Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Legends Behind the Lens: Stan Honey

09/07/2020

Legends Behind the Lens: Stan Honey The Neil Armstrong of sports television changed on-screen graphics forever By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Thursday, July 9, 2020 - 12:00 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

The story of American sports television is engrained in the history of this nation, rising on the achievements of countless incredible men and women who never once appeared on our screens. During this pause in live sports, SVG is proud to present a celebration of this great industry. Legends Behind the Lens is a look at how we got here seen through the people who willed it to be. Each weekday, we will share with you the story of a person whose impact on the sports-television industry is indelible.

Legends Behind the Lens is presented in association with the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund. In these trying times - with so many video-production professionals out of work - we hope that you will consider (if you are able) donating to the Sports Broadcasting Fund. Do so by visiting sportsbroadcastfund.org.

___________________________

By Jason Dachman

The 1st & Ten line on football telecasts. K-Zone and pitch-tracking on baseball. Car-tracking pointer graphics on NASCAR. LiveLine course markers on the America's Cup. And anything dubbed augmented reality on sports TV. Today, these elements are fixtures that fans have come to expect in live sports telecasts, but none of the technologies would exist had it not been for Stan Honey. The master innovator and co-founder of Sportvision has helped change the way fans watch sports, creating unique augmented-reality tools that illuminate hard-to-see moments and allow the production team to better tell the story playing out on the field.

Every time we've created a successful system, it has taken something that is hard to see, important to the game, and occurs often, and then we superimposed a graphic to make it easy to see, he explains. We want to make it easier to see and understand those invisible but important and frequent moments.

Of course, Honey's achievements go well beyond the realm of sports media. He is one of the most decorated navigators in sailing and, early in his career, pioneered the first-ever vehicle-navigation system.

Stan Honey's influence and legacy in the sports-broadcasting industry is absolutely immense, says Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and Fox Sports founding President David Hill. What Stan has done - from the glowing puck to the 1st & 10 line to tracking NASCAR [stock cars] in a three-dimensional space - has totally changed the viewer experience. Stan's inventive, curious mind has left an indelible legacy on sports production - both in the U.S. and around the world.

From Navigator and Innovator to the Father of Vehicle Navigation

The son and godson of navigators, Honey was born in Pasadena, CA, in 1955, and grew up in San Marino sailing dinghies, as well as showing an early passion for engineering by constructing homemade ham radios. By the time he was a teenager, he was navigating large yachts in races ranging from Mexico to Hawaii.

He opted to attend Yale for his undergraduate degree - largely because it had the best sailing team in the country - and earned a BS in engineering and applied science. While helping Yale continue to dominate the sport, Honey also began to sail professionally and quickly developed a reputation as one of the most gifted navigators around.

After graduating, he began work as a research engineer at Stanford Research Institute (SRI), continuing to sail and navigate professionally as well as earning his MSEE at Stanford. During this period, renowned entrepreneur - and ATARI founder - Nolan Bushnell tapped him to navigate his maxi yacht in the 1983 Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, a race in which he was first to finish. With Bushnell's backing and encouragement, Honey founded Etak (a Polynesian navigational term), which would pioneer the first car-navigation system using map-matching technology (once GPS became available, all vehicle navigation systems continued to use the map-matching tech created by ETAK in conjunction with GPS).

I think Stan embodies the ultimate marriage between technical innovation and content awareness. And he is the perfect harmony between curiosity and wisdom, says Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and frequent collaborator Geoffrey Mason. The reason he's so successful at whatever he does is, he makes sure he understands the needs of his colleagues. That has been true whether in his early days as [vehicle-navigation] innovator, as a navigator in sailing, or creating animations to illustrate the action in an America's Cup race.

Honey's News Corp. Era Begins

In 1989, Honey sold Etak to Rupert Murdoch for roughly $35 million and continued to run it under News Corp. ownership. He also found his way into the media business.

One of the advantages I had going to a liberal-arts school like Yale for an engineering education was that I also learned to speak and write pretty well, says Honey. So the executives [at News Corp.] realized that, even though I was an engineer, I could also explain technology in a way they could understand. At the time, there were a lot of confusing new technologies and terms in the media industry: encryption, digital, internet, conditional access. I ended up spending half my time helping the other chief executives tangling with these technical issues.

