In the Winter Olympics speed skating competition, athletes can reach speeds of 15 to 18 meters per second, which is about 50 kilometers per hour, and top athletes can reach speeds of 70 kilometers per hour.
When watching the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, have you ever wondered how the exciting and intense game scenes are captured? How was the broadcast footage we saw shot?
In the National Speed ​​Skating Hall, the “super-high-speed 4K orbital camera system” developed by the Central Radio and Television Station for 5 years occupies the outermost part of the speed skating hall track, which consists of a gyroscope rail car and a 360-meter-long U-shaped track. The huge equipment has a special name – “Cheetah” camera system.
Its design technical standard is 25 meters per second, which is about 90 kilometers per hour. It can not only track the position of athletes in real time, but also realize acceleration, deceleration, overtaking and other actions according to the needs of broadcast, and flexibly capture the game screen.
The “Cheetah” camera system truly has the speed of “Cheetah”, and the TV broadcast effect is very impactful.
What exactly is “Cheetah”? Does it really decide the controversy on the short track speed skating arena? The “News Hyperlink” program of the Voice of China, China Central Radio and Television, interviewed the head of the “Cheetah” R&D team – the Central Zhao Wei, a senior engineer in the Special Equipment Division of the Radio and Television Station.

Special shooting equipment with a speed of 90 kilometers per hour,Has “cheetah” speed

The full name of “Cheetah” is “Ultra-high-speed 4K Orbital Camera System”. It is a special camera equipment independently developed by China Central Radio and Television Station for 5 years. It is specially used for the broadcast of the Winter Olympics speed skating events. its debut.

Zhao Wei said that the reason why it is called “cheetah” is because it is very agile. In the Winter Olympics speed skating competition, athletes can reach speeds of 15 to 18 meters per second, which is about 50 kilometers per hour, while top athletes can reach speeds of 70 kilometers per hour. The “Cheetah” design technical standard can reach 25 meters per second, which is about 90 kilometers per hour.
Not only that, “Cheetah” can also realize acceleration, deceleration and overtaking actions according to the needs of live broadcast, so as to capture various scenes in the speed skating competition more flexibly and at will.

Why is there no “cheetah” in short track speed skating?

Zhao Wei revealed that there is currently only one “Cheetah” system, which is installed in the “Ice Ribbon” venue. The short track speed skating competition that netizens paid attention to on the 7th did not use “cheetah”. Why is this?
According to reports, the high-speed track system has certain requirements for the venue. It is necessary to install the track system behind the foam cushions of the athletes outside the stadium, and install the isolation plate to ensure the safety of the surrounding personnel. However, the short track speed skating venue this time does not meet the deployment requirements of the “Cheetah”. For the sake of adaptability and safety, the “Cheetah” system is not installed in the short track speed skating competition.
In addition, the referee system and the telecast system are independent of each other. The referee system will arrange some cameras on the scene to shoot key positions in the field or the fouls of players. The referee will refer more to the picture of the referee system, rather than the live picture we see on TV.