High School Sports Teams Turning to Digital Video

On a cart with wires hanging and computer equipment bustling, Sachem North football coach spends hours dissecting film in his office.

With the help of a projector and Digital Sports Video (DSV) software, Falco and thousands of high school and college coaches around the country have capitalized from the technological achievements of video analysis in sports.

DSV is the largest provider of video editing/scouting software in the nation, by far, with over 7,000 high schools, junior colleges, and colleges and their product is built on the innovation of most of the standards used in sports editing today, the company said.

"It brings our program to the next level," Falco said. "It allows us to show segments of games that is conducive to the kids watching it."

He can pull out all of Jesse Scanna's highlights from 2010 in 10 minutes and it's complete with every bit of information you'd want to know: distance, hash, placement on the field, formation, and so on.

"It creates a database of plays that can be accessed at the touch of a button," he said. "It's a very similar program to what they use at large colleges and in the NFL."

Part of the company's success comes from president Chris Griffin, who also serves as the programmer.

"It's customized," said DSV eastern region manager Mike Roark, "and we keep adding to it every year."

Aside from game analysis software, the recruiting software is available to universities. They're able to log on and view recruits during their high school games. Places like Alabama, Texas and Oregon have been using it. That same at-home feel of video analysis is a major perk for everyone.

"Our athletes can watch video from the house," said Roark, who is also the defensive coordinator at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Va. "Most kids can be watching a Friday night game by noon the following day."

Sachem hasn't jumped to that level, but Falco is hoping to convert an area near the weight room at North as a designated film room. With hoops coach Tom Mullee also utilizing DSV this season, and lacrosse coach Jay Mauro interested in making a purchase, there are plenty of eyes that can benefit from a specific location to review film.

"In the brief time I've had the DSV I can tell that we will be able to breakdown, splice, and organize film in a much more efficient way than we have in the past," said Mullee, a first-year head coach. "Highlight films and individual player films can be made quickly, rather than searching through a years worth of film. The DSV enables us to better prepare for opponents and give us a greater chance to succeed. It will certainly give us an advantage over our opponents."