When News Corp. sold Etak to Sony in 1996, Honey stayed on as News Corp.'s EVP of technology, a role he says he struggled with since I enjoy building things and a corporate role like that was really frustrating because I wasn't building anything.

Nonetheless, he took on several major projects during his six years in the role, including managing
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/07/09/legends-behind-the-lens-stan-ho...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

14/08/2026

Call for the 20th South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAs20) Overall Judging Chairpersons Nominations

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Ar...

14/08/2026

LiveU, Panasonic LUMIX Launch 'Live Anywhere' Production Workflow

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/08/2026

PBS Station Takes Iron Mountain to Court Over Archives

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/08/2026

TV Globo Chooses Triveni Digital to Support TV 3 0 Footba...

Leading Brazilian Broadcaster Will Use Triveni Digital's TV 3.0 Broadcast Chain and Service Quality Assurance Solutions to Support Next-Generation Televisio...

14/08/2026

Beam Dynamics Makes IBC Debut with Major Expansion into L...

Beam Dynamics will make its IBC debut this September, marking a major step in the company's growth. Beam helps broadcast, live production and professional A...

14/08/2026

Conservative Groups Urge FCC to Stay Out of Affiliate Deals

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/08/2026

LiveU and Panasonic LUMIX Launch 'Live Anywhere' Production Workflow

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/08/2026

Cineverse Launches New Tools to Repurpose Audio Ads for CTV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/08/2026

Hearst Television Ups Derek Schnell to VP, News

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/08/2026

amaran Makes Its Global Debut in Audio With the Launch of...

amaran, pioneer of lighting tools for creators, today announced the amaran Mic, a 99 wireless desktop microphone that brings the brand into audio for creators ...

14/08/2026

Creative COW Roundtable: Introduction to the New After Effects Assistant - AEAI

Creative COW Roundtable: Introduction to the New After Effects Assistant - AEAI Brie Clayton August 13, 2026 0 Comments On August 23, 2026 at 9am PDT/...

14/08/2026

Life on Waves Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Life on Waves Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton August 13, 2026 0 Comments Collaborative editing and color grading workflow supported by...

14/08/2026

Why Bulletproof Video Project Archiving Is Non-Negotiable

Why Bulletproof Video Project Archiving Is Non-Negotiable John Carboni August 13, 2026 0 Comments In video production, the work is far from over when ...

14/08/2026

Stacked with Boston Conservatory Talent, Shakespeare on the Common Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

Stacked with Boston Conservatory Talent, Shakespeare on the Common Celebrates It...

14/08/2026

Cotswolds Designer Outlet, one year on

It's been one year since our client, Cotswolds Designer Outlet, opened its doors and we've loved seeing the scheme come to life. Together, we've hel...

13/08/2026

LaLiga Renews Broadcast Agreements with ESPN and DSports in South America Through 2031/32

LaLiga has renewed broadcast agreements with ESPN and DSports covering Spanish-l...

13/08/2026

Rockstar Energy Open Builds Third Portland Show Around AI-Powered Vertical Feed, Remote Operators

Three days of skateboarding competitions, live music, and other programming will...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: Matrox Video to Showcase IP and Software-Defined Technologies

Matrox Video will showcase its portfolio of IP and software-defined technologies at IBC2026 (Booth 7.B15, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). The portfolio includ...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: SMPTE to Present Sessions, Workshops, and Networking Events

SMPTE will present expert-led sessions, professional workshops, and networking events at IBC2026. The organization will be located in the IBC2026 Owner Pavilion...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: Clear-Com to Showcase Communications Solutions

Clear-Com will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 10.D29, September 11-14, Amsterdam), showcasing FreeSpeak Cell, Avalon IP Station, updates to Arcadia Central Station, ...

13/08/2026

Advanced Systems Group Appoints Eran Binyamin Zeitoun as Senior Technical Program Manager

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has appointed Eran Binyamin Zeitoun as Senior Techn...

13/08/2026

2026 SVG Venues & Teams Summit Heats Up Kaseya Center in Miami

Miami HEAT, Florida Panthers, Orlando Magic, University of Miami join leading vendors for a day of gameday-production talk in South Florida The 2026 SVG Venues...

