Nothing matches the atmosphere you get sitting in the front row during a big game, but TV and online coverage is fast evolving to help homebound fans feel like they're there. The latest example comes from Major League Baseball, which will be offering 360-degree replays from All-Star games, letting them relive the big plays from almost any angle.
The replays are captured by 28 cameras placed around Petco Park in San Diego, and use an Intel system to stitch all the images together into a seamless 3D rendering. We've seen something similar in the NBA, where dunk contest winners can be replayed from any angle.
Instead of 2D pixels, the cameras capture the action as voxels, which are essentially pixels with volume. It is this volume which allows the replays to rendered in 3D to be viewed from almost any angle. Intel is providing the fast data processing and rendering technology required to bring the replays to viewers in a timely fashion.
The 360-degree replay technology will be seen on broadcasts and digital and mobile platforms for MLB All-Star Games on July 10, 11 and 12.
A brief video explaining the technology is below.
Source: Intel
