NBA team broadcasts AR graphics from handheld camera

NBA team the Portland Trail Blazers has broadcast AR graphics using a handheld camera, the Sony 2570.

This is the first time this has been done in an NBA game, and was achieved in partnership with disguise and tracking system supplier StYpe. Six weeks of preparation began with installing tracking hardware into the Moda Center basketball arena, which used the RedSpy tracking system with an infrared camera pointing to markers on the arena’s ceiling. Next, a disguise px+ media server was installed to enable the Trail Blazers to render real-time Unreal Engine AR graphics with live data feed integration.

All graphics were controlled through disguise Gateway, which was integrated with Viz Trio, as well as disguise’s Porta solution. The Creative Services team at disguise provided data visualization and concept development, as well as Unreal Engine graphics implementation and data integration services.

The Trail Blazers are one of only five NBA teams to produce all of their live broadcasts in house, and this innovation allowed viewers watching their coverage to live player and game information from the pregame until the end of the fourth quarter. There was also an AR line graph that showed the ups and downs of the team’s shooting percentage throughout the game. Each new field goal attempt can be added to the chart, allowing it to be constantly updated during the game.

Trail Blazers graphics producer John McConnell said: “The NBA has provided live game data for a long time, however, we are breaking new ground by taking that data and using it to create an AR experience. Doing this wasn’t easy. Basketball games are fast-paced, with lots of handheld camera use, and live handheld tracking has never been done before in our sport. We knew we needed a partner to help. disguise has proven to be an industry leader in broadcasting technology and AR, and their team’s incredible passion for basketball made them a perfect fit to make our broadcast graphics next-gen.”

He added: “Since we are the first team in the NBA to use AR handheld graphics, we see this opening up many possibilities for the future. For instance, we could add more cameras into the AR world and integrate player tracking into our graphics, which the NBA now provides via Hawk-Eye. That will open the floodgates for more AR elements to work their way into NBA broadcasts. In the future, the NBA might even borrow some popular concepts from NBA2K and the video game world, where stats and info are overlaid on the court for things like player fatigue and other relevant stats.”