7 minute read
Hudl Sportscode Is Here
AN INSIDE LOOK AT OUR NEWEST PRODUCT
Product Manager Paul Arnott discusses the new Hudl Sportscode, how the project unfolded and how excited he is for the future of Hudl’s flagship elite analysis software.
Paul, tell us about your history with Sportscode and why a new product was needed.
I first came across Sportscode in 2002 when I used it for scouting at a national tournament. I found it to be incredibly powerful, and made use of it whenever I could throughout my coaching career. In 2010, I had the opportunity to become a video coordinator with a pro team, so I pretty much lived in Sportscode for the next four years. In 2014, with careers in software development and sports administration behind me, I was lucky enough to join the Sportscode team.
Now I’m the product manager of Sportscode. I lead a diverse team of experts that design, develop, test and release a new version every two weeks. This is the team that has worked together over the last 18 or so months to create Hudl Sportscode.
Sportscode has a great history, and in many ways it was ahead of its time. It pioneered video analysis for sport on the Mac platform, and was built before Apple provided modern frameworks for processing video. Over the years, successive releases increased its value for thousands of teams around the world. But as more modern technology became available, and Apple announced it was removing support for 32-bit applications, it was obvious that Sportscode needed a big shift to stay at the forefront of the industry. We decided to completely rebuild the product, maintaining the same level of power and customisation, whilst also adding some valuable enhancements.
Where do you even start with a project like this?
Knowing what our users wanted and needed was crucial, so we spoke to analysts and coaches across a range of sports around the world.
The first thing we did on the project itself was rebuild the core components that effectively make up the engine of Sportscode: timeline, video player, code window and capture. We put a lot of effort into creating a stable architecture and a solid platform for future development, which will allow us to move quickly and adapt to the ever-changing needs of the market.
Along the way, we evaluated all the existing workflows and decided which could be improved. We carried out a lot of user research to identify a set of the most commonly used workflows—and the most frustrating. We set about fixing these, acting on feedback from beta testers along the way.
In the latter stages of the project, we were also able to add some valuable new features to further simplify the life of analysts, video coordinators and coaches. We could move a lot quicker on these than ever before because of the new, more stable platform.
More than 200 organisations have tested Hudl Sportscode and helped us identify and prioritise issues and enhancements. Their feedback has been invaluable and has me really excited about where this new product will take performance analysis.
Record from multiple IP cameras at practice or training.
So what differences will users notice in the new Hudl Sportscode?
We knew capturing multiple angles of video was a pain point for users. Each angle needs its own computer, which means it takes a lot of effort to set up and pack up equipment, and then there’s more work to align angles afterwards. We knew we had to fix it. and select your IP feeds, press record to start capturing, and press stop at the end. It really is as simple as that. All of the angles are written to one video package on one computer and are already aligned.
In Hudl Sportscode, it’s simple to record from multiple IP cameras at practice or training. You just need to configure
And that’s the same for match day?
It’s very similar. In fact, it’s identical if you’re fortunate enough to receive IP feeds on match day. If you receive SDI or HDMI feeds instead, you can use a hardware encoder to convert the video to IP feeds, then record all of the angles on a single computer.
It’s also easier to share multiple angles of video and data between devices. This could be to another computer in the coaches’ box, on the sideline or in the locker room, or even to an iPad running Hudl Replay.
Any other examples?
Yes, importing, stacking and combining video has also improved. We know this is a time-consuming process in the current version. Users can now do all three of these operations in one simple workflow. From within the import video window, you can create and name your angles, then add and rearrange video files.
You can also re-encode video as you import it, though it’s less likely that you’ll need to do that as the new product supports native playback of many more video formats.
Team presentations are obviously vital to coaches and analysts. What about those?
The movie organizer and sorter have served Sportscode well, but their multi-window workflows are not straight-forward, and some coaches have found them difficult to learn. Our goal in rebuilding these components has been to make them more accessible to coaches, and we’ve done this with single integrated windows that are modern, efficient, and most importantly, intuitive.
We’ve also streamlined the process of drawing on a video frame. Now you just scrub to a frame in a clip where you want to add a drawing, select a drawing tool and draw. When you present the video, it simply pauses at the drawing so the coach can get their point across, and when you press play the presentation moves on.
clip. The video switches between angles automatically, though you can still override this during the presentation.
You can easily trim or extend clips by switching to edit mode and dragging the handles. This aligns with how other Hudl products work, and we think will be more obvious to coaches and new users. But don’t worry, hotkeys are still available.
All of this will hopefully allow all Sportscode users, new or existing, to build compelling presentations quicker.
Previously, using different angles in presentations was difficult. In Hudl Sportscode, you can specify the default angle for each
What about performance?
Just about every part of Hudl Sportscode performs better than the current version. Windows open quicker. Scrubbing and playback are smoother. Zooming and scrolling in the timeline are both improved. Our testing has shown scripting to be two to five times faster than the existing version, and CPU usage is generally lower in all operations, meaning there’s less likelihood of dropped frames and other issues on match day.
Hudl Sportscode is now also part of the capture, data and distribution solutions that make up Hudl Pro Suite. Ultimately every Hudl product will now work better together, making life easier for analysts and coaches.
Looking back, how do you feel about your work on this project?
It’s been really exciting! Sportscode has had many major releases over the last 20 years, but none as significant as this. Never has there been such a resource investment. It’s exciting not just for the problems that we’re solving now, but how it’s setting us up to help solve more complicated problems in the future.
We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from workshops and demonstrations around the world. We’re confident that Hudl Sportscode will enrich the unique workflows of our customers, and will be a platform that we can continually build upon.
Here’s a snapshot of the improvements.
Multi-Angle Capture
Importing, Stacking and Combining Video
Drawing
Sorter/Organizer
Live Sharing
Video Playback
Video Quality
Video Editing
Overall Performance
Sportscode
Multiple computers, lots of equipment and extra setup time necessary
Hudl Sportscode
Only one computer necessary to record and automatically align multiple angles
Lengthy process with several steps
Time-consuming split-instance workflow
Video player in a separate window
High latency, variable performance
Only three size options
Limited options, variable performance
Several windows needed
Can vary due to CPU usage/demands All three operations possible with one simple workflow
Quick, simple process—just scrub to a frame and start drawing
Integrated video player to enable film viewing during data edits
Quicker transfer of video and data, better playback performance
Video player supports resizing to any size and playback of multiple angles (including 6+ angles at 1080p)
Supports higher quality video, up to 4K, 120fps and H.265
Easy trimming from the instance player
Quicker open times, smoother playback, improved zooming and scrolling in timelines, 2-5x faster scripting
