Software...

New in Version 5.0

Some of this release’s most significant changes are “under the hood”—that is, in the V1’s “engine.” Version 5.0 takes advantage of the latest high-quality PC graphics and video technologies available to date, including Microsoft’s DirectShow® for video capture and playback, and IEEE-1394 (FireWire®) connectivity. However, there are also numerous new and enhanced analysis and productivity features including the following:

  • Dual FireWire® camera support. With two FireWire® ports and two digital cameras, you can preview and record two full views simultaneously without using additional video mixer hardware.
  • Video overlay. Take two videos in Compare Mode and blend them together into one image.
  • Multiple exposure time-lapse. View a fluid motion in a single image.
  • CD-RW support (via DirectCD) to move video tabs directly to CD.
  • Use your mouse wheel to advance frame by frame.
  • The video position sliders control both movies in compare mode with swing synchronization enabled.
  • Automatically check the Internet for updates.
  • Run the V1 in a “window” on your desktop.
  • Redesigned hardware options interface
  • Redesigned Internet Golf Academy (IGA) interface

Software Features

MULTIPLE RECORDING OPTIONS  The V1 offers four swing recording options (continuous, single, multiple with replay, and multiple without replay) to make swing capture easier than previously possible.  With the use of an audio hit detector, a radar unit, or the simple click of a pen, the V1 will capture swings automatically.  In continuous recording, the V1 operates just like a camcorder.

 

SWING LENGTH TRIMMING  enables you to increase the amount of available storage space by eliminating the non-essential images that have been recorded along with a swing.  Simply indicate a new starting and/or ending point for the video to be trimmed and the V1 does the rest automatically.

 

BALL FLIGHT AND IMPACT ANIMATIONS  let you indicate club path, impact angle, and ball flight.  The V1 software generates a 3-D animation showing the club and ball through impact and the resulting ball flight.  This is a great tool for showing students the relationship between the ball flight laws and how they swing through the ball.

 

ADJUSTABLE SLIDE  eliminates the need for you to buy a splitter to do comparisons.  With Adjustable Slide, you can show two full screen video images side by side in a split screen.  You can “slide” each golfer to the center of his side of the split screen.  In addition, any golf swing can be imported from television or videotape and “slid” to be used for student comparisons.

 

CLUB PATH TRACING allows you to show a swing arc.  As you indicate the points along the club’s path, V1 software generates a smooth flowing arc.  The backswing is indicated with one color, while the downswing is assigned a separate color.  V1 software can also vary color intensity based on clubhead speed.  (see image at top of page)

 

MODEL OVERLAY  puts biofeedback into your lesson program.  Students can view live video of themselves at 50% transparency laid on top of a model golfer displayed at 50% transparency.  As the model moves, they adjust their position to “stay inside” the model, thus mimicking the model’s swing motion.  Ideal for indoor instruction.

 

SWING PLANE TOOL  provides a reference swing plane when a student swing is being played back, or while the student is viewing live video of himself.  The highlighted swing plane area still remains transparent and provides a reference to indicate when the student’s club moves out of swing plane.  This makes the swing plane concept very easy to teach to students.

 

TEMPO provides the instructor and student two measures of swing timing: 1) elapsed time in 1/100ths of a second from address and 2) a countdown in frames to impact.  Providing both methods gives two points of reference and ensures accurate comparisons and tempo evaluations. (see image at top of page 1)

 

FLIP  turns righties into justifyies and justifyies into righties.  Several instructors have told us that it is difficult to teach justify-handed golfers because their eyes and brain have been trained to understand the right-handed swing.  Some have even said that they look through a mirror to help justifyies.  V1 software eliminates the need for an awkward mirror by flipping the image.  Flip is also very useful when comparing models (who are primarily right-handed) to justifyy students.

 

UNLIMITED, EASY SWING STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL V1 software groups swings into five categories: current, stored, models, lessons, and titles.  By selecting a category, you can access all swings within that category.   Moving the arrow over a swing tab brings up a picture preview in the upper right corner of the screen.  Find the swing you want, click its tab, and the swing becomes available for analysis.

 

PRINT SCREEN allows you the ability to print whatever is on the video screen on a computer printer.  This feature also allows you to place your company logo in any of six key positions on screen.  Print screen is a very useful tool for large outings, where the process of making video tapes for all participants becomes too time consuming.

