Virtual reality is about to have a faceoff with hockey fans. Canadian viewers will get the chance to try 360 VR, the immersive video technology that allows viewers 360-degree viewing, over the next six Saturday broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada. There will be one 360 VR-compatible game each week, starting with the Calgary-Vancouver broadcast next Saturday.
The technology, available through the Sportsnet app, will require viewers to have a capable smart phone and a headset similar to Google Cardboard. You can also watch online and use your mouse to explore the views at Sportsnet.ca.
Molson Canadian, which is partnering with the sports network, will be packing 350,000 headsets into cases of beer. The sets will come with a PIN code to access additional content.
“We thought it was an interesting technology that we think has some legs, but is still in it infancy,” said Rob Corte, Sportsnet’s vice president of production. “We looked at this as an opportunity to present the game in a different way, to give a new experience to the viewers that we could expand relatively easily, so that a lot of people got a chance to experience it.”
There are certainly a lot of industries interested in the technology, from phone manufacturers (Samsung, HTC) to video game and PC makers (Valve, Sony) and social networks (Facebook). And sports is an opportunity to bring the live-event component to virtual reality. There are several challenges, however, starting with how best to shoot and present the games.
Much of that experimentation so far has been done by NextVR, a Laguna Beach, Calif.-based company that has broadcast such events as the NBA, the Masters Tournament and the Kentucky Derby. NextVR has signed a five-year, $80-million (U.S.) deal to broadcast several Fox Sports events.
Viewers should know that, with the kind of cardboard headset being used with Hockey Night in Canada promotion, we are a long way from entering The Matrix. These headsets are nothing like such high-end units as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, which can cost $1,000 or more and require powerful computers to run.
“It’s not 4K. It’s not as sharp as HD. It’s good, but the reality is that the technology is still in its infancy, and the higher quality the viewfinder, the better the picture,” Corte said. “What it really is going to let you do is give an experience like you are sitting at the venue.
“There will no commentary. There will be a PA announcer, (you can) hear the crowd and the sticks and the skates and all that. There will also be no graphics. If you want to see the score, you look up and look at the scoreboard.”
There will be three camera angle views, one at the centre line and from both ends, but this is really a novelty at this point, and one that Corte admits will be a learning experience for Rogers. Still, it’s a new toy for viewers to play with in the middle of a long season.
The true believers believe virtual reality could revolutionize all kinds of entertainment and sports viewing, combining home viewing with the stadium experience. The big commercial idea, dubbed “infinite seats,” would allow teams or venues to sell the view from front-row seats to people all over the world. And while some argue there is an anti-social aspect to the bulky headsets, friends and family could plug in and share a game from wherever they are.
But, as with all kinds of hyped technology, so much depends on how it is presented and how real people take to it. TV manufacturers are already giving up on 3D, which was the last big push before 4K.
It’s a good reminder that there is plenty that has to happen before the next hyped thing becomes a reality worth buying into.
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