Absorption spectra of nitric oxide in the γ(0,0) and γ(1,0) bands have been measured for hard temperature conditions up to 1700K in order to validate a model for the simulation of these two bands. The good agreement between experiments and calculations (relative errors of 2-5% for the γ(0,0) band and 10-15% for the γ(1,0) band) consolidates the two important assumptions concerning the intermediate Hund's case between (a) and (b) for the X 2 Π state of the γ(0,0) and γ(1,0) absorption bands and the use of collisional broadening parameters of γ(0,0) to simulate the γ(1,0) band. Using this simulation, a study of the Beer-Lambert law behavior at high temperature has been carried out. With the instrument resolution used for these experiments, it was shown that a correction of the Beer-Lambert law is necessary. To apply this technique for the measurements of NO concentrations inside the combustion chamber of an optical SI engine, a new formulation of the Beer-Lambert law has been introduced, since the modified form proposed in the literature is no longer applicable in the total column range of interest.