the beginners on live broadcasts with a high cost of a mistake.

The Academy is also perfect for practicing teamwork between specialists. The system can be set up to playback 12, 16 or 32 video signals recorded during a show, football match or other sport broadcasts, making it possible to practice both individual skills and the actions when the director, replay operator, sound engineers and other specialists of the production team work together.

The Academy has a wide range of applications, including training of directors, replay operators and other specialists in TV schools. There is also a great demand for training of VAR operators, video referees (VARs) and their assistants (AVARs).

In addition to the standard training course during the VAR technology implementation, the Academy can be used for VAR-team practicing before matches. A couple of hours before the game, the specialists can practice on training materials, as well as clips from recent football matches. The VAR-team then comes to the game already prepared and focused.

"Tapes" and training clips

The Academy uses either the so-called "tapes", files recorded by slomo.tv servers, or files imported from any other systems that work with standard synchronized broadcast files: H.264, mov, mp4. Both full event recordings from other servers and libraries of training clips, provided by FIFA or other sport federations, can be imported into the system.

The "tapes" can be multi-channel, but this requires the use of high performance and low access time – SSD.

Design and implementation options

Academy has several versions. Depending on your needs and budget it can be:

a separate server with special software for working with training recordings and clips;
an option for a slomo.tv server – the software for learning how to use the control panel, mixers and other special equipment;
a plug-in for a video-refereeing system – allows both emulating incoming signals and working with them in the system at the same time. Such design imposes some limitations. For example, you cannot output the signal of the Main camera or use a mixer. This version is intended for training of VAR-specialists.

Training for various sports

The Academy training makes it possible to:

prepare specialists for specific sports – "tapes" with a particular sport are used for training.
train all year round. Thanks to the Academy, specialists can practice on beach volleyball or football even during the off-season.
train a replay operator to show creative and spectacular replays and quickly re-qualify for any other sport. If an ice hockey replay operator needs to work on volleyball, he/she can use the Academy and, thanks to the director's advice, gain experience in volleyball.

With the Academy it is possible to organize intensive training sessions. In a single session, the trainees work with recordings of several events or matches one after another, when in reality this is practically impossible.

The Academy provides excellent training for the creative team too. A live broadcast director looks at the incoming cameras, works with a mixer, and creates a program. The resulting program can then be reviewed in detail and discussed with the team. The Academy allows participants to repeat this process over and over again for developing the necessary skills.

The Academy raises the training of specialists to a new level and greatly improves its quality. It is a must-have tool for every broadcaster specializing in sport events and any live broadcasts.

Training of VAR-teams

The Academy will be useful for sports federations and leagues that have implemented the VAR technology.

What benefits does the Academy offer? For example, for training in football, the Academy is used with clips provided by FIFA. The video referees (VAR), their assistants (AVAR) and replay operators (RO) can thoroughly analyze and review all game situations that require the involvement of the VAR team. It is very important to train the whole team. In particular, how to best prepare the video material for VAR review, practice the decision making and communication within the team and with the referee on the pitch. All training takes place with minimal cost of a mistake and no risk of affecting the outcome of the match. During the training the Federations and Leagues can evaluate the trainees and select the most suitable people for these tasks.

In addition, breaks of even one month can cause the loss of skillst. The use of the Academy and the videoReferee^® server makes it possible to conduct training in the absence of games, preserving the level of competence of referees and replay operators.

The Quality Loop – Continuous skill development

The Academy allows creating a quality loop. Video clips with new game situations and challenging moments are exported after each match. These clips are reviewed at regular workshops for VARs, AVARs and ROs and included in the library of training clips for first-time trainees. Thus, as the training covers more and more potential situations, the competence of referees grows, improving the quality of refereeing.

Multiple repetition – The key to building skills

The only way to automatically perform complex actions is to repeat them many times. With the Academy, the trainees deal with and practice complex real-life situations that require very fast reactions. For example, in team sports it is important to quickly make a decision minimizing the game pause. Video-refereeing must be in the background, transparent and unnoticeable. The video referee with the replay operator should have the video material ready for review before the official request of the referee on the pitch.

The slomo.tv equipment has the fastest and responsive interface for this purpose, which makes all operations almost instantaneous. The Academy system allows the refereeing team not to be afraid to work in any situation and to bringing decision making actions to automatism.

Modern SSD disks and USB 3.0 interface allow having a large library of training materials and working with 8-16 video channels simultaneously.

About the Academy server

The most compact model of the Academy is available in the Simple R (1U) design and supports playback of up to 16 video channels. The systems in 2U chassis also support playback of up to 16 channels, and 4U servers – up to 32 channels.

The maximum supported number of channels is 32 channels of 3G video.

The Academy is controlled either from a standard slomo.tv control panel or by a mouse and keyboard.

A stand alone Academy server allows training of several replay operators at once - the video signals are provided to all workplaces simultaneously.

The Academy allows to train not only slomo.tv replay operators, but also replay operators working on other systems.

The Academy provides wide opportunities for training and practicing of: