Football Technology should be a regular topic on VT fan pages. A new camera is being tested for live feeds from helmets, so you could watch the game from the eyes of the players. That would be pretty wild.
If he could get some kind of gyroscopic stabilizer on it to make it less shaky then I think could be damn good.
http://www.biztechmagazine.com/article/2014/06/nfl-explores-new-helmet-c...
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Pretty neat idea...
I don't know if I would want to watch games from that angle though... I'd prefer to see the whole field... not bad for replays or highlights
This is what I'm thinking. No way would I want to watch a game like this, but if you juxtapose this (think split-screen) after an important play, diagramming routes/coverage in one panel and the helmet cam in the other, I think you can really educate the viewing audience. Check downs, looking off DBs, etc. become more clear and I think that would be a really interesting feature to add to a broadcast.
Yes, exactly my thinking as well.. would definitely help educate/show the viewing audience why a quarterback made the decision he did... could be very insightful.
Pretty cool idea. As more of this comes out it's going to be a big emphasis on creating a spectacular game day experience for sporting events to compete with it.
Edit: I wonder when they are going to have the players wired up so you can see how fast they were running or things of the like ala NASCAR.
Interesting concept but its ruined by the same thing that is ruining a lot of movies for me right now...
Shaky video does not equal realism. Having the screen bounce and shake all over the place doesn't make me sit there and think "oh, yeah now I totally feel like I'm a part of it"... I feel like I'm watching video from a poorly shot handheld camera with someone who is zoomed in way too far while moving.
As you said, a gyroscope would go a long way to making this marketable for broadcasts.
Pretty cool. Here's my idea for the future of football watching:
I'd gladly pay upwards of an extra $20 per month to watch games as they are currently broadcast, EXCEPT, there are no announcers. You have all the field noise and all the replays and whatnot, but no announcers yammering about shit we already know. I'm so annoyed by commentators lamenting about this and that, color guys talking about what they would've done when they played football 20 years ago, etc. I just want the fucking sound of the stands...that's it. If I need an injury update, I'll consult the internet because it's highly likely that ESPN will inform me of the injuries in some other game that isn't even currently taking place -- like the fucking iron bowl.
But, but.... that would mean no more Cris Collinsworth on Sunday nights!
(If only...)
...Spending 50% of the game explaining the intricacies of the rules...
This actually already exists. Tune in to watch ESPN and they have the skycam feed for big primetime games. No announcers or commercials- just you and the stadium. I watched the Ohio State game this way- it was phenomenal!
I just use the mute button.
I use my DVR to shift the TV broadcast back a few seconds to sync it with the VT radio announcers. I think that Bill Roth and Mike Burnop are excellent. I wouldn't listen to the stuffed shirts announcing our games for the networks if you paid me to do it.
I don't know about fan viewing, but I could definitely see this as an additional technology teams use to assess their QBs during practice. Making sure the QB is making the correct pre-snap reads, scanning the field properly, not staring down receivers and checkdowns, that sort of stuff.
100% agree it could revolutionize the way being a QB is taught to fix his mistakes. It could probably be said for the FS/MLB when it comes to aligning defenses as well.
Welp, now I need some Dramamine.
This just in, Ridley Scott sues the University of Miami for stealing his filming technique.
To address they shaky cam crap, you could use something similar to instagram's hyperlapse. Of course that's a time lapse deal, so the fps is awful, but with a little lag time and a ridiculous amount of computing power, they could apply the same technology to a headcam
This is really interesting, and a gyroscope or something would make a lot of sense. When you're sprinting, you don't notice how much your head is moving because your brain compensates for your own body movement. In these scenarios, your lazy body is laying around on a couch eating chicken wings, beer, and/or whiskey and your mind gets thrown completely out of whack. If they could use some image stabilization or gyroscope for some of this, it'd be a great advancement in technology. Check out this Star Trek gif that removes the shaky cam from an episode...
Also, I got accepted in the VT graduate school today. I wanted to share, but had no where to put it on this site and don't want to make a new OT forum post about it, so I'm putting it here. I'm very extremely excited, even if it is virtual campus and not in Blacksburg (for now).
Congratulations!
I love those classic Star Trek moments. Really makes you wonder about the physics of artificial gravity and how it makes everyone fall in different directions.
Congratulations. No small feat. Good luck with grad school.
First off, congrats on Grad School. Wise choice no matter what location you're at.
Second, what the hell is Uhura doing back there. Somehow she manages to stay on her feet when everyone else falls over and out over-act Kirk. That's impressive
The ESPN Top Ten plays using helmet cams has potential to be amazing, combine that with 4k and I'm all in
Why stop there?? Give me a harnessed chair, like the Michael Vick commercial from a few years ago. That way I can not only watch it, but live it and then vomit on myself!
I feel like it would be better if every skill player had one of these...and then you could switch camera's as the ball was moved around. I.e first its on the center then he hikes it and the ball and camera feed goes to the qb who then hands it off to the running back/passes to the receiver and it goes to their camera. I think it can be done....We have the technology
I wish I could watch the Dadi-Ekanem sandwich sack from a Greyson Lambert helmet camera. They'd have to put a warning about letting small children and elderly people watching, tho.
Needing a wider angle view to capture the peripherals.
No wonder McNabb kept puking
Honestly, I'm good with how I watch games now. I think too many networks are trying to "change the game" if you will when it comes to watching football in particular. I'll take the traditional camera angle over some bird's eye view or zooming in on random stuff. The concept behind this seems pretty cool when you think about it, but watching it actually happen feels like a less advanced Madden game or something. When the QB turns and looks at his receivers, you can't even see the entire field. A really cool idea might be like having two cameras attached to the helmet somehow that it represents human eyes so the viewer gets better depth perception and view. I wouldn't even know where to start to develop this idea, hence why I am not an engineering major. But does that sound cool or what? I would actually be interested in that idea.
Does anybody remember the predecessor of NFL Europe, I believe it was called the World League of American Football or some such. They used to have helmet cams and would show replays from that angle. I remember as a kid thinking it was pretty cool.
It would be great to have one of these on Brewer if the oLine steps it up next year, otherwise all of the video feed will look the same - three or four unimpeded players on the defense bearing down on the camera followed by a shot of either the turf or sky.