Pointmaker Broadcast Video Marking System "Draws" Attention on ABC Monday Night Football
As ABC Monday Night Football enters its 30th season, a new annotation device is literally at Boomer Esiason's fingertips. The Boeckeler Pointmaker PVI-64 broadcast video marker was installed and used in the sports announcer's booth, giving the color analyst's comments additional impact while drawing over replays. The Pointmaker is connected to another new technology -- the SMART Matisse touch screen on a 42" plasma display. In this set-up, the Pointmaker allows Boomer to draw either with his fingertips on the touch screen or with a stylus. The entire marking system was made available to ABC by Craig Schiller of Bexel Corporation (CA).
According to Boeckeler Vice President Pat Brey who was present at the installation for the Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos game, the Pointmaker is used when Boomer needs to communicate particular details of plays to the audience. "There will be many times commentary alone will be sufficient. But we're there when he needs us," says Brey. "This is the most watched show on television. We're proud to provide the technology that enables Boomer to convey his message more clearly and powerfully."
The Pointmaker video marker allows both drawing and pointing over a variety of video images, offering a variety of markers, such as stars, X's, and O's. Several drawing line colors can be displayed on the screen at one time, and special key, program, and preview outputs mark the broadcast model.
"Weathercasters also use this model," says Brey. "It helps them interact almost magically with their weather maps."
About Boeckeler Instruments, Inc.
Founded on precision measurement in 1942, Boeckeler Instruments, Inc., later expanded its technology to support the video measurement needs in science and industry. In 1993, the company streamlined this video marking ingenuity for use by the presentation and broadcast markets. For further information on Boeckeler products, contact Boeckeler Instruments, Inc., 4650 South Butterfield Drive, Tucson, Arizona, 85714; (800)552-2262 or (520)745-0001; or E-mail: info@boeckeler.com. Or visit the company's website at http://www.pointmaker.com. Boeckeler and Pointmaker are registered trademarks and PVI is a trademark of Boeckeler Instruments, Inc. SMART Board and SMART Pen Tray are trademarks of SMART Technologies Inc.
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