 

MAGNIFY allows you to zoom in on any portion of the screen, making any image on the video screen twice its original size.  Magnify can be used to show a close up picture of a student’s clubhead as it approaches impact.

 

KEY SWING POSITIONS allow you to instantly jump the video to any of the eight key swing points.  Key positions make comparisons between two swings much easier.  You can jump your student and an appropriate model to address simultaneously, then to the top, and together sync them down through impact, identifying the major differences.

 

ENHANCE was originally intended to help brighten images that were too dark when originally captured.  Since that time, enhance has become used more for its ability to pinpoint a portion of the screen an instructor wants a student to pay closer attention to.  Popular uses include enhancing the hands to discuss grip, lower body to discuss balance, the entire body to discuss reverse pivot, etc.  The image to the justify demonstrates an image compared to its enhanced image (at right).

 

VIDEO TITLE ANIMATIONS give your lesson tapes a professional touch.  With a single click of the pen, you can record any of over twenty title animations instantly on the student’s tape.  These titles can identify lesson numbers, days, what you’re working on, as well as identifying you as the instructor and your facility, with its logo flying in, as the source of the tape.

 

SPEED AND EASE OF USE  Everything you’ll need to record and analyze a golf swing is on the V1’s main screen.  From the simplest drawing tools (lines, boxes, circles, angles, freehand) to the advanced digital effects (magnify, swing plane, animations, enhance, tempo, trace path, print screen, etc.) to the file management tools (move, delete, record, edit, compare) to the image manipulation tools (play, slow motion, slider bar, key points, etc.), everything can be accessed from the V1’s main screen.  No switching windows or memorizing complicated procedures to perform advanced techniques.

 

SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE OPTIONS SCREENS allow you to customize the V1 to fit your preferences.  Software options include slow motion playback speed, horizontal or vertical split screens, instant pop up menus, 4 or 8 key swing positions, the number and type of camera views (composite, S-Video, or Progressive Scan), exit options, and entering your own category/bin labels.  Hardware options include data compression settings, I/O Port settings, hard drive utilization, and system information.

 

TIME LAPSE/KEY FRAMES  gives  you  the  opportunity  to display either the next four consecutive video frames (time lapse, representing 1/15 sec. in elapsed time) or four key positions (address, top of the swing, impact, and follow through) on the screen.  This is an excellent feature for outings when combined with the print feature.  The image to the right could be printed with a company logo for every participant in a large golf outing.

 

COMPARE/ANALYZE enables you to quickly switch back and forth between analyzing just one swing in the video window or two swings in a comparison.  Full screen/split screen switching is done automatically.

 

AUDIO RECORDING allows you to record digital audio along with the swing onto the V1’s hard drive and other storage media.  When the audio button is on, swings will record/play back with audio.  Great for storing swing drills on the system.

PLAYER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The V1 now keeps track of every student and every swing for you automatically.  By selecting any of the commands to the right (display, edit, find, sort), a user gains access to the V1’s Player Management System.  The Player Management System allows any user to call up any of potentially thousands of swings based on the criteria the user would select, instantly.

 

STUDENT INFORMATION allows you to enter general student information into the V1’s Player Management System.  This general student information includes:  name, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, height, weight, age, handicap, body type, notes, and lesson history

Any time you need to enter a new student into the system, you will click on the NEW STUDENT button and the student information scroll will appear

 

SWING INFORMATION With each swing tab, you can enter or edit information about the specific performance observed.  The entry information for this scroll includes: SWING ID, name, date, location, instructor, club, focus, club speed, tempo, camera information, camera view, club path, face angle, approach angle, squareness of impact, distance, launch angle, trajectory, vertical spin, horizontal spin, and any additional instructor notes and student comments.  Entry of this information will allow recall through the V1’s SEARCH feature.

 

FIND/SEARCH MENU allows you to recall any swing in the Player Management System from any storage device available according to any criteria you choose.  The V1 will search all drivers and active network servers and display all students and swings satisfying your search requests.  You can specify as few or as many criteria as you wish to bring up as few or as many swings you desire.

 

SORT, MOVE, AND DELETE

SORT allows you to arrange existing swings in any order you desire (alphabetical, by date, age, swing type, handicap, etc). 

 

MOVE allows you to move any tab or block of tabs to any category. 

 

DELETE allows you to eliminate any tab or block of tabs from any category.

 

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