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A tiny camera mounted on the referee gave viewers a moving, on-pitch perspective during a nationally televised international football match in Japan on 1 October 2026. The device was Xacti’s CX-WL100: its camera head weighs 29.5 g without its cable, but that is not the weight of the complete wearable system.
What camera did the broadcast use?
Xacti said its CX-WL100 wearable live-video device was used on the main referee in the match. The company announced the deployment on 2 October 2026, describing it as filming equipment for TBS Television’s nationwide live broadcast of the game held the previous day. Xacti’s announcement identifies the camera and broadcast; the match is not named in the available announcement details.
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The resulting view is not a fixed camera angle from the stands or a replay of a player’s action. It is footage from a camera worn by the official as the referee moves around the pitch, so the viewpoint travels with the referee.
How did the referee’s view reach viewers live?
The camera feed was carried into the TBS broadcast through LMS (Live Multi Studio), a low-latency video transmission service jointly deployed by TBS Television and WOWOW Entertainment. Xacti describes LMS as transmitting video and audio over internet connections with very low latency. The announcement does not give a measured end-to-end delay, so “low latency” is a description of the service rather than a published timing result.
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- 16MP Sensor: Captures detailed photos with a CMOS sensor for everyday shooting
- Optical Zoom: 5x optical zoom with a 28mm wide angle lens for flexible framing indoors or outdoors
- Full HD Video: Records 1080p video for travel clips, family moments, or simple vlogging
- Memory Support: Works with Class 10 SD, SDHC, or SDXC cards up to 512GB
- Rechargeable Battery: Included LB-012 lithium-ion battery charges in the camera over USB with the supplied adapter in about 2 hours; charge it for at least 4 hours before first use to maximize battery life
TBS Act broadcast production department representative Akira Watanabe said the production team had wondered whether the footage would remain watchable while the referee ran around the field. Xacti’s announcement attributes steadier, easier-to-watch images to its stabilization technology. That is the company’s account quoting a production representative, not an independently published stabilization test.
What does the 29.5 g figure include?
The 29.5 g specification is for the CX-WL100 camera head alone, excluding its cable. The separate main unit is listed at 46.0 g, also excluding cable. Those figures come from an EC Galileo product listing accessed in October 2026; they do not add up to the weight of a complete setup, which also depends on cables, power and mounting accessories. The product listing gives the component specifications.
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- 16MP Sensor: Captures detailed photos with a CMOS sensor for everyday shooting
- Optical Zoom: 4x optical zoom with a 27mm wide angle lens for flexible framing indoors or outdoors
- Full HD Video: Records 1080p video for travel clips, family moments, or simple vlogging
- Memory Support: Works with Class 10 SD, SDHC, or SDXC cards up to 512GB
- LCD Screen and Battery: 2.7in LCD screen with 2 AA alkaline batteries for convenient on-the-go use
| Component or feature | Published specification | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Camera head | About 25 × 34 × 34 mm; approximately 29.5 g | Dimensions and weight exclude cable; EC Galileo listing accessed 5 October 2026. |
| Main unit | About 66 × 12 × 60 mm; approximately 46.0 g | Weight excludes cable; EC Galileo listing accessed 5 October 2026. |
| Video output | Full HD, up to 30 fps | EC Galileo listing accessed 5 October 2026. |
| Protection rating | Camera head: IP67; main unit: IP65 | Ratings apply to the separate listed components. |
| Power input | USB supply, 5 V ±5% | As stated in the EC Galileo listing. |
How is the CX-WL100 designed to be worn?
Xacti presents the CX-WL100 as a wearable device for remote assistance and live sharing, rather than a product made only for football broadcasts. Its materials describe mounting options for glasses, hats, suits and helmets, along with stabilization and horizon-maintenance functions. The current listing includes accessories such as glasses frames and adapters, cheek pads, a lens guard, clip mount, action-camera mount, wireless LAN adapter, USB cable and mobile battery.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe listing describes the company’s “Ex Stabilizer” as correcting large, complex movement in real time. This is a manufacturer or retailer product claim; the cited materials do not provide independent motion-test results or a comparison with other cameras.
Rank #3
- 16MP Sensor: Captures detailed photos with a CMOS sensor for everyday shooting
- Optical Zoom: 5x optical zoom with a 28mm wide angle lens for flexible framing indoors or outdoors
- Full HD Video: Records 1080p video for travel clips, family moments, or simple vlogging
- Memory Support: Works with Class 10 SD, SDHC, or SDXC cards up to 512GB
- Rechargeable Battery: Included LB-012 lithium-ion battery charges in the camera over USB with the supplied adapter in about 2 hours; charge it for at least 4 hours before first use to maximize battery life
Is this the same referee camera FIFA used?
No. FIFA’s Referee View at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a separate deployment, and the available sources do not establish that it used the Xacti CX-WL100. FIFA said a small camera worn on the main official captured and transmitted high-definition video and audio in real time for live broadcasts and post-match use across all group-stage matches. FIFA credited Lenovo with supplying a stabilized feed using a proprietary movement-correction algorithm. FIFA’s 30 June 2026 account describes that implementation.
FIFA also has an Innovation Programme page titled “Professional Referee Body Cameras,” but the accessible page does not establish additional technical or deployment details. The programme page identifies referee body cameras as an active innovation area.
Rank #4
- 16MP Sensor: Captures detailed photos with a CMOS sensor for everyday shooting
- Optical Zoom: 5x optical zoom with a 28mm wide angle lens for flexible framing indoors or outdoors
- Full HD Video: Records 1080p video for travel clips, family moments, or simple vlogging
- Memory Support: Works with Class 10 SD, SDHC, or SDXC cards up to 512GB
- Rechargeable Battery: Included LB-012 lithium-ion battery charges in the camera over USB with the supplied adapter in about 2 hours; charge it for at least 4 hours before first use to maximize battery life
Does this mean referees can wear cameras in any match?
No general permission follows from one televised deployment. The Football Association’s Law 5 page identifies the applicable edition as the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, but the accessible material does not establish the full body-camera provision or competition-specific conditions. Rules can depend on the governing edition and competition regulations; this broadcast example should not be read as a universal authorization. The FA’s Law 5 page identifies the current edition.
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