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1st & Ten is a computer system that generates and displays one version of the yellow first down line that a TV viewer sees during a live broadcast of a college or professional American football or Canadian football game〔() “Kicking Reality Up a Notch”, by Leslie Berlin, NY Times, July 11, 2009〕 A competing system that performs the same task using different technology is called L-VIS for Live Video Insertion System.〔() “When the Game's on the Line, the Line's on the Screen” by Matt Lake, NY Times, January 27, 2000〕 The line, which is not physically present on the field and is seen only by the television audience, spans the width of the football field and indicates the location of the first down marker. The purpose of the line is to make it easier for television viewers to follow play on the field. Some television football broadcasts change the color of the line from yellow to red on 4th down, or show a second computer-generated line (usually blue in color) that marks the line of scrimmage. In extreme situations, such as snowstorm or blizzard conditions, an entire virtual field with yard and boundary markers can be projected onto the field in order to allow league officials, broadcasters and viewers some way to follow action when all field markings are obscured by snow, fog or mud. The system makes use of a combination of motion sensors mounted on the broadcast cameras to record what they are viewing,〔() US Patent 5,917,553 “Method and apparatus for enhancing the broadcast of a live event”〕 and/or the use of match moving computer graphics technology〔() US Patent 6,100,925 “Image insertion in video streams using a combination of physical sensors and pattern recognition”〕 and an enhanced version of chroma key or "green screen" technology.〔() U.S. Patent 5,953,076 "System and method of real time insertions into video using adaptive occlusion with a static reference image"〕 ==Conception== The idea of creating an on-field marker to help TV viewers identify 1st down distances was conceived and patented in 1978 by David W. Crain,〔() US Patent 4,084,184 "TV Object locator and image identifier" David W. Crain〕 who presented the concept to Roone Arledge〔Roone Arledge〕 and Roger Goodman〔Roger Goodman (director)〕 of ABC News and Sports and to the CBS Technology Center.〔CBS Laboratories〕 At the time, both decided the broadcast industry was not ready to use Crain's invention. In 1998, ESPN programmer Gary Morgenstern and others revived the idea. ESPN's NFL coordinating producer, Fred Gaudelli, was tasked with overseeing an implementation for his network. The 1st & Ten line was first broadcast by Sportvision, a private company, during ESPN's coverage of a Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens game on September 27, 1998.〔() How Stuff Works - the first down line〕 A few weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day in 1998 (October 12), Princeton Video Image (PVI) aired its version of the virtual yellow down line on a CBS broadcast of a Pittsburgh Steelers–Detroit Lions game.〔() “Football made simpler” by Glen Dickson, Broadcasting & Cable, June 07, 1999〕 Four years later, SportsMEDIA introduced a third version during NBC coverage of a Notre Dame game. The rivalry between PVI and Sportvision began with a collaboration. In July 1995, PVI had successfully used its L-VIS (Live Video Insertion System) match moving technology to broadcast virtual advertising behind the home plate on a local broadcast of a Trenton Thunder baseball game. In January 1996, Roy Rosser, director of special projects at PVI, saw SportsVision's FoxTrax puck on the broadcast of the 1996 NHL All-Star Game and realized that a combination of L-VIS and FoxTrax would allow virtual insertions in a wider range of situations than either could do on its own, given the power of affordable computers. He contacted Stan Honey, CTO at Sportsvision, and the two companies undertook a joint demonstration of their combined technologies during the 1996 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees at the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. The test was not a success and the two companies parted ways, each developing complementary systems that were eventually used to broadcast Sportsvision's "First and Ten" line and PVI's "Yellow Down Line".〔Sportvision, Inc. and Fox Sports Productions, Inc. v. Princeton Video Image, Inc., Civil Action No. 99-CV-20998 (N.D. Cal.)〕 In October 1999, SportVision sued PVI alleging that PVI's virtual signage, first down line and other products infringed Fox/Sportvision patents. In August 2001, PVI counterclaimed against Sportvision in the federal court action, alleging that Sportvision's virtual strike zone and virtual signage products infringed a PVI patent. In 2002, the companies settled the lawsuits out of court through a cross-licensing deal.〔() Sportvision, Fox and PVI Settle Patent Litigation; "Lawsuits Resolved By Cross-Licenses and Interference Not Pursued, Business Wire" February 21, 2002〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1st & Ten (graphics system)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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