Technical support: sports software and audio/video companies are making life easy for end-users.

By now, almost every coach, sans the hardliners, has discovered the relative ease of shooting and editing video. It's really not rocket science.

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"What I always find is that it's tough for the old school coaches," says Ron Imbriale, VP/Sales for Dartfish USA, the industry leaders in skill/motion analysis. "That's changing dramatically. You have so many of these younger coaches who are so computer literate. They may not control the purse strings but they do end up being the users. They're just not intimidated by technology."

The intimidation factor has been dramatically lessened over the years as sports software/hardware companies have simplified the process. Take CoachComm, for example. Through a combination of its partnership with XOS Technologies and its own diverse products, CoachComm is championing what it calls a "total workflow," which allows coaches to shoot, edit, analyze, view, and distribute game footage in a few short hours.

By utilizing products such as cameras and camera systems, XOS's SportsEdit and SportsWeb software, coupled with CoachComm's new TeamHiway team network, coaches now have an easy-to-use solution that takes the guesswork out of shooting Friday's night game and having streaming video up and running the following day.

With the use of SportsEdit, coaches can make high-quality, small WMV (Windows Media Video) files and load 80 hours of video on a SportsWeb laptop. From there, the simple use of the CoachComm Commando remote allows the user to control play data and video at the fingertips.

"It's a total experience, from A to Z," says Austin Jackson, Video Product Manager for CoachComm. "Our company has video hardware, everything in the middle, and several pieces at the next level where they can analyze their video. We want them to be able to take it all the way to the fans, booster clubs, community, coaches, and players."

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That's where TeamHiway.com comes in. Touted as a "team meeting place," TeamHiway is a secure Internet-hosted site where everything from streaming video and scouting reports to playbooks and fund-raising ventures can be uploaded and accessed with a password.

Features include a built-in video network, password protection, E-Alert automatic email notification, and the Corkboard, an interactive communication tool.

Says Jackson: "The whole purpose of the TeamHiway is made to be easy, so you don't need an IT person or special software. Anybody in the coaches office can manage the entire process."

Similarly, U.S. Sports Video is helping coaches manage the editing process with the introduction of its Dual Editing Conversion Analyzer with Cowboy Remote.

Offering two decks for the price of one, the Dual Editing Conversion Analyzer contains analog and digital pro-edit analyzers so the user can analyze both mini DV and S-VHS/VHS, as well as convert S-VHS/VHS to digital tapes and vice versa, plus edit digital clips with 64-program editing memory.

A dual amplifier output for multiple copying and Cowboy remote that controls both VCR's are additional features.

"It comes with a digital VCR on the left side with VHS deck on the right, so you can activate either VCR from the front and control it with the Cowboy remote," says Mike Bokulich, president of U.S. Sports Video.

All U.S. Sports Video's editing systems are compatible with laptops. But it is advisable to purchase an external hard drive to store more memory.

"We just outfitted Rochester (MI) High School with 800 gigabytes, which will give you about 60 hours of video storage," Bokulich added. "Years ago you could get a 20-hour system for $100,000. Now you can get a 60-hour system for $10,000."

While prices have decreased dramatically, innovation has increased ten-fold.

Dartfish USA has made a name for itself in the skill/motion analysis market, witnessed by its award-winning StroMotion technology, which creates stunning trajectory video footage revealing the evolution of an athlete's movement, technique, execution, and tactics.

According to Ron Imbriale, the company's VP/Sales, 77 of the 103 U.S. Olympic medal winners at the Athens Games used Dartfish's products extensively. Within the last 18 months, the company has added game analysis to its product line.

Dartfish's TeamPro software is a product that has game analysis and skill/motion analysis. Not only can it help scout a team, it also gives the user the ability to analyze individual skills. The ProSuite software offers motion and skill analysis without game analysis.

"There's a point, whether it's off-season drills or whatever, where you would like to really focus on skill development, and not just game strategy and scouting," Imbriale says. "I think that's where we really differ from everybody else. We've integrated the two together so that you can capture game film and skill development. If you take some really good video of a receiver running his pattern, or quarterback dropping back, or a soccer player scoring a goal, then you can go back and really start analyzing exactly why a certain player did well and another not so well."

Imbriale concluded: "We also offer some incredibly sophisticated drawing tools. Lots of people can draw circles, lines, and boxes but there are not very many people in the business that can track angles and distances as they change and actually be able to tell how far somebody actually runs or how deep a person gets in a squat."

FREE FOR ALL

It's not often that someone turns down the opportunity to try something for free.

That said, Proscout Video has partnered with USA Football to offer high school football coaches free video editing software. Through a grant from the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football will provide 2,000 high school programs a complete Proscout Video software package.

The software, similar to what college and professional coaches have been using for years, will help a coach index their team's game film. Coaching and instructional tools, such as tendency reporting, statistics, and a video telestrator with text overlay, interact with the game film. The result is an expedited and more effective use of game tape at the click of a button.

