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NBA refs will return to Twitter to answer fans' questions
Last year during the NBA finals, some of the league's refs took to Twitter in order to discuss calls made during a game and answer fans' questions. Feedback was positive, ESPN reports. Positive enough for the NBA and the National Basketball Referees Association to decide to do it again this season but during even more games. For the first two #RefWatchParty events this season, referees will engage with fans when the Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers on the 21st and during the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers game on the 23rd.
The World Cup showed how VAR will shape soccer’s future
For every football (aka soccer) fan, it doesn't get any bigger than the FIFA World Cup. Every four years since 1930, the tournament has been held in different parts of the globe, and honestly, it hasn't changed much. There was the expansion to include 32 teams in 1998, but the game's rules have rarely been altered -- largely because of FIFA's unwillingness to embrace emerging technologies. But the 2018 edition in Russia, which ended Sunday with France's win over Croatia, was different. For the first time ever, FIFA used the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at its flagship competition. And the tech, for better or worse (depending on which team you cheered on), certainly made a mark.
Video referee technology influences its first World Cup goal
When FIFA greenlit the use of video assistant referees at the 2018 World Cup, there was one overriding question: how long would it take before the technology shaped an important call? Not long at all, apparently. Two days into the group stage, officiators have used VAR to call for a key penalty after Australia's John Risdon appeared to have fouled France's Antoine Griezmann with a sliding tackle, disrupting a charge toward a possible goal. Griezmann promptly scored on the subsequent penalty kick, giving France the lead.
NBA referees will answer your Game 3 questions on Twitter
The next time an NBA referee makes a call you hate, you can do more about it than screaming at your TV. Some of the basketball league's refs are live-tweeting Game 3 of the finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors once it starts at 9PM Eastern. They're promising to both react to calls during the game and answer viewers' questions. You're not about to influence the outcome, of course, but this could help explain the rationale behind a reversed charge call instead of leaving the decision a mystery.
FIFA approves use of video referees at 2018 World Cup
Video assistant referees are about to get their biggest test to date. In the wake of an earlier general approval, the FIFA Council has authorized the use of VARs at the upcoming 2018 World Cup in Russia. The tool will help refs make decisions on difficult calls involving goals and penalties, any offenses leading up to those moments, mistaken identities and red cards. In theory, at least, this reduces the chances of a country going home early due to a bad call -- a distinct possibility given the messes from the last World Cup.
FIFA rulemakers approve the use of video referees
Like it or not, video assistant referees are about to become a mainstay of the beautiful game. The International Football Association Board, which sets rules for FIFA as well as UK associations, has unanimously approved the use of VARs in soccer (aka football) matches on a permanent basis. So long as they go through a "mandatory approval process," they can implement the play review technology if they like. The decision comes after an independent university study showed that VARs had a net positive effect.
FIFA 13 with Kinect lets the ref hear, react to your foul mouth
FIFA 13 is integrating Kinect in a variety of voice-controlled scenarios, allowing players to choose formations, make substitutions and call plays as they happen live, as the above video demonstrates. Kinect will also enable the referees to "hear" it when you react poorly to a bad call, and while you won't get a yellow card for cursing out the refs, they will take your potty mouth into consideration on future rulings.
Spanish researchers to train FIFA referees on calling plays with stereoscopic 3D, won't help catch dives
Spain might be on Cloud Nine after clinching victory in UEFA's Euro 2012, but a team at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid isn't resting easy. To help referees know when they should blow the whistle, researchers have recorded 500 simulated offside soccer (yes, football) plays in stereoscopic 3D to give refs a more immersive sense of what it's like to make the call on the pitch. The hope is to have FIFA more quickly and accurately stopping play without having to spend too much actual time on the grass. We don't yet know how many referees if any will be trained on the system by the 2014 World Cup, or if it will spread to other leagues -- what we do know is that no amount of extra immersion is needed to catch a theatrically fake injury.
Massively Exclusive: Referee Ruby shows off Free Realms' housing
All right, Free Realms fanatics, it's time for another visit from the fabulous Referee Ruby. Today she's focused on Free Realms' housing options. After giving viewers a small sampling of the housing lots available to players (as well as a... toilet theme park?), she shows us how a player can take their creative masterpiece -- such as, Ruby suggests, a theme park dedicated to a certain referee -- and share it with the rest of the world. To watch the full video, and maybe get some ideas for your own Free Realms lot, jump on past the cut!
ACC, Big 12 upgrade to HD instant replay
We're still not sure which school in the conference is ready to challenge for a BCS bowl again, but the ACC is following the other bigs by upgrading its instant replay systems to high definition. Just like the Pac-10, Big Ten and MAC it's using DVSport equipment, while the Big 12 announced earlier this month its universities would follow the SEC and go with XOS Digital's technology to give referees a clearer second look at the action. We'll be keeping an eye out to see who gets the better calls this season and in the future -- or at least until one or more of the conferences no longer exists.
