Apple and Spectrum are teaming up to stream select Lakers basketball games live for owners of Apple's expensive Vision Pro headset during the upcoming NBA season. It feels like a genuine test of where immersive entertainment and VR headsets can go next.
This is the first time a major US sports league is committing to regular live broadcasts in Apple's immersive format, and it could prove a meaningful moment for the long-term relevance of Apple's $3,499 device. Watching basketball from a courtside perspective, with cameras positioned at floor level and under each hoop, promises an entirely different sense of presence compared to a traditional broadcast.
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How will livestreaming NBA games to the Vision Pro work?
This is how you look when you're using the Apple Vision Pro. John Kim/CNET
Charter Communications announced the partnership this week, saying that its Spectrum SportsNet will power the live immersive streams for Lakers fans through a new SportsNet app. But the technical execution here matters as much as the idea.
Apple and Spectrum say these games will stream at up to 150Mbps, with a replay window of three days after each live broadcast. Spectrum's new app will also host the live feed for viewers within the Lakers' regional market, while the NBA app will distribute replays and highlights internationally. Supported countries include the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Each stream will rely on custom Blackmagic Ursa Cine Immersive rigs, which capture 3D video calibrated for the Vision Pro's optics. They'll be filmed and broadcast in Apple's custom Immersive format, which is designed for virtual reality content -- it's already been used in the making of a number of short films.
This is an example of one of the custom Blackmagic cameras used to shoot 3D immersive video -- you can expect to see similar cameras courtside. Apple
As someone who owns a Vision Pro, I can't help but feel this is the kind of partnership the device has been waiting for. The headset has always felt technically astonishing, but searching for a purpose. Live sports -- something that thrives on immediacy and emotion -- might finally be where it makes sense.
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