SOLO SHOOTING The GoPro Max excels for POV shots in solo sports
one game at once; multiview’s true power is in bringing people together. Three-sixty vision What if you could watch a sporting event from the athlete’s POV? Tools like 360° video make this possible, taking viewers off the sidelines and placing them in the action. GoPro’s Max camera is a leader in the 360 realm, blending immersive, 5.6K video with high-quality audio, stabilised shots, flexibility in aspect ratio and a myriad of other features accesible in post-production. The tiny camera comes with four lenses – narrow, linear, wide and Max SuperView – and six built-in microphones, boasting the best sound of any GoPro and packing a serious punch for such a small body. The Max also adds invisibility to the mix, removing ski poles and other athletic equipment for an even more immersive experience. While body cameras aren’t standard for major league sports, devices such as the GoPro Max have found a firm place in solo events like skiing, surfing, snowboarding and dirt bike racing – particularly when helmets are involved. The camera includes a simple mounting system, making it easy for athletes to set up and press play. If storm-chasing can be considered a sport, GoPro can also come in handy; 20 cameras were used to film Twisters (2024), taking audiences into the eye of the storm and capturing the blockbuster action from every angle. We’ve seen a boom in immersive technology across all industries (film included too), with the big question being, ‘why now?’. According to Nunez, “there are two things at play. One is the ability; it’s only now that, with camera technology and AI and algorithms, it’s more cost-effective and technically possible to do these things.” The other side of the coin, he continues, is the novelty itself. “This kind of content gives fans a way to engage with sports like they never have before. You’re going to feel like you’re there.”
» Devices like the GoPro Max have found a firm place in solo events like skiing, surfing and snowboarding – particularly when helmets are involved « 70% of viewers felt favourably towards Prime Vision, while 26% said its AI features made the game ‘more exciting and immersive’. Due to changes in media rights, sports are now available to watch on streaming services like Amazon Prime in addition to traditional broadcast TV. Smart TV owners can make special use of their streamers, even enjoying features like multiview, which allows them to watch up to four events at once. Comcast Xfinity X1, for instance, supports multiview thanks to Mediakind’s cloud-native video SaaS platform, MK IO. Now, X1 users can toggle between live games (and their audio) and jump into and out of full-screen mode – changing the way they experience sports. No more fighting over the remote or sitting in separate rooms – or going to a sports bar to catch more than
Atmos, sports fans can have an immersive experience – as long as their entertainment systems support the technology. This requires them to purchase additional equipment like sound bars or speakers, which might only appeal to audiophiles. Fortunately, Atmos is already in use at the Olympics, Sky Sports and TNT Sports (Premier League and Championship), NBC Sports and other broadcasters, which signals immersive audio is on its way to being the norm, rather than a rarity. Less isn’t more Today, almost every immersive solution is powered or enhanced by AI, adding efficiency to sporting experiences. The technology can do lots of things humans simply can’t, such as summarising statistics almost instantly, generating highlights automatically and quickly hyper-personalising content. AI has impacted sports both small and large, niche and mainstream – the technology was even used during the 2024 Paris Olympics. AI is now being used to embellish alternate feeds, such as on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night NFL games. Referred to as Prime Vision, this streaming option provides graphic overlays, player stats and other insights in real time. According to Hub Entertainment Research’s Evolution of Sports Media report,
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