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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Thursday Press story on Hawk Vision

Hawk Vision gives fans a whole new outlook


Video streaming of sports events has arrived

By TONY GRAHAM

STAFF WRITER


WEST LONG BRANCH - Holding a walkie-talkie in one hand Saturday, Jarred Weiss sat in the
Monmouth University football press box with his eyes focusing on more than what was
transpiring on Kessler Field.

His eyes were darting back and forth to a TV monitor on his left, a control panel in front
of him and a lap top on his right.

As the game between Monmouth and Robert Morris unfolded Weiss, a junior communications
major from Springfield, was checking his monitors, pushing buttons on the control panel and
issuing instructions to two student cameramen wearing headsets.

Pete Mulroy, a Monmouth senior from Staten Island, manned one camera just outside the press
box. Joe Segreto, a sophomore from Toms River, was stationed along the Monmouth sidelines.

As the action unfolded the cameras captured every Brett Burke pass or Dave Sinisi run and
XOS Technologies sent them into cyberspace.

World wide video streaming of athletic events had arrived at Monmouth.

""Camera One (outside the press box), you're live,'' Weiss would say into the
walkie-talkie.

""Ready (camera) Two. Two, you're live, just try and stay with coach (Kevin Callahan) or
Burke coming off the field.''

Labeled Hawk Vision, it now means anyone with broadband internet access from West Long
Branch to western Australia, may follow the live video of many Monmouth home athletic events
including football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball, with video of some other
sports including men's and women's soccer in the works. Some games may be blacked out locally
due to television contract obligations. Many of the events will also be archived.

""Viewing the game on the computer screen was an event I thought would never happen,'' said
Henry Spence, a 1967 Monmouth graduate who watched the game from his residence in Palm Beach
County, Fla. ""The game came across clear and was exciting to watch.''

As it was Saturday, the video is synced, when available, with the audio broadcasts of the
Monmouth student radio station, WMCX (88.9 FM), already on the web.

In addition, the sports which currently lack audio and video, such as soccer and women's
lacrosse (in the spring), may be followed in progress on the net via Game Watcher, the XOS
version of the more widely known Game Tracker.

Game Watcher can be found on www.gomuhawks.com on the schedule pages for individual sports.

While Game Watcher is free, Hawk Vision packages include a cost of $6.95 per month, or
$59.95 for the entire athletic year. More information is available at the Monmouth web site.

""It was a pretty big undertaking for the athletic department,'' said Greg Viscomi,
Monmouth assistant director of athletics communications.

""It was a learning experience,'' said Weiss. ""It was a lot of fun trying to get
everything coordinated and being part of the first broadcast.''

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