Fox Sports Productions, LLC

Sportvision, Inc.

Jerry Neil Gepner

Richard H Cavallaro

Stanley K Honey

David Blyth Hill

Marvin S White

James R Gloudemans

Edward Gerald Goren

Timothy P Heidmann

Alan C Phillips

Alan Alexander Burns

Walter Hsiao

Fred Judson Heinzmann

Terence J O'Brien

Philip C Evans

Charles Lawrence Rino

Patrick Wade Olsen

Harold Guthart

Andrew G Setos

William F Squadron

Ryan Adam Meis

Alan D Meis

Pan, tilt and zoom sensors are coupled to a broadcast camera in order to determine the field of view of the broadcast camera and to make a rough estimate of a target's location in the broadcast camera's field of view. Pattern recognition techniques can be used to determine the exact location of the target in the broadcast camera's field of view. If a preselected target is at least partially within the field of view of the broadcast camera, all or part of the target's image is enhanced. The enhancements include replacing the target image with a second image, overlaying the target image or highlighting the target image. Examples of a target include a billboard, a portion of a playing field or another location at a live event. The enhancements made to the target's image can be seen by the television viewer but are not visible to persons at the live event.

System for enhancing video

A three-dimensional model is created to represent an environment to be captured on video. A camera is fitted with pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors. An operator selects a location in the environment. The three-dimensional model is used to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of the location selected by the operator. Information from the pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors is used to transform the three-dimensional coordinates to a two-dimensional position in the video from the camera. Using the two-dimensional position of the video, a graphic is properly added to the video such that the graphic appears to be at the selected location in the environment.

System for enhancing a video presentation of a live event

A system is disclosed that can be used to enhance a video of an event. Sensors are used at the event to acquire information. For example, the system can include pan, tilt and zoom sensors to acquire camera view information. This information can be added to the video signal from a camera (e.g. in the vertical blanking interval) or otherwise transmitted to a central studio. At the studio, the sensor information is used to enhance the video for broadcast. Example enhancements include drawing lines or other shapes in the video, adding advertisements to the video or adding other graphics to the video.

Enhancing a video of an event at a remote location using data acquired at the event

A system for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event includes one or more sensors which are used to determine the location of the object. Based on the location of the object and the field of view of a broadcast camera, a processor determines the position of the object in a video frame of the broadcast camera. Once knowing where the object is positioned within the video frame, the television signal can be edited or augmented to enhance the presentation of the object.

System for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a

Method and apparatus for adding a graphic indication of a first down to

A system determines the vertical position of an object and report that vertical position in a format suitable for use on a television broadcast, a radio broadcast, the Internet or another medium. One example of a suitable use for the system includes determining the height that a basketball player jumped and adding a graphic to a television broadcast that displays the determined height. The system includes two or more cameras that capture a video image of the object being measured. The object's position in the video images is determined and is used to find the three dimensional location of the object. The three dimensional location includes a height coordinate. In some cases, the height coordinate is the desired vertical position. In other cases, the height or size of the object may be subtracted from the height coordinate to determined the vertical position.

System for determining the position of an object

A system for using a microphone at a sporting event which includes mounting a microphone and a transmitter inside an object on the playing field. The microphone senses audio data and the transmitter send the audio data to a receiver. The receiver communicates the audio data to a mixer which can insert the audio data into a television or radio signal.

System for using a microphone in an object at a sporting event

A microphone and transmitter are mounted to a baseball base such that they do not interfere with the baseball game. The microphone senses audio data and the transmitter sends the audio data to a receiver. The receiver communicates the audio data to a mixer which can insert the audio data into a television or radio signal.

System for using a microphone in a baseball base

Method and apparatus for enhancing the broadcast of a live event

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Langhorn, PA, United States of America

Jerry Neil Gepner