This season, the NFL has turned to HD technology to give officials a clearer view of challenged calls from their sideline reviewing stations and replay booths.
With its 16:9 aspect ratio and more detailed pictures, HD television is helping the league's officials do their jobs better, says Dean Blandino, NFL director of instant replay.
“Our old system was great, but innovation is one of the things the NFL stresses, and we wanted to stay on the cutting edge,” he says. “HD is the technology that is out there, and we wanted to be at the forefront.”
In all but four stadiums — Dallas, Indianapolis, Kansas City and New York — with ongoing renovation or construction, referees peer into shrouded sideline replay stations with 26in high-def LCD monitors to review questioned calls with the benefit of a clearer, broader view.
“HD's a clearer picture, so you can see when the toe drags on the grass,” Blandino says. “In a lot of these field turf stadiums, you see those rubber pellets kick up when the receiver drags his toe. On pass complete or incomplete, when the ball is coming in low and the receiver gets his hands underneath, you can really get a good shot of that in HD.”
The wider aspect ratio of HDTV also is important to the league for replay judgment calls, says Ken Aagaard, CBS Sports senior VP, operations & production services.
“The NFL went to a high-def replay system because they realized they were missing information that the high-def viewer at home had, because in previous years they were looking at a 4:3 signal,” Aagaard explains. “Of course, what happens is fumbles could occur outside that 4:3 in that 16:9 set, or a foul or penalty that could be seen by an HD viewer and not an SD viewer.”
The NFL relies on broadcasters like CBS to provide the video its referees use to review plays. Replay officials seated in a stadium booth equipped with two HD monitors watch every play. A touch-screen interface allows the official to access any video available from the broadcast production truck.
“They can run it back, run it slow motion and run it frame by frame,” Blandino says. “They are basically picking the angles the referee will look at when he reviews the play.”
One area hasn't quite worked out as some sports writers predicted at the beginning of the season. Some built the case that sharper HD resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio would actually make deciding whether or not a call stands faster. However, at best, HD has shaved a couple of seconds from the time needed to reach a decision this season compared to last, Blandino says.
“We keep track of the amount of time to review plays, which is 60 seconds, and we also keep track of the overall delay — how long we are delaying the game from the time the challenge is initiated to the time we make the announcement that the challenge is over,” he says. “Last year, we averaged about 50 seconds to make a decision, and maybe we're at 47 to 48 seconds so far this season. There is no need for them to get out real quick if they're not sure. So we encourage them to use the full minute if that's what they need.”
Overall, the league is happy with HD.
“It just gives the referees more tools to do their jobs,” Blandino says. “They've already been doing a great job, and it's just allowed them to keep it up.”
