A portable camera captures AR visuals for an NBA team to broadcast
Portland Trail Blazers fans may now see live game and player data that appears as if it is being broadcast from the Moda Centre, the home court of the basketball club. This is made possible using a disguise and a Stype solution.
The Portland Trail Blazers are the first franchise in the history of the National Basketball Association to use augmented reality (AR) images throughout a basketball match using a handheld device.
At the Moda Centre, home of the Portland Trail Blazers, technologies from disguise and Stype were installed, which made it feasible for augmented reality visuals to be shown there.
A RedSpy surveillance system was put into use, and it consisted of an infrared camera that pointed at multiple markers located on the roof of the arena. Following that, a camouflaged px+ media server made it possible for the Trail Blazers to create real-time Unreal Engine AR visuals while also integrating current data feeds.
The disguise gateway, which is compatible with both Viz Trio and disguise’s Porta solution for native Unreal Engine oversight, was used to control all of the visuals in the game. The creative services team at disguise was responsible for the data visualisation and idea creation. They were also responsible for the implementation of Unreal Engine visuals and the integration of data.
On-air visual components may be seen by spectators, giving them the impression that they are really there in the stadium. These visuals provide real-time information about players and the game in a way that is more engaging and simpler to comprehend. Throughout the course of a game, a team’s shooting percentage may be tracked using an AR line graph. It is possible to add each new attempt to the chart, enabling it to be continually updated as new ones are made.
Portland Trail Blazers graphics artist John McConnell stated that although the NBA has traditionally offered live game statistics, the company is pioneering the use of the information to create an augmented reality experience.
The NBA has long offered live game information, but this was not an easy operation to do. Basketball games move at a breakneck speed, and each one involves the employment of many handheld cameras. But in this sport, live portable monitoring has not been accomplished before. McConnell knew that his team would need another person’s help. Due to their squad’s intense passion for basketball and their track record as pioneers in broadcast innovation and augmented reality (AR), Synergy was the ideal choice to create next-generation broadcast visuals.
This is the first team in the NBA to deploy augmented reality portable graphics, and there is a belief that this development will pave the way for many new opportunities in the years to come. For instance, they could incorporate more cameras into the augmented reality environment and add player tracking to visuals, both of which are now offered by the NBA via the Hawk-Eye system. This will open up the doorway for other augmented reality components to enter NBA broadcasts.
