Imagine watching a Major League Baseball game from the point of view of your favorite player. You can hear the crowd, move right along as the play unfolds, and share in the joy or disappointment.
That type of moment is not far away thanks to innovative new video technology from Pivothead. Originally founded in 2012, Pivothead is redefining the world of point-of-view (POV) video. While there have been other companies to get in the POV space and make an impact in sports (i.e. GoPro), Pivothead is the first video technology to be embedded inside the bridge on a pair of sunglasses.
By embedding the technology in something that is already worn by many athletes, Pivothead has integrated it seamlessly, so that there is no burden on the athlete using the video camera.
Pivothead will release an upgraded product this year, with the technology that will allow live streaming from the glasses. That’s where the chance to be a part of the live action of a sports game comes in.
“The glasses are no longer a camera; they are a live streaming portal to whoever is wearing them,” Zach Barbitta, Director of U.S. Operations at Pivothead Video Recording Eyewear, tells us.
Sports teams are already using the technology with great success as well, Barbitta explains. For example, the New York Yankees outfitted some of their team with Pivothead sunglasses for practice and games for spring 2013.
That Yankees ended up using the technology in two ways:
1) To bring fans behind the scenes like never before. Imagine being able to get video footage from behind the catcher’s mask. Thanks to Pivothead’s tech, that perspective was caught on video for the first time.
2) To analyze swings and other parts of the game from a POV perspective for the first time. The Yankees realized that this video from practices gave the training and coaching staff a unique look into how players work in certain situations. They were able to use that to their advantage and learn new things about certain players.
The St. Louis Rams have also experimented with the technology, mainly as a way to increase fan engagement. The Rams gave some of the glasses to many of their players during warm ups and practices in order to record behind-the-scenes footage to share exclusive content with fans.
In addition to giving them to players, they also gave them to Rams employees to give fans a look at what it takes to produce a game at all levels. Fans had the chance to see the Cheerleaders in the tunnels, the video team producing content in the production rooms, and other exclusive access.
Watch some of the video by clicking here.
Once the newest round of Pivothead glasses are released this fall, it will be interesting to see how teams use the new live stream feature. Professional leagues probably won’t allow the technology to be used during a game quite yet (for both broadcast and safety reasons), but there will still be plenty of great footage to see later this year.
For more information on Pivothead, visit the website at www.pivothead.com.