February 7, 2019 – Intel has today announced that it has partnered with English Premier League football clubs Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, and Manchester City, to deliver immersive experiences via its True View technology.
True View, which is to be implemented at each of the clubs’ respective football stadiums, will allow fans to view match content from every angle, through a variety of different mediums, including official club websites, mobile apps, and social media platforms.
True View recreates the action on the pitch and presents it from an ideal vantage point or player’s perspective, using Intel’s data-processing and volumetric technology capabilities to deliver the experience. Its features include:
- Multi-angle views of a play: Intel Sports’ volumetric video process creates 360-degree replays and highlight reels from every angle, using 38 5K ultra-high-definition (UHD) cameras.
- Laser wall: A virtual plane giving viewers a clear picture as to where players are positioned on the pitch.
- ‘Be the player’ capabilities: Intel True View freezes a moment in the match to let fans see the pitch from the eyes of a player. This also enables presenters and pundits to share a new level of insight into the tactics and decisions made by players to provide a different perspective to fans.
James Carwana, Vice President and General Manager of Intel Sports, said: “With the expansion of Intel True View into more stadiums… we have the chance to transform the experience for fans of one of the world’s top sports leagues with our leading and differentiated volumetric technology.”
Intel’s True View process begins with a capture and rendering technique called volumetric video. Using this volumetric capture method, footage is recorded from 38 5K UHD cameras that includes height, width and depth of data to produce voxels (pixels with volume). After content is captured, a substantial amount of data is processed with servers powered by Intel Core i7 and Intel Xeon processors. The software then re-creates all the viewpoints of a fully volumetric 3D person or object. That information renders a virtual environment in multi-perspective 3D that enables users to experience a captured scene from any angle and perspective, and can provide 6 degrees of freedom.
Intel claims that it is uniquely positioned to enable the sports industry to capture, analyse and respond to new levels of insight in real time and create different experiences for fans through its True View technology.
Peter Silverstone, Commercial Director of Arsenal FC, said: “The technology effectively allows a supporter to step into the boots of players and see the game from their perspective.” He added, “We have seen the impact this Intel technology has had in other sports leagues across the world and are excited that it will be installed at Emirates Stadium.”
Liverpool FC’s Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer, Billy Hogan, said: “Intel True View enables fans to immerse themselves even further into the game and has the power to add a new depth to match highlights, which can significantly improve the supporter experience. This technology has the potential to add a new dynamic to how people interact with the game and create different conversations with our fans around the world.”
Intel’s stated that its Premier League partners will see True View begin operating in their stadiums on March 10.
Video credit: Intel/YouTube
About the author
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.
