Technology is improving at an unprecedented rate, and while we’ve all been focusing on electric cars and new televisions at CES 2017, Fox and Intel have been working on a surprise for the world’s sport enthusiasts. When Fox Sports hosts Super Bowl LI on February 5th, 2017 they will be offering a unique player perspective for viewers, without forcing the players to wear a camera. The network is calling this new feature “Be the Player”.
Be the Player utilizes Intel 360’s replay technology, which has already been successfully used in the MLB and the NBA. This tech gives Fox the ability to “allow a moment to be recreated in 3D space” so fans will be able to see a play from a particular player’s perspective. That hail mary pass? Fox will put you in the receivers shoes as he watches the 60 yard pass arc into his hands. That interception everyone’s talking about? Fox will show you the quarterback’s perspective. This Be the Player feature will add a level of realism and detail that the average football viewer has never experienced before.
The Intel 360 system works by utilizing a vast array of ultra high-definition cameras surrounding a stadium that, with the help of a large bank of Intel computing power, provide the Be the Player perspective to viewers. Given the amount of data these computers need to process to create the perspective, the replays need a few minutes to compile before they can be utilized.
This new perspective is not only advantageous to fans, but is also an incredible new tool for announcers. Announcers will be able to see the players perspective during critical moments of the game and gain a deeper insight into the player’s decision making process based on the visual information they had available at the time.
This will be an exciting feature to look out for on game day! Fox Sports has said that they will be utilizing over 70 different cameras to cover the game itself, so if you couldn’t afford seats this year that’s ok, the best ones might just be on your couch!
If you can’t wait until February 5th to see this technology in action, it was also used to offer a referee’s perspective during the last Big 10 Championship game.
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