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NBC Tweaks ‘Sunday Night Football’ With New Technology

Sep 2, 2007  •  Post A Comment

NBC is adding new tricks to its playbook to boost ratings for its second season of “Sunday Night Football.”
Some of the technology NBC Sports will be using to make the games more enjoyable and easier to understand for viewers comes from the labs of parent company General Electric.
It is using surveillance technology from General Electric to upgrade a feature it calls “NBC It.” On replays, it allows NBC to magnify an area of the screen, giving a closer look at whether a player’s knee was down or his foot was out of bounds.
The new technology ensures that when a small part of the screen is blown up, it doesn’t get blurry.
“SNF” producer Fred Gaudelli plans to use “NBC It” on plays in which officials’ rulings are challenged by coaches and on other occasions when the viewer might want a tighter look at a play.
NBC also is rolling out a virtually enhanced goal line for replays of plays inside the five-yard line when it looks like the offense is about to score.
Starting with an overhead view from NBC’s cable-cam, the technology raises the goal line on replays, enabling the viewer to see where it is, even if the real goal line is covered by a pile of players.
“You’ll have a much clearer and hopefully more understandable view of whether or not the player crossed the goal line,” Mr. Gaudelli said.
NBC also has a new high-tech telestrator. Analyst John Madden won’t be touching it, but technicians in the production truck will be able to provide viewers with several new views of the action.
Mr. Gaudelli calls one application the “cone of vision.” Working with a cable-cam behind the quarterback, it allows viewers to see what the passer sees as he searches for a receiver.
“We used this the other night [during an exhibition game] in Philly with their rookie Kevin Kolb,” he said. “The guy happened to have a lot of protection that night, and he was really taking his time scanning the field. It was pretty interesting.”
NBC will be using virtual technology to project the down and distance onto the field before the start of plays, as some networks have already done. (The information will continue to be shown on the on-screen score bar.) The team colors for the graphic will emerge from a feather on NBC’s peacock logo.
“I just think it’s easier for the viewer to not have to look down at the score bar, then come back up to watch the play,” Mr. Gaudelli said. “It will be there in front of him, so I think that will be an added benefit.”

6 Comments

  1. Now that doctors have removed Olbermann”s appendix, please do his mouth next….Thanx

  2. I thought I was watching a good old fashioned American Football Game, when what do my eyes see? Spanish across my screen … several times …Vequeros de Dallas? Osos de Chicago? I won’t watch another game on NBC.

  3. Whats up with the SPANISH CRAP ???
    This is AMERICA NoT Mexico !!!
    I get tooo angry to continue watching NBC SNF when they broadcast entire commercials in friggin spanish so bye bye NBC!

  4. NBC Sunday Night Football Pushes Spanish on American fans .. Blog site created for topic. click ; http://www.topix.net/forum/blogs/TEQS16J8RTD3K3AKR

  5. Let’s just remove Keith permanently. I want to enjoy Sunday night football, not look at that leftist whacko. Just leave him on MSNBC and the audience of about 100 people on a big night.

  6. the pregame broadcast is annoying with that leftnut so called comic making a farce out of football.take that keith freak off and it would be a good program.fat ass could not even throw a football.

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