Automatic darts scoring: multi-camera, phone apps and more

Keeping score by hand means doing mental arithmetic between throws and getting it wrong every now and then. These days, several approaches will do the counting for you, and they differ a lot in accuracy, cost and set-up. Here's a fair look at each one, including where Throw isn't as good as the alternatives.

Steel-tip and soft-tip: two different worlds

First, a basic distinction. In soft-tip darts the board is electronic: every segment is a sensor, the dart presses on it and the board knows exactly where it landed. Automatic scoring comes built in.

In steel-tip darts the board is sisal, with no sensors at all. To score automatically, something has to look at the board with one or more cameras and work out where each tip went in. That's where the options start to differ. If you're still weighing up the two formats, we compare them in steel-tip vs soft-tip.

Electronic boards (soft-tip)

The principle is simple and reliable: the segment that's hit is registered directly, no camera involved.

Pros:

• instant, unambiguous scoring, because the board itself detects the impact;
• nothing to calibrate, nothing to adjust;
• some of them connect to an app so you can play against other people.

Cons:

• it isn't quite the same game: lighter darts, plastic points, bigger segments and often a different throwing distance;
• bounce-outs are common, and the segments wear over time;
• if your goal is to improve at steel-tip (the format of the televised tournaments and most clubs), the practice doesn't carry over perfectly.

Prices cover the whole range, from very affordable entry-level boards to high-end models.

Multi-camera systems (steel-tip)

This is the most accurate option for a sisal board. Systems such as Autodarts or Scolia use several cameras mounted around the board, usually three, spread around its edge.

Why several? Because a dart seen from one side can be hidden by another dart, or look shifted depending on the angle. With several points of view, the system cross-checks the images and places the tip far more reliably.

Pros:

• the best accuracy you can get in steel-tip;
• much less bothered by hidden darts, since at least one camera usually sees the tip;
• a fixed installation: once it's in place, there's nothing to set up before each game.

Cons:

• you need dedicated hardware, bought and fitted around the board;
• it's fixed, so not handy if you play at a friend's house or down the pub;
• the budget runs to hundreds of pounds rather than tens.

In fact, a three-camera Autodarts setup is what we use as the referee when we measure how accurate Throw is. Autodarts also offers a single-phone version, Autodarts Lens, covered just below.

Apps using a single phone camera

The third option is to use the camera on the phone that's already in your pocket, set on a tripod beside the board. Plenty of apps have taken this route. Among the major players are Autodarts Lens (Autodarts' single-phone app, sold with Winmau on a subscription) and Dartsmind; Throw belongs to the same family.

Pros:

• no hardware to buy or mount;
• portable: put your phone down at home, at a friend's or in the pub, and off you go;
• up and running in a few minutes.

Cons worth knowing about:

• occlusion: with a single point of view, a dart already in the board can hide the new one. The camera can't guess what it can't see;
• parallax: filmed from the side, a dart is tilted, and its tip isn't where its body appears to point. Finding the exact entry point is still tricky;
• darts on the wire: within a millimetre or two, the call can go the wrong way;
• results depend on the phone, where you put it and the lighting.

Where Throw fits in

Throw is a free web app you install from your browser, no app store needed, on iPhone and Android alike. You stand the phone to the side of the board, 1.5 to 2 m away, and it keeps score on its own. All the processing happens on the phone, and the app works offline.

On filmed sessions, compared with a three-camera Autodarts setup:

• 98% of darts were picked up;
• about 9 out of 10 landed in the same segment as Autodarts.

To be clear: a multi-camera system is still more accurate. Throw is betting on something else, no hardware and no cost. When it gets one wrong, a single tap on the dart fixes it. The full story is in how Throw scores your darts.

At a glance

How to choose

• You play a lot, always in the same place, and want the best accuracy: a multi-camera system is worth the investment.
• You prefer soft-tip and the arcade feel: an electronic board.
• You want to try automatic scoring without buying anything, or play wherever there's a board: a single-camera app. With Throw you can try it in minutes: install the app and start a game.

Whatever you pick, a well-lit, properly hung board helps every system: have a look at our tips on dartboard lighting.