Peter Moore, Unity’s Senior Vice President of Sports and Live Entertainment, recently unveiled the company’s Metacast platform – a groundbreaking volumetric capture solution which scans athletes in real-time during live sports broadcasts.
Working with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Unity scanned two Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes on a volumetric capture stage to convert a sparring session into a high-fidelity 3D animation.
In a Gamesbeat interview, Moore claims that Unity’s volumetric capture is capable of roughly “five million voxels per second,” giving broadcasters a powerful new tool to create volumetric replays of events where fans and teams can experience immersive real-time playback from unlimited angles.
Sports teams and athletes can use Metacast replays to reevaluate coaching and training, and can additionally help teams assess performance and prevent injuries.
Also, Unity’s solution overlays mixed reality (MR) onto broadcasts to engage viewers with augmented reality (AR) content such as player stats and advertisements.
Unity Digital Transformations for Broadcast
Unity’s UFC partnership showcases its commitment to transforming and expanding broadcasting technologies.
The development comes as a Unity Industry Trends 2021 report released on Wednesday provided positive testimonies on the role of extended reality (XR) in broadcasting digital transformations.
Benjamin Causse SVP, Business Development and Account Management Sport Experiences for Deltatre, discussed in the report remote production for sports broadcasting.
Causse highlighted reductions in travel costs and physical space as well as improved logistics to improve broadcasting going forward, stating,
“This year will come to represent a significant milestone for capabilities that may become the norm sooner than later”
Thomas Desmeules, CTO for Astucemedia, who uses XR to enhance the viewing experience by layering MR assets onto live broadcasts, noted a “tremendous growth in viewer appetite for richer datasets that tell a deeper story.”
The news comes after XR Today reported in September on Verizon Wireless’ extended partnership with the National Football League (NFL) to integrate 5G-enabled AR solutions at stadiums, namely after bringing to life the Carolina Panthers team’s mascot with an impressive virtual experience for audiences.
