Posts tagged with "Apple Immersive Video"

Experiencing Apple’s Live Yankees–Red Sox Immersive Baseball Broadcast

Last night, I sat down with my Vision Pro and caught the first part of the Yankees–Red Sox game live in Immersive Video. I wouldn’t call myself a baseball fan these days, but I have fond memories of many summer evenings at Tiger Stadium and Wrigley Field, and I was keen to see how Apple’s immersive broadcast compared.

Having sampled Apple’s other Immersive Video content, but very little of its sports coverage, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sitting down to watch, I was surprised by how much it felt like I was at Yankee Stadium. Before the first pitch was thrown, the broadcast focused on the Yankees’ starting pitcher as he warmed up. Periodically, the camera angle switched, giving viewers other angles on the pre-game preparations, while the announcers chatted about each team’s season leading up to the game.

Once the game started, the camera switched to positions near each team’s batting circle depending on which team was at bat, occasionally switching to shots behind home plate and in right-center field. During each at bat, a virtual scoreboard showed a 2D feed of the game like you’d see on a regular broadcast bounded by statistics. The additional angle and information were useful for fans, but as someone who was there primarily for the experience, it took away from the immersiveness a little to see a fake scoreboard floating in the sky over the stadium’s right field wall.

That said, the immersiveness was impressive. I found myself looking all around the stadium taking in the sights and spatial audio sounds. The detail was incredible. Fully surrounded by the stadium, I watched as a family walked by with popcorn and drinks and could even read the Poland Spring label on a water bottle in the bullpen.

Then, as I watched the Yankees at bat, I could see someone off camera spitting sunflower seeds in the dirt along the dugout. That sort of minute detail added to the immersiveness of the experience every bit as much as being surrounded by the video feed and soundscape, to the point that when a player entered my view from off camera, I instinctively tucked my legs under me to avoid him tripping over me.

At times, though, I also felt a little too close to the action. It was like I had slipped into a restricted area, an invisible participant, spying on unsuspecting people on the field, waiting for security to discover me and kick me out of the stadium. That feeling was probably driven by the combination of knowing that the broadcast was live and not having watched a lot of Apple immersive sports content, but it was still a little unsettling at first.

As for the game, I didn’t pay very close attention. I don’t follow either team, but it was still fun to watch the game unfold from up close. The dugout camera angles made it slightly harder to see the pitches as they were thrown than it would be from a more traditional outfield camera viewpoint, but it really didn’t take away from the experience.

Ultimately, I only lasted about a half hour. The experience was excellent, but baseball’s pace is just too slow for my taste, so ultimately, I packed up my Vision Pro and caught up on Silo instead.

If you missed the game, it’s available to replay in full along with highlights in the TV app on Vision Pro.

Friday Night Baseball Goes Immersive August 28 on Apple Vision Pro

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

The next big push for Apple Immersive Video on Vision Pro has been revealed: live baseball games. Starting August 28 and running through the rest of the regular MLB season, the company will stream one real-time immersive matchup per week exclusively on Vision Pro as part of its Friday Night Baseball lineup on Apple TV.

Immersive games will feature an in-stadium experience with Spatial Audio captured by ambisonic microphones, special graphics like team lineups and stats floating in view, and a dedicated commentary team made up of play-by-play commentator Paul Severino, analyst Xavier Scruggs, and sideline reporter Michelle Margaux. If you’ve seen any of the immersive Lakers basketball games broadcast this year, you have an idea of how these elements come together with Immersive Video to create a rich, lifelike experience.

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Immersive Dog Show Series ‘Top Dogs’ Premieres on Apple Vision Pro

Pet lovers, rejoice! After debuting immersive series and specials on subjects ranging from nature and travel to music and sports on the Vision Pro over the past couple of years, Apple is now inviting viewers into the world of competitive dog showing with Top Dogs. Available now, the two-part docuseries offers a one-of-a-kind perspective on Crufts, the world’s biggest dog show, following competitors and their owners as they give their all in hopes of winning the coveted Best in Show trophy.

Let me tell you: having had a chance to see the docuseries, these are some very good dogs. Throughout the roughly 30 minutes of video, I got the chance to see tons of adorable and prim canines, some from breeds I’d never heard of before. Crufts attracts nearly 20,000 competitors each year, so there were plenty of great dogs to meet. It’s worth watching the show just for the shots of the cute pups alone.

