Sports

Irritating Drone Noise Spoils Winter Olympics Broadcast With Constant Buzzing During Cinematic Shots

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Olympics Drone Noise
iStockphoto / © Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

The addition of drone footage to the Winter Olympics broadcast on NBC has been a great success. However, the noise of the drones during the broadcast does not make it worth the resulting video.

You can’t unhear it!

The drones have completely changed the viewing experience of the Olympics, which is a great thing. The problem is the noise they make along the way.

Drone footage at the Olympics is awesome.

This is the first year that NBC (and other television broadcast companies) have used a drone for every event at the Olympics, not just a select few. Advancements in first-person-view technology completely reshaped how viewers are able to watch events at home.

The FPV drones offer dynamic camera angles that cannot be replicated by humans. Especially for events like bobsled, luge and alpine skiing. They allow for a camera to follow the athletes down the entire course from start to finish, which would not be possible otherwise at such high speeds in such a confined space. It looks a lot like a video game!

There has never been a more impactful addition to a television broadcast.

The drones weigh just 250 grams and can travel at speeds up to 75 miles per hour, which allows for high-intensity cinematic shots that were not possible a decade ago.

And the drones are being controlled by a group of skilled pilots— not just a computer.

Those of us at home are able to be closer to the action than ever because of the drones. They provide an even greater appreciation for what these athletes are doing and just how insane some of these events really are.

The constant buzzing noise is a problem.

As cool as it is to have drone footage at the Olympics, there is a tradeoff that might not be worth it. The drones create a loud buzzing noise that can be heard on the broadcast at home.

It never stops, much like the vuvuzelas at the World Cup. There is a constant buzz on the audio that cannot be ignored. You can hear the drones zip down the bobsled track, turning left and right, as if it was flying right by your head. It’s super annoying.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Viewers at home are enjoying the drone footage but I think we all wish the noise was not part of the broadcast. Is there a way for NBC to filter out the delete the unique sonic frequency of the drones?

AudioShake says yes. The A.I.-based stem separation company makes audio interactive, editable and customizable. It was able to remove the noise of the drone from the Olympics broadcast. The lack of constant buzz makes a very big different.

Hand up— I do not know whether this would be an easy process for NBC to remove the drone noise from the broadcast for multiple drones in multiple locations for multiple events. I do know that the high-pitch frequency poses a greater challenge than a slightly lower frequency.

And yet, it seems to me like NBC (or whomever is in charge of the world feed audio) could specifically target this drone noise to filter it out of what airs on TV. Target the specific frequency and turn it off.

Seeing that this is the first time these drones are being used, there might be a learning curve. Maybe NBC will hear our frustrations and figure it out before the weekend as we head into week two. Maybe the frequency is too high to filter out. AudioShake appears to prove that it is possible!

Grayson Weir BroBible editor avatar
Senior Editor at BroBible covering all five major sports and every niche sport imaginable, found primarily in the college space. I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked.
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