How AR Will Change the Video Experience

One or more cameras capture a single angle each of a certain scene or event, and the images are broadcast to be displayed on a flat screen, with the scenes captured by the cameras showing the same exact angles to all viewers. However, we are now seeing the birth of a video format that will radically change the way television can be experienced.

New recording technologies, such as volumetric or holographic video, paired with new display technologies, such as augmented reality, means viewers will soon be able to view, for example, a sporting event from any angle, moving freely over the arena as if they were a bird.

To see what the future of sports entertainment looks like we teamed up with France Télévisions to create an AR experience for tennis. In addition to unique AR features such as exploring the tennis arena and getting up close and personal with the tournament trophies, we also made use of holographic video capture to show a tennis game in true AR—meaning the viewer can move freely over the tennis court and view the game from any distance and any angle as they wish.

Since holographic video is essentially a 3D representation of reality encoded in data, we can use the actual video footage to calculate various pieces of information, for example how fast the ball is traveling. Things brings a whole new level of real-time overlays and video enhancements that viewers can turn on or off in the client application.

With new video recording formats and new display devices we can create truly interactive television experiences. While VR can bring a viewer to the game, AR can bring the game to the viewer’s living room and let them have complete control over the action.