But Top Dogs is about more than just making new canine friends. The series offers a great overview of the dog show itself, including some behind-the-scenes footage of the lower-level competitions I wasn’t familiar with from my casual viewings of dog shows in the past. The series also employs the best use of graphics I’ve seen so far in Apple Immersive Video, explaining the dog show’s various rounds with expansive 3D charts. It includes an excellent opening title sequence, too, something I didn’t realize I was missing in these immersive series up until now.

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Immersive Lakers Game Now Widely Available on Apple Vision Pro

Last Friday, basketball fans in the Los Angeles Lakers market got their first glimpse of an immersive live game when the Lakers faced the Milwaukee Bucks on Spectrum Front Row on Apple Vision Pro. While that experience was limited geographically and only available to Spectrum customers via the Spectrum SportsNet app, the game replay is now available widely and for free in the NBA app. Vision Pro users in eligible regions outside Lakers territory can download the app, sign up for an NBA ID, and stream the game replay and highlights today. The full schedule and availability of immersive Lakers games were announced last week.

Being from Arkansas and not California, I missed out on the live premiere, but I was able to check out the game replay on my Vision Pro yesterday, and the experience was fantastic. Most of the game was shown from a front-row courtside perspective, which meant I was literally turning my head from side to side as the teams moved up and down the court. It was very different from the bird‘s-eye view I’m used to watching televised sports from, and it really gave me the impression of being in the arena. At one point, when a member of the Lakers scored a point, I felt the urge to start clapping as if they could hear me, even though I was sitting in my bedroom, not at the Lakers game.

There were several other camera angles that the broadcast cut to from time to time. The behind-the-basket view was a fun way to take in the action when someone was about to score, and there was a roaming camera that brought you onto the court itself before the game and during halftime as well. The cuts were sparing, which made the whole experience feel less jarring than some of the immersive sports highlights we’ve seen on Vision Pro before, but the combination of immersive video and multiple angles offered the best of both worlds. It felt like I was actually there taking in the game, and no matter what was happening, I always got to see it from the best angle.

Even if you’re not a big fan of basketball or the Lakers, it’s worth checking out the replay to see what the experience is like. Right now, broadcasting a game in this way is a big undertaking, but I have a feeling it will only become more and more common with time. If this concept eventually expands to other sports and live experiences like concerts, theatrical performances, and more, it would make a really compelling case for the Vision Pro and the sorts of capabilities only visionOS can offer.

CANAL+ Releases Immersive Documentary MotoGP: Tour De Force

Today, French entertainment company CANAL+ is releasing immersive documentary MotoGP: Tour De Force for Apple Vision Pro users. The 30-minute film follows French championship rider Johann Zarco during the French Grand Prix weekend this May, where he became the first French rider to win the race in over 70 years.

One of the first third-party partners to receive access to the technology behind Apple Immersive Video, CANAL+ captured the race and the behind-the-scenes action using four Blackmagic Design’s URSA Cine Immersive cameras on pedestals and Steadicams in combination with ambisonic microphones. The end result will be very familiar to fans of Apple Immersive Video, with its 8K resolution, 180-degree field of view, 3D, and Spatial Audio.

I got a chance to check out the film ahead of its release and found it to be thrilling and impactful. The subject is a perfect fit for Apple Immersive Video; I could hardly keep up with the motorbikes zooming by from the trackside view. But just as enjoyable was the story, where the film follows Johann Zarco through the emotional ups and downs of the weekend, culminating in the joy of victory in front of 300,000 fans.

If MotoGP: Tour De Force is an indication of what we can expect from future third-party Apple Immersive Videos (and I think it is), I’m excited. The immersive videos we’ve seen from Apple so far have taken us to far-off places to witness stories, sports, and experiences many of us would otherwise never have access to, and with the tools to make this kind of content now in the hands of many more creators, I think of the future of immersive video on Apple Vision Pro is bright.

MotoGP: Tour De Force is available to stream now on Apple Vision Pro. Users in France can stream the film in the CANAL+ app with an active subscription, while users in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, the U.A.E, the U.K., and the U.S. can stream the film for free in the Apple TV app. Alongside the announcement of MotoGP: Tour De Force, Apple also announced its upcoming slate of immersive videos, including new episodes of ongoing series and new entries from partners like Red Bull and CNN.