13/08/2026

MLB at Field of Dreams Returns as Netflix Joins the Effort, Leans Into Cinematic Look at Newly Permanent Ballpark

NBC Sports is producing the Twins-Phillies game alongside the streamer, which is...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: Oracle to Showcase Cloud Media Workflows

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 5, Booth 5.A21, September 11-14, Amsterdam), demonstrating cloud-based workflows across low-late...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: Dalet to Participate Accelerator Programme with AI Live Sports Workflow Demo

Dalet will participate in the IBC2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, co...

13/08/2026

Cox Media Group Announces Local Broadcast Deals with Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets

Cox Media Group (CMG) has announced multi-year local broadcast rights agreements...

13/08/2026

Jnger Audio to Demonstrate Cloud-Based DTV+ Workflow at SET Expo 2026

J nger Audio will join Fraunhofer IIS and industry partners to showcase a cloud-based, DTV+-compliant workflow at SET Expo 2026 in S o Paulo, August 17-20. DTV+...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: Olympic Broadcasting Services to Receive International Honour for Excellence

IBC has announced that Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) will receive the Inte...

13/08/2026

NESN Expands Red Sox Broadcast Distribution for Jimmy Fund Telethon

NESN has partnered with WSBK-TV38 to broadcast Boston Red Sox games on August 17 and 18 over the air, extending the reach of the 24th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fun...

13/08/2026

LiveU and Panasonic LUMIX Launch Live Anywhere Mobile Production Workflow

LiveU and Panasonic LUMIX have announced the Live Anywhere workflow, demonstrated at NAB 2026 and InfoComm 2026 in collaboration with Social180Group. The work...

13/08/2026

IBC 2026: Chyron to Showcase Sports Workflow Solutions

Chyron will demonstrate its sports analysis, graphics, remote production, virtual production, and venue control solutions at IBC2026 (Booth 7.A23). This year...

13/08/2026

Ratings Roundup: Pro Football Hall of Fame Game Draws 7 Million During Quiet August for Sports

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...

13/08/2026

ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, Prime Video Set National Slates for Year 2 of NBA Rights Deal

Season tips off Oct. 20 and runs through April 11; Christmas Day, NBA Cup, All-S...

13/08/2026

VAEMI announce the Synterra

Company preview bio-interactive' synthesizer VAEMI have announced the upcoming launch of a new standalone bio-interactive' generative synthesizer....

13/08/2026

Ravine DSP update Inter::State

Plug-in host gains new Slot Scenes feature Ravine DSP have recently updated their innovative plug-in host, kitting it out with a new feature that brings yet...

13/08/2026

Tubi Media Group Partners with Gracenote to Unlock Additional Value in Content Discovery and Programmatic CTV Advertising

New Agreement Aims to Leverage Gracenote Infrastructure to Create More Relevant ...

13/08/2026

CMG Expands Local Sports Offering With Two NBA Deals

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

Olympic Broadcasting Services to receive IBC2026 Internat...

IBC today announced that its most prestigious honour, the International Honour for Excellence (IHFE), will be presented to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), ...

13/08/2026

Dalet Demonstrates the Future of AI-Orchestrated Live Spo...

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced its participation in the IBC2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Pro...

13/08/2026

dzjinius to showcase new dzjinius on-set application at I...

dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its new application, dzjinius on-set , at IBC20...

13/08/2026

BCE Demonstrates Sovereign Cloud Media Workflows powered...

Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), a leading European provider of media services, system integration and product development, will demonstrate an end-to-end sove...

13/08/2026

Clear-Com to Showcase Communications Solutions for Broadc...

Clear-Com is returning to IBC 2026, taking place September 11-14 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. At Stand 10.D29, Clear-Com will spotlight the award-winning FreeSpe...

13/08/2026

Leader to highlight advanced Test and Measurement solutio...

Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement ...

13/08/2026

KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Monitoring With New V Series Five Studio MonitorsKRK Brings Advanced Wireless

KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Monitoring With New V Serie...

13/08/2026

Anthony Noack Captures Artist's Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design

Anthony Noack Captures Artist's Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton August 12, 2026 0 Comments Solo filmmaker documents concept...

13/08/2026

ARRI Image Science makes its mobile debut in the HONOR Robot Phone

ARRI Image Science makes its mobile debut in the HONOR Robot Phone Brie Clayton August 12, 2026 0 Comments Hero image displays the HONOR Robot Phone, ...

13/08/2026

ASG Adds Eran Binyamin Zeitoun as Senior Technical Program Manager

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...