Rugby World Cup 2019 to offer fan-controlled 3D highlights

Seven Rugby World Cup 2019 matches will offer fans post-match highlights with viewpoints and angles not possible with conventional cameras.

Canon’s Free Viewpoint Video System is being used to create replays the company says, “conveys the thrill of such sports as rugby and delivers an experience that feels like being right on the field.” (see below for an example)

The system is made up of multiple high-res cameras around the stadium that are connected to a network and simultaneously capture the game from multiple viewpoints. Image processing technology renders the videos as high-resolution 3D spatial data. This enables fans to move a virtual camera around the 3D space, providing video that can be viewed from various angles and viewpoints.

All seven of the Rugby World Cup 2019 matches held at the International Stadium Yokohama (including the semi-finals and the finals) will have highlights created by Canon’s Free Viewpoint Video System.

The content will be distributed to rights holders for broadcast, streaming, news, sports commentary programs and other forms of content viewing. The highlights will also be made available on the Canon homepage.

Prior to the kick off of the tournament, Canon says it’s been experimenting with camera positioning, image-processing algorithms and hardware to create the best image quality and speed up the content creation workflow.