Some of the notable issues that occurred throughout Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game was the debut of the NFL’s new digital measurement system.
As an alternative of the normal chain system, the NFL introduced in April that it’s going to now use Sony’s Hawk-Eye expertise as the first method to measure the road to achieve. NFL followers obtained their first glimpse of this operation on Thursday because the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions opened the preseason in Canton, Ohio.
Velocity was the principle motive why the NFL needed to alter from the chain system to the digital measurement system. As an alternative of operating a sequence onto the sector to find out the road to achieve, the NFL’s new system ought to make that info accessible in a matter of seconds and probably eradicate among the controversial measurements that pop up seemingly on a weekly foundation.
Whereas the chain gang remains to be a backup choice, this expertise might be an everyday a part of the viewing expertise throughout the 2025 season. And based mostly on testing from the league, it is anticipated to be a considerably sooner course of. The NFL mentioned in April that the method “takes round 30 seconds,” and thusly saves “as much as 40 seconds” from a sequence measurement.
“Sony’s Hawk-Eye digital measurement system permits the NFL to precisely and effectively measure the gap between the noticed ball and the road to achieve. The expertise was examined extensively final season and can deliver a brand new stage of precision and velocity to NFL officiating,” the NFL mentioned in an April press launch.
“Sony’s Hawk-Eye digital measurement expertise will function an environment friendly various to the method of strolling chains onto the sector and manually measuring whether or not 10 yards have been met after the official has noticed the ball. The chain crew will stay on the sector in a secondary capability.”
The system makes use of six 8K cameras to trace the place of the ball and might be operated from the league headquarters in New York along side the replay system.