Now Watch NCAA March Madness Tournament with Intel True VR

Intel Corporation is entering into a multiyear partnership with Turner Sports, CBS Sports, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in order to offer its True VR experience to the sports enthusiasts. This corporate deal is going to mark its beginning with the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, where Intel is going to be NCAA’s exclusive VR Live games partner. 

 

The Virtual Reality experience will be offered through the new NCAA March Madness Live VR app powered by Intel, available for download in the Oculus Store. For the very first time, basketball fans would be able to buy March Madness Live Virtual Reality premium ticket to enjoy a virtual courtside seat experience. They would even have the option to obtain get the VR broadcast in their VR headsets or control the viewing angle as per their choice. 

Besides, the company is also introducing the brand Intel True VR which has been transitioned from its early VOKE acquisition. However, the co-founder of VOKE VR, Mr. Sankar Jay Jayaram will continue to lead the Intel True VR team. The technology aims to bring the in-stadium experience to life from any location through immersive, on-demand VR experiences, in-game highlights and game feeds. 

 

Coming to the technicality, it makes use of camera pods, whereby each pod contains 12 cameras. For the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games, a total of 48 cameras will be equipped while 84 cameras are going to cover the Final Four National Semifinals and National Championship. 

Intel’s 360 Replay Technology would capture game highlights during the CBS Sports and Turner Sports coverage of the Final Four and Final Championship games. For this, the University of Phoenix Stadium would be equipped with 28 5K ultra-high definition cameras mated to Intel-based servers, which are capable of processing up to 1terabyte data per 15-30 second clip. 

 

 

Moving on, the volumetric video will be captured and sent through more than 5 miles of fiber optic cables and then fed into an on-site Intel control room. Here, a team of producers will pick out and package the replays. The 360 replay allows close-up views from every possible angle, be it a no-look, behind-the-back pass over an extremely tall defense or the alley-oop that leaves the background shaking.