{"id":9924,"date":"2015-10-28T14:13:31","date_gmt":"2015-10-28T22:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.perivision.net\/wordpress\/?p=9924"},"modified":"2015-10-28T14:13:31","modified_gmt":"2015-10-28T22:13:31","slug":"review-of-the-first-major-us-live-sports-event-in-vr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.perivision.net\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/review-of-the-first-major-us-live-sports-event-in-vr\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of the first major US live sports event in VR"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"nba-vr\"<\/a>

http:\/\/www.nbcbayarea.com\/news\/local\/First-Time-NBA-to-Offer-Live-Virtual-Reality-Streaming-of-Game-Warriors-vs-Pelicans-337523961.html<\/p><\/div>\n

So it finally happened. \u00a0We got to see a major game, live, in VR. \u00a0I wish I could say it was great, it wasn’t, but it was good enough to MORE then\u00a0prove that live or even post broadcast games in VR have amazing potential, and I waiting with money in hand.<\/p>\n

First, what went wrong. \u00a0Only 3 things really. \u00a0The\u00a0stream was not strong enough to keep up with the action. \u00a0When the players were mostly standing around, it felt like the feed could hold about 25fps. \u00a0However, once the movement started to increase, the compression would be reduced and soon I was watching 15 and even 10 fps. \u00a0That’s at least when it does not lock up on me. \u00a0(To fix, I simply restarted the app)<\/p>\n

Second, WHY in the world are we sitting so damn low? \u00a0And ‘thankfully’ someone told the camera guy to move after the half. \u00a0 Really, its a camera. \u00a0Get me court-side and 8 feet up. \u00a0Also I understand the issues with trying to cover a large court\u00a0with one camera, but you can zoom in a little bit more. \u00a0I don’t mind moving my head a bit more. \u00a0The players looked so small, combined with poor frame rate, I thought I was watching a video game.<\/p>\n

\"nba-vr-cameraguy\"<\/a>Finally, announcers and\u00a0scores. \u00a0There should be an easy way to get that feed synced and a simple 2D overlay.<\/p>\n

Now the good parts.. \u00a0 For all its limitations, it was a FANTASTIC taste of what is to come.<\/p>\n

It was nice to look where I wanted to look and really feel the pace of the game. \u00a0I did not feel ‘there’ but I could imagine now what it will feel like. \u00a0In other words even though the NBA tip off was not a ‘immersive’ experience, it was close enough that I know what it CAN feel like and I want it even more!!<\/p>\n

The other key takeaway is the issues I listed above are not that hard to fix. Once we have 4k screens; partner with a company with a better compression algorithm, get the camera off the floor, add some voice and data overlays are we are at v1 for live VR sports.<\/p>\n

BTW, phone overheat was still as issue. \u00a0It was easy enough to fix by simply turning on a fan and putting on a sweatshirt, but the demands of a 4k stream will push the hardware even harder, so for now keep a fan nearby. \u00a0If you do not have that option, turn off everything but the wifi and bring the brightness down a bit. \u00a0It will help a lot.<\/p>\n

And why did we not have the option to watch this on oculus? \u00a0Yes, its WAY better to have a mobile device so I could watch it where I wanted to, but if I could get better performance out of the oculus or the vive, why not offer that?<\/p>\n

All and all, good job at the first test. \u00a0I know it will get better and better.<\/p>\n

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