1st & Ten (graphics system)

Developed by Sportvision and PVI Virtual Media Services, it is best known for generating and displaying a yellow first down line over a live broadcast of a football game—making it easier for viewers to follow play on the field.

[7] The idea of creating an on-field marker to help TV viewers identify first down distances was conceived and patented in 1978 by Naval Oceans System Command engineer David W. Crain,[8][9] who presented the concept to Roone Arledge and Roger Goodman of ABC News and Sports and to the CBS Technology Center.

[11] A few weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day in 1998, Princeton Video Image (PVI) aired its version of the virtual yellow down line on a CBS broadcast of a Pittsburgh Steelers–Detroit Lions game.

He contacted Stan Honey, CTO at Sportvision, 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.

It also has a unique color palette, typically various shades of green, depending on the type of surface (i.e. real or artificial grass) and the weather (e.g. bright, shady or even snowing).

[15] The encoders transmit that info live 30 or more times per second to the broadcaster's production truck, where it is processed by Sportvision computers (typically one for each camera).