College football fans this season saw FOX Sports introduce a unique way to experience games. Utilizing c360 Technologies and Skycam, FOX Sports has been able to livestream 360-degree panoramic footage from the Michigan-Ohio State, Ohio State-Penn State, Michigan State-Notre Dame and Michigan State-Washington State games.
Viewers could watch pregame warmups, halftime band performances and postgame celebrations live with the stream on YouTube and highlights as well. And for the Michigan State-Notre Dame game in partnership with LiveLike, viewers could see the debut of social virtual reality with the live game action available through the FOX Sports VR app.
C360 started in the industry in 2008 and delivered live immersive NASCAR experiences in 2011. Since then, the company has focused on providing 360-degree video and virtual reality to broadcast a multitude of sports to the mainstream.
With VR headsets becoming more affordable for the majority of people, bringing that content to the public meant catering to the needs of broadcast.
“We see immersive video as something with a lot of value to traditional broadcasts,” Co-Founder and Chairman Evan Wimer said. “Frankly, these other guys have raised a lot of money and the quality of their systems would not be accepted on a national broadcast. That has been our benchmark and our systems have a higher resolution as a result.”
Watching sports in VR in the past can be just as frustrating as it is breathtaking. When the action is up close to the camera, it allows for a more dynamic viewing experience. When it is far away, the lower resolution and inability to zoom can make it hard to differentiate players.
“With most immersive tech, if someone is 20-30 feet away you can’t read the name on the jersey,” Wimer said. “With C360 you can see with clarity from the 50-yard line to the end zone.”
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As part of 360’s camera system used in FOX Sports’ football broadcasts, the Skycam provides 360-degree, live, non-stitched video. The single-sensor, single-optic camera has applications that go far beyond live sports. They could extend as far as the United States Defense Department, with C360 having received an investment from Boeing in August.
Wimer was unable to talk in length about defense applications of the camera. Still, as C360 continues to work with Boeing, they are continuing to focus on improving their live immersive experiences.
“It’s much further reaching than just the live sports applications,” Wimer said. “But we love doing live sports.”