Laying Down the Line

01/25/2001

By Doug Bedell / The Dallas Morning News

When the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants take the field in the Super Bowl this Sunday, television viewers worldwide will see radically different, digitally enhanced versions of that virtual yellow line that marks first downs.

(see graphic of the line technology here)

In Germany, the yellow line will appear with a FedEx logo beside it. Viewers in Canada will see a Pizza Pizza stamp. And on a feed sent to Mexico, Banca Serfin – the nation's third-largest bank – will emblazon its brand across Tampa's Raymond James Stadium field.

U.S. viewers won't see any virtual logos. But if Princeton Video Image of Lawrenceville, N.J., has its way, that may soon change.

Princeton, one of two companies producing such effects for American networks, has cut its teeth on "virtual signage." With its version of the technology, Princeton (www.pvi-inc.com) wraps the CBS Early Show logo around shots of New York City and is experimenting with even more radical applications.

"It can be as subtle as a logo appearing as if it were on the field or it can be as remarkable as making the center circle on a soccer field turn into an elevated platform where we bring up a virtual car," says Darrell DiCicco, Princeton director of broadcast operations. "It's really driven by the imagination of the people who apply it."

Right now, the National Football League won't allow synthetic signage on Super Bowl feeds for a variety of reasons, Mr. DiCicco says.

The other yellow line production company, New York City-based Sportvision, has taken a different tack with "sponsored lines."

Sportvision (www.sportvision.com), which presented the line at last year's Super Bowl and most football games produced by networks other than CBS, eschews virtual logos containing statements such as "This 1st & Ten Line is brought to you by Verizon."

"It's true you can paint lines and logos and all sorts of things, but the reason we introduced the first down line is that we thought this was something fans would really find helpful," says Bill Squadron, a former News Corp. executive who is now Sportvision's CEO. "The fact that the technology can do something is not the beginning and end of the question."

Plenty of philosophical differences exist between the two corporations. In fact, Sportvision is suing Princeton for patent infringement.

That aside, the yellow line is gradually becoming a staple of American football telecasts. Broadcasters have warmed to it. And, gradually, fans have come to expect its help.

The two companies are devising even more innovative applications for golf, NASCAR and custom interactive features that viewers can turn on and off from their comfy family room thrones. In recent college bowl games, Sportvision even introduced a "net punt average" line that showed up whenever kickers took the field.

"People are saying that fans have now come to believe this is a standard part of the broadcast and they're not happy when it doesn't appear," says Mr. Squadron. "That's good for us, because our goal is to provide this on every game."

How it works

Both Princeton and Sportvision use the same sort of technology to produce the yellow line effect. Princeton calls its product Virtual First Down; Sportvision, the pioneer in sports applications, named its 1st & Ten.

Sensors that measure pan, tilt, zoom and focus are attached to the three broadcast cameras located high in the stadium above the 50-yard line and toward each end zone.

Before the game, the camera positions are precisely measured and the lenses are calibrated. Then, during the game, data from the pan, tilt, zoom and focus from each camera are measured 30 times a second.

That information is relayed to a series of computers housed inside nearby production trucks. There, computer programs determine exactly where the first down line should be placed on the screen relative to the picture each camera transmits.

In essence, software is used to cut a hole in the shape of the first down line into the TV picture. The hole is filled with yellow pigment on the broadcast signal. In cutting the hole, only the color of the field is deleted. As a result, viewers can see the feet of players and referees as they cross the virtual yellow line, and numbers actually painted on the playing surface are not discolored.

The software must be precise, especially when teams wearing green uniforms take the field.

Exact color readings must be taken to make sure the line shows up on the field, not on shoulder pads and jerseys. This requires an up-to-the-second record of the colors of the playing surface and the players.

The entire process takes only one-tenth of a second so the video can be integrated into the rest of the broadcast without further processing. The Super Bowl's television director simply picks the best shot to show live action to the TV audience.

The line is in position instantly even after switching scenes. And, because the line is part of the video from each camera, it never comes in late, leaves early or lingers on in the next scene.

Yellow line history

The first yellow line appeared on ESPN, Disney's sports cable channel, which signed a deal with Sportvision to use it in Sunday night games two seasons ago. Fox Sports Productions became an investor in Sportvision when the line turned out to be an instant hit with fans.

But the costs of production, about $25,000 per game, and some failed applications have held back broad-based adoption of the technology, company representatives say.

Americans may recall how Fox Sports attempted to introduce the technology into hockey broadcasts in the mid-1990s. The network's technicians succeeded in applying a comet-like red tail to data emanating from special hockey pucks used in the network's NHL telecasts.

Fox abandoned the technology after hockey purists decided the additional images detracted from their viewing experience.

"People had trouble following the puck on television," says Mr. Squadron. "And we found there were a lot of people who appreciated it. But there were a lot of people – very avid fans – who felt they didn't need that assistance at all."

Three senior Fox executives were disappointed that Fox gave up on the new toy, so they set out on their own to find better applications.

On Sept. 26, 1998, Sportvision's new incarnation took the field on ESPN's Sunday Night Football. And the company never looked back.

Since then, both Princeton and Sportvision have raced ahead with novel applications they hope will build all sorts of new markets, especially in sports telecasts.

The future

Sportvision has developed "SuperStrator," which was introduced on ESPN's Sunday Night Football two seasons ago. With it, commentators can scribble diagrams that appear as if drawn directly on the field under player's feet. It can be used before a play, during a play and on replay.

"This way the fan can understand exactly what Phil Simms or John Madden is actually trying to show as the play is run or on replay," says Mr. Squadron.

Sportvision is also playing with ideas for auto racing and basketball. In basketball, the technology may help show graphically how high a player jumps. Beginning with this year's Daytona 500, Sportvision's Racef/x will be used to "create a precise digital record" in car races.

Under a contract with NASCAR, the company will attempt to produce Internet and interactive television games that essentially put viewers in charge of virtual cars participating in actual race events.

"And with the highlight feature, fans will be able to follow what the announcers and analysts are saying much more closely," says Mr. Squadron. "We're very excited about this thing, really."

Princeton, meanwhile, recently provided virtual enhancements and advertising for Shell's Wonderful World of Golf 2000 season. One feature produced a virtual flagstick that allowed viewers to see where the flag was located when a player was on a fairway or in a bunker. Another generated a white virtual circle to highlight the cup as players putted.

Both companies expect applications to gradually expand, especially as more "interactive components" become part of television set-top boxes and other gizmos attached to entertainment centers. Mr. Squadron even envisions a time when the comet-tailed hockey puck reappears as a viewer option.

"Some of these things that are liked by some and not by others can make a comeback with interactive television," Mr. Squadron says. "We think that's where we're headed with this thing."

But, says Mr. DiCicco of Princeton, technicians will have to be careful not to inject features that distract from the viewing experience. Past failures shouldn't be repeated.

"The world is a complex place," says Mr. DiCicco. "You can't anticipate every situation. We've got to strive to produce a novel and impactful presentation of broadcasters' content without getting in the way.

"It is," he says, "a constant challenge with this technology."