GoPro, VRARA, and the Golden State Warriors Work to Bring Fans Closer an Ever

in the wild

Jun 8, 2016

GoPro, VRARA, and the Golden State Warriors work to bring fans closer than ever to on-court basketball action- beginning with Warriors Nation

As GoPro blazes forward in the virtual reality & 360 video space, the Golden State Warriors are on a similar track in the 2016 NBA Finals. In partnership with California's basketball darlings, GoPro hosted the VR/AR Association's San Francisco Chapter event last night in the city.

First up speaking was GoPro's Senior Manager of Advanced Media, Kevin Custer, who gave attendees live demonstrations of Omni, GoPro's 6-camera VR rig. Showing off the GoPro VR: Omni Trailer and a VR teaser of Jeb Corliss' Human Arrow stunt , Custer explained to attendees the technology behind the rig and how it creates a seamless solution for capturing, stitching, and publishing virtual reality content. He went on to explain GoPro's stereoscopic panoramic capture rig, Odyssey, which when paired with Jump, can deliver stunning 8K30 video through its 16-camera synchronized capture. Both products were on hand before and after the event for attendees to explore.

Headlining the evening was the Golden State Warriors' Vice President of Marketing and Digital, Kenny Lauer. Lauer explained that the Warriors are not simply in the basketball business, but really in several businesses: ticket sales, merchandise sales, and even food sales. He summed it up to the Warriors being in the experience creation business. The problem, Lauer explained, is that 95% of NBA fans will never see an NBA game in person, and 99% will never get to sit courtside at a game. In reality, only 17,586 people get to truly experience the Warriors on game day. This, he said, is an opportunity for VR to bring fans closer to the action than ever before. He commented, I think that when you're in the business of experience creation, you're in the business of telling stories. Where VR gives us the unique opportunity is to actually integrate a fan into