NHL Tests Live Virtual Reality Broadcasts
NextVR tested a live TX between Laguna Beach, CA and Michigan
Virtual reality has the potential to bring new viewing experiences to sports and the main technology pioneer in this area continues to break ground. NextVR has followed up capture of action from the October 2014 Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Global Games matchup in Rio de Janeiro, with a test shoot with the NHL. The latter included a live VR transmission directly from the ice at the 2015 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series LA Kings vs. San Jose Sharks Game on February 21.
NextVR says the NHL is testing live VR as a new medium for broadcast. NextVR claims to be the only company capable of broadcasting VR content live. Its rig captures feeds from multiple Red Epic cameras but its secret sauce is the ability to compress the data for broadcast quality transmission. The company has 19 patents pending or granted.
The company has previously captured a Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Global Games matchup. Highlight packages from each event are being distributed through Samsung’s Milk VR
“With basketball enthusiasts all over the world, it’s paramount that we explore new ways to bring fans even closer to the game,” said Jeff Marsilio, NBA VP Global Media Distribution. “Virtual reality delivers amazing vantage points like the NBA All-Star Game from a courtside seat or Sprite Slam Dunk from the baseline.”
The NBA plans to deliver new experiences on Samsung’s Milk VR throughout 2014-15 season.
In January this year the company claimed the first live, broadcast quality transmission of a virtual reality experience. The transmission was conducted between Laguna Beach, CA and Michigan where a reporter was transported to the beach in California and held a conversation in realtime, high-definition VR.
Specifically, NextVR’s technology for live VR transmission includes:
A 6K resolution, 80-frame-per-second, stereoscopic camera system that captures not just the visuals, but the 3D geometry of a location (e.g. the shape, size and distance of all the objects in the captured scene as well as the size of the environment.
A patented stereoscopic broadcast technology platform that can transmit high resolution, 3-dimensional imagery and 3D geometry at bit-rates low enough to stream to mobile VR devices over cellular networks (as low as 4 mbp).
NextVR’s live-streaming player technology is demonstrable on GearVR and other mobile and wired VR platforms.
The NBA plans to deliver new experiences on Samsung’s Milk VR throughout 2014-15 season.
NextVR tests VR broadcast at an NHL game
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