Every high school football team across the country is eligible to participate in this program. The first 2,000 to respond will receive the Proscout Video easy-to-use software package.

"What we're trying to do is basically create an industry standard so that it's a platform we can build off of as far as video transfer and a national database of statistics," says Dan Policy, owner of Proscout Video." And USA Football is looking for more and better ways it can assist youth sports."

The package--a full-load system of Proscout Version 4.1 that retails for $5,000--includes a complete site license that will allow the user to load the software on as many machines as they want, for multiple sports. Additionally, the package includes a user manual and 30 days of customer support.

Policy is convinced that the opportunity to get his product into the hands of 2,000 coaches is a win-win, foremost by winning over the skeptics who are seeking a viable product that focuses on delivering the goods and not too many waste-of-time extras.

"The biggest difference I am seeing this year compared to last year, is this year, these guys have taken their time and done their homework," Policy says. "They're much more in tune with some of the gimmicks. A lot of features that some programs offer sound great on paper, but when you come down to it, you're really not going to use it."

Accessibility is also the buzzword for LRSSports.

In order to make video more accessible to more people, the company recently added a slick feature to its Gamer software that will automatically convert the digital video file format into a WMV file.

LRSSports' Gamer software utilizes Firewire and digital video technologies to eliminate the need for a video capture card. It filters clips so the user can analyze performance in a variety of ways: create outline scouting reports that break down an offense's performance or an upcoming opponent's tendencies as well as providing the ability to draw over frames of video and print them for player study.

"In a network situation, there are still going to be reasons for coaches and meeting rooms to be accessible to the network because then they can immediately get access to the video," says Ron Wojcicki, LRSSports' marketing manager. "In this compressed video, it can be saved in a lot smaller format and transferred in a lot smaller format."

HEARING IS BELIEVING

Ease of use isn't limited to software. Audio companies have introduced products that not only deliver state-of-the-art results, but simple installation and operation.

The Soundsphere loudspeaker has a unique design that produces intelligible, full frequency sound over a particularly broad area. According to Peter Hamilton, president of Soundsphere, because a small number of speakers can cover large areas his company's speakers have become very popular for use in gymnasiums, pools, training rooms, etc.

Demand for better sound in existing facilities, and sound requirements in new facilities has made the athletic market a significant portion of Soundsphere's business.

"Requirements for sound in athletic facilities have been changing for the past several years," says Peter Hamilton, president of Soundsphere. "Systems that were suitable just 15 years ago would not be today. People expect higher performance--clear, loud voice announcements and high fidelity music at high volume levels. At the same time the number of truly experienced audio professionals is dwindling. Sound systems are installed and tuned by various contractors (sound, A/V, fire alarm, etc.) at various skill levels.

"Our products have been changing to facilitate high performance while maintaining easy design, installation, and adjustment. We will continue developing equipment that creates better results with less dependence on the skill of the system designer and installer."

For sports coaches and event coordinators with a need for group and one-to-one wireless communication, Anchor Audio has introduced its PortaCom Pro, the only 2.4 GHz professional wireless intercom system that allows up to 15 simultaneous groups to operate on 15 user-group channels and a separate "All Call" channel, which lets any user speak to everyone in the group.

By using a lightweight headset and beltpack, each user group can contain an unlimited number of users within a range of approximately 700 feet. Designed for simplicity, using the PortaCom Pro is as simple as connecting the headset to the body pack, wearing the headset and positioning the body pack on a belt or pocket, then turning it on and starting communication.

To conserve battery power, the PortaCom Pro is voice activated and has an LED battery indicator. The system is available in four or six packs consisting of headsets, wireless belt packs, power supply wall chargers, and a protective carrying case with custom cut foam.

"The PortaCom Pro is a business tool," said David Jacobs, president of Anchor Audio. "It's technologically sophisticated in order to be reliable and user friendly."

RELATED ARTICLE: THE VIEW FROM ABOVE

There can't be lights, camera, and action without a quality video tower.

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Endzone Video provides the "best perspective in sports" with its choice of 15, 25, and 35-foot telescoping tripod towers. The towers permit the use of wide angle and close-up of the same scene.

Endzone Video also sells an everyday wide and tight tripod suitable for the press box.

"We're the only company that utilizes the wench system," says Chad Walling, VP for Endzone Video. "Each individual pole is separated by pullies. It uses a 5-1 ratio to hoist the unit vs manually raising each poll."

The system also incorporates the company's patented mechanical pan and tilt system and can be used for a variety of sports, including football, baseball, soccer, and basketball.

The tower was designed to be portable enough to change ends after each quarter of a football game and to break down small enough to take on a bus, van, or even a car for out of town games.

All controls (zoom, power, pan, and tilt) are operated using only one hand. There is no need for hauling power cords around and searching for electrical outlets because the entire system is self contained by the use of batteries.

Endzone Video sells two 25-foot systems: manual is $4,800 while the wench model is $5,800. The 35-foot wench model costs $7,800. The 15-footer (wench) is $3,800.