by FOX Sports

Updated: February 14, 2008, 7:57 PM EST Comment

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Fans Ask; Waltrip, Hammond and McReynolds Answer Technology Developed with Carnegie Mellon University

How many times have you heard something during a televised sports event and wondered, "What the heck is he talking about?" This NASCAR on FOX season, you'll be able to go online to get the answer, straight from the analyst's mouth.

On Sunday, Feb. 17, during coverage of the 50th Daytona 500, FOX Sports and FOXSports.com unveil a unique online question and answer opportunity. This virtual Q&A is unlike others that may have preceded it. On FOXSports.com, NASCAR on FOX analysts Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds, three of the sport's most knowledgeable experts, can answer viewer's questions in real time. Each individual has been recorded providing simple, concise explanations to hundreds of potential questions that might arise during a NASCAR on FOX race.

"Every sport, including NASCAR, is loaded with unique terminology that many core viewers understand, but sometimes has others scratching their heads," said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. "Our virtual Q&A is designed to enhance the viewing experience by helping the curious fan better understand what they're seeing while they're seeing it."

FOX's virtual Q&A is an adaptation of patented technology called Synthetic Interviews developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Penn., by Scott Stevens, Ph.D. and Michael Christel, Ph.D., computer researchers in CMU's School of Computer Science and Entertainment Technology Center (ETC).

"By enabling fans to interact with their favorite on-air personalities online, FOX Sports and FOXSports.com are delivering the type of engaging, multi-platform experience that users have come to expect from sports event coverage," said Brian Grey, SVP and GM of FOX Sports Interactive. "It's these types of multi-platform programming experiences that deliver a new level of engagement for sports fans and also resonate with brand advertisers."

Synthetic Interviews is a technology that allows users to ask questions and receive video answers as if they were engaged in a face-to-face conversation with a live person. Specifically regarding this effort, one of the three NASCAR on FOX experts appears to answer the question or explain the term as though speaking directly to the viewer. When the project is launched on Sunday, over 300 terms frequently used during race coverage, such as wedge, marbles or camber can be explained by the FOX Sports Answer Man. While not every possible question can be anticipated, items featured can be refreshed and updated based on demand.

Scott Stevens, SI inventor along with CMU researcher Michael Christel said, "This is an exciting opportunity for us and the ETC and it has been a great experience for our team of ETC graduate students. They have been able to participate in the development of cutting edge, real-world entertainment working along side of the outstanding professionals at Fox Sports and FoxSports.com. We're eager to see how the large Fox Sports and NASCAR audience responds to the technologies that are coming out of CMU's ETC."

About ETC
ETC's mission is to provide leadership in education and research that combines technology and fine arts to create new processes, tools, and vision for storytelling and entertainment" The ETC offers a Masters of Entertainment Technology that is based on the principle of having technologists, non-technologists, and researchers from multiple disciplines work together on projects that produce artifacts that are intended to entertain, inform, and inspire.

About FOX SPORTS
As America's top-rated network for sports for the 11th-straight year (1997-2007), FOX Sports boasts rights agreements with each of the nation's highest-rated sports. FOX Sports is the exclusive national over-the-air television rights holder of Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game, alternating League Championship Series and World Series (2007-2013); the National Football League's NFC package, including the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowls XLII and XLV (2006-2011); NASCAR's Sprint Cup racing from February through May, including the Daytona 500 (2007-2014); the Bowl Championship Series, featuring the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl from 2007 through 2010 and the new BCS National Championship Game from 2007 through 2009; and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports has earned 71 Emmy Awards for production excellence. David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports.

About FOXSports.com on MSN
FOXSports.com on MSN is a leading sports Web site that delivers breaking news, real-time stats and fantasy games to more than 15 million unique visitors every month. FOXSports.com, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, is the exclusive provider of sports content for MSN in the US and it is the online extension of FOX Sports television coverage. Located at http://msn.foxsports.com, the site provides sports fans with a wealth of exclusive online video, and is the industry leader in the delivery of sports content to mobile devices via its Fox Sports Mobile products.