SVG Europe Sit-Down: MediaKind on taking VR in sport forward with live 360-degree video streams and beyond By Heather McLean, Editor
Thursday, August 1, 2019 - 15:48
Print This Story
Basketball goes virtual with the Telekom Baskets Bonn
In a project commissioned by Deutsche Telekom, on 9 December 2018 a live 360-degree video stream of a basketball match between Telekom Baskets Bonn and EWE Baskets Oldenburg was delivered from the Telekom Dome in Bonn, Germany, to Deutsche Telekom's Magenta Virtual Reality (VR) consumer app at 6K resolution. We speak with Stuart Boorn, head of portfolio management at MediaKind, about how this industry world first was achieved.
What was the aim of this project in terms of benefit to Deutsche Telekom and its consumers?
Consumer demand for more personalised, immersive and interactive visual experiences is at an all-time high, and we can see this in the way the media and entertainment industry is responding.
The growing transition to 4K UHD, HDR and Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) all reflect a collective desire to enrich content and ultimately create viewing experiences that match being there' for live events. Deutsche Telekom wanted to test potential methods to enhance the quality of its existing 360-degree service. This project was designed to explore the possibility of efficiently delivering higher quality, immersive 360-degree video streams using existing technology within the critical 15MBps bandwidth parameter. The project was also designed to test its wider commercial viability by making the streams available to most users of Deutsche Telekom's Magenta VR service.
What were the challenges that this cutting edge project presented for you?
For a truly immersive experience, the resolution of the 360-degree image needs to be very large. Delivering these large images to consumer devices such as mobile phones and tablets presents two issues.
First was the bandwidth, an issue compounded by the fact that compression artefacts, which might be imperceptible on a TV screen, can often be clearly seen when viewed close-up on a tablet or head-mounted device (HMD).
The second issue concerned the devices we were aiming to target. To achieve widespread adoption, we needed to target consumer devices, phones and tablets, not the VR hardware most commonly associated with gaming. With the exception of the most recent arrivals these devices don't support the decoding of 8K images.
Both of these issues are solved by using so called viewport adaptive streaming. For our project with Deutsche Telekom, we used the viewport adaptive technology from TiledMedia which exploits the fact that whilst the source image needs to be very large, at any one time the viewer is looking at only 15% of the full 360-degree image. This means the remaining 85% is effectively redundant. It works by splitting the source image up into small tiles and encoding and packaging them separately. The client then chooses to download the tiles needed to fill the current view. This way, both the bandwidth and the decode capabilities of the device are maximised.
Of course, encoding such large images brings its own challenges. The tiled method helps here too though. By leveraging the elasticity of cloud platforms we can deploy many lightweight encoders to handle the individual tile encodes. This way we are scalable to any resolution which will surely be necessary as device resolutions increase.
Performing the encode in the cloud means that data has to get from the event site into the datacentre. Fortunately, reliable 1Gbps links from sports venues are now pretty common and this was less of an issue than anticipated.
What is the benefit of using 6K for VR viewing? Why not 4K? Why push this boundary?
The resolution of the source image is, to a large degree, determined by the end device resolution. At any one time the user is looking at around 15% of the full 360 view. If the user device has a screen resolution of HD then in order for the pixels of the source image to not be visible, the source image should be 8K x 4K or the equivalent of 16 HD broadcast videos. With a 4K source image the user's view is pixelated or blurry, which significantly detracts from the immersion. Currently, the limitation on the resolution lies in the camera quality and the power of the stitching servers. So for this event we compromised slightly and went for 6K x 3K.
What are the challenges within 360-degree video delivery specifically for sports broadcast, and what is holding it back right now?
The main challenge for delivering 360-degree video for sports is in meeting the quality requirements in a live workflow. From a technical point of view, the main limiting factors at this time are the availability of high quality 360-degree camera rigs and the capacity of the stitching servers to meet the resolution requirements in real time. That said, delivering a 6K or 8K 360-degree video service, either for a VR headset or mobile device is entirely feasible.
One limitation for 360-degree video for sports broadcasting is in the perception that it must be viewed on a head mounted display (HMD). Given live sports and music events are primarily social occasion watched alongside other people, you can understand the reluctance to don a headset.
For that reason, we see potential for 360-degree video delivered to tablets or phone screens on what we call a flat' app, which allows the user to choose the direction of view by swiping. It provides viewers with an opportunity to personalise their experience on their device whilst sharing in the main broadcast. For instance, this might involve selecting a certain camera angle or focusing on a particular area of the pitch or stage. At the same time, the viewer will still have access to follow the director's curated action on the main screen.
This is a technology
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
SVG Europe Sit-Down: MediaKind on taking VR in sport forward with live 360-degree video streams and beyond By Heather McLean, Editor 
