Intel has acquired some very impressive 3D technology tailored to sports broadcasting:

Replay’s freeD technology created a 3D video rendering of the entire court using 28 ultra-HD cameras placed around the area. Those cameras were connected to Intel servers, which then allowed broadcasters to transmit the contest from various angles and give fans a 360-degree view of the dunks.

I wonder to what extent this’ll take off. A lot of sports fans I know are lazy bastards who won’t want this sort of active involvement in the content. I always think of the Onion’s goof on Doritos—”‘cuz you’re too biz-zay for chewin’!”

Now, I can imagine a couple of very compelling sports-related experiences:

• You don goggles & see a huge phalanx of big screens, each presenting a different game (think: a shitty efficiency apartment suddenly puts Dave & Buster’s to shame*), and you’re able to flit among them while getting a steady stream of news, hot chicks (because why not?), and all the ads.
• One or more of these broadcasts augments its regular, curated 2D presentation with a bunch of 360º feeds shot from the sidelines, overhead, etc.
• Your coked-up magpie brain now flits among these at warp speed, perceiving only degrees of boredom.

So, good times, then. 🙂

J.

*Note: Dave & Buster’s, like Donald Trump, exists on a plane beyond shame, but that’s another matter.

[YouTube]