Pac-10 refs will see HD instant replays this season, find a new reason for blowing big calls
Just like the Big Ten and SEC, Pac-10 schools will be upgrading to DVSport's HD Replay system for the 2010 football season. They got a trial run this past weekend at the Oregon spring football game, just a bit too late to give Oklahoma back the ball in one of the bigger instant replay officiating mistakes in history. Mountain West, Sun Belt, Conference USA -- you're on the clock.
Big Ten, MAC football get HD instant replay for the refs, but the SEC was faster
It's been a few years since the NFL made the jump to high definition instant replay, and it's absolutely time it arrived in college football as well. The SEC announced plans to switch last month and today the Big Ten and Mid-American Conferences mentioned they will upgrade their systems as well. The Pac 10 tested HD replays back in 2008 but is still mentioned by the provider it shares with the SEC, XOS Digital as a standard def conference, along with the Big 12, Sun belt and others. It's silly that we should have a better look at the action from home than the refs charged with calling the game so we hope they get new hardware soon, although they could always be waiting for the right time to put 3D glasses on the zebras before investing.
Conceptual 'CTRUS' football gets loaded with sensors, don't need no pump
We've heard of soccer balls that play a tune when kicked, sure, and we're pumped to see the World Cup in 3D, but it's not often that someone comes up with a serious technological makeover for the sport that's nearly as old as life itself. CTRUS, however, is just that -- a theoretical revolution in soccer that begins with the all-important ball. To start with, a reinforced elastic structure means that CTRUS doesn't require any air. (So long, pump.) Next, GPS and RFID chips keep track of the ball's position at all times, and tell it to light up in different colors when it scores a goal or is accomplice to a nefarious violation. (Farewell, referee.) Last but not least, the sphere itself will report back with accelerometers that measure the ball's kick force and travel speed, and a camera that could (with magical software stabilization, of course) actually film action from the ball's own POV. Sadly, the ball is just a concept from an undercover marketing agency, but since we're dreaming, we urge its creators to add a second camera. Just imagine just how immersive it would be to have your face booted in at 130km/h in glorious 3D. Or, just peek the concept videos after the break.
College football refs get a taste of HD instant replay tomorrow
A season after instant replay met the NFL, the Pac-10 is trying out high definition instant replay equipment from XOS Replay Systems during Thursday's USC vs. Oregon State game. The reason for the scoreboard packing higher res than the replay hood? After investing six figures in SD equipment four years ago, colleges are reluctant to spend the money all over again, but the All Things Trojan blog reports Oregon State's larger-than-normal replay room will give officials a chance to check SD & HD systems side by side, at which time the choice should become clear. Now, about that call during the Washington/BYU game...
New Mac ad: Referee
Apple began airing a new "Get A Mac" ad during this weekend's NFL playoff games, and it was posted to Apple.com earlier this evening. This time around, PC has hired a referee to ensure that Mac's boasting about Leopard isn't unfounded.The ref peers into the replay booth, then declares:"After further review, the ruling stands. Leopard is better and faster than Vista."PC gets flustered and is eventually "ejected." It's not the funniest ad, but certainly timely. Check it out.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
NHL HDTV backlash
The NHL Stanley Cup finals had an exciting series and a nice high-def broadcast, so everybody's happy right? Wrong. Once again, some SDTV holdout is ranting about how HDTV is ruining the game. The source of his complaint? At some point in Game 6, they couldn't locate the culprit when an extra man on the ice penalty was called. The announcer said later that "'I've just been told if you have HD (High Definition Television) you would be able to see the (extra) man going off the ice". As a result the writer gets all up in arms about how people without HDTVs are being called poor slobs, and worse , that the integrity of sport has been compromised because god forbid, there might be a moment where no camera angle shows every single player on the ice.We're not sure why he has a problem with widescreen aspect ratio and increased resolution helping you to see a bit more of the ice than you otherwise could (isn't that the point?), not to mention that the announcer was probably joking. NFL officials last we heard were considering high definition instant replay, but until now have been restricted to SD so his concerns about a difference in quality in game officiating appear to be unfounded. Too bad high definition wasn't there to compromise the integrity of the game during the '66 World Cup
NFL is only now considering HDTV-based instant replay?
We're sure there are some Seahawks fans who think 1080i should have been in use during this past Super Bowl. Buried in this otherwise mundane article about the NFL considering more overseas games is a blurb about the director of officiating visiting NASCAR this weekend. He's checking out their on site HDTV displays that cover every camera angle shown in a race, and is considering switching to high definition for instant replays.We at HD Beat certainly appreciate the tough job referees have, but we think it would be much easier if for example during every instant replay, they went over to our friend Hoyt's theater to take a better look at things. We have much experience in these situations, and can say with absolute certainty that our blind mothers could call a game more accurately while sitting on the couch watching HD than (some) referees.Seriously, a 106" screen versus whatever little TV the ref usually looks at on the sidelines, its not even a comparison. Now the only question is what technology: projection, CRT, flat panel, plasma, LCD, DLP?
