Just as basketball players can be either amateurs or professionals, the equipment used in this sport is also different and can be classified into different groups. To put this into perspective, the standard of lighting according to the International Lighting Association categorizes the lighting into 6 different groups which include:
- Lighting for training and recreational activities.
- Lighting for amateur competition/professional training.
- Lighting for professional competitions.
- Lighting for TV broadcast national/international competitions.
- Lighting for TV broadcast for major international competitions.
- Lighting for HDTV to broadcast major international competitions.
While it is true that a lot of people operate their basketball courts with standards lower than what they should be, if you want to get the best out of your court, the right decision will be to choose a lighting level that fits outdoor basketball court light requirements. If you do this, basketball players in your court will be playing at the optimal level.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing Lighting for Your Basketball Court
1. Basketball Court Variation Coefficient
Basketball focuses a lot on the speed of players. Thus, to get your basketball players performing at their best on the court, the illumination of the light on the court must be well distributed. When the uniformity of illumination on the court is perfect, you will also be able to record high-definition videos. You can always measure the uniformity of illumination on your court by using either UG or CV.
2. Horizontal Uniformity
When an illuminance meter is placed on the horizontal axis above the basketball court, the value gotten from the meter is known as horizontal illuminance. It is best to establish a 10m x 10m grid on the court when you want to calculate the minimum, maximum, and average illuminance of the court.
3. Vertical Illuminance
This is the vertical illumination on the court. This can also affect the camera’s vision. However, care must be taken to find a proper balance of illumination in various directions to prevent a situation where the illuminance is uneven when the camera is shooting. When the illuminance isn’t balanced and the vertical illumination changes constantly, the video quality will end up becoming very poor.
4. Color Temperature of the Court
The color temperature of the basketball court is a concept that is used to describe how warm (red) or cold (blue) the illumination is. With modern technology, you can always adjust the camera depending on the real color temperature or contrast of the basketball court. This ensures that the right video quality is obtained when recording.
5. The Color Rendering Index
This is a concept which describes the ability of lighting sources in the basketball court to help return the natural light in the court. Thus, to get the best color, the index has to be high. On the other hand, the lower the color rendering index, the lower the color.
Basketball Court Lamp Selection
Lamp selection of the basketball court depends on a few factors such as:
- The beauty and consistency of lamps.
- Durable, long, and strong service life.
- The cost and quantity of lamps.
- Stable emission of light.
- Minimum waterproof rating of IP65.
