CBS Using Orad Graphics System in Sports Coverage

CBS Sports has selected the Motion Video Play (MVP) graphics system from Orad Hi-Tec Systems Ltd. in connection with both tennis and football event coverage. The most recent use came at a late September an NFL game that pitted the Cincinnati Bengals against the New York Giants.

According to Orad, the MVP was selected because it lends itself to easy customization. CBS was able to tailor functions and features of the graphics package in the creation of "FloMotion," which highlights play elements while they are in motion. MVP's "HyperZoom" function was also used for focusing in on the key elements of certain plays. This allowed home viewers to examine the exact location of a receiver's feet to ascertain whether or not he was in bounds for a touchdown catch, for example.

The MVP system is considered an improvement on earlier graphics systems, as it allows graphics to run with video clips. Previously, such graphics applications could only be used on still frames. In the sports coverage, an Orad team worked with the CBS Sports playback operator to coordinate a graphics overlay on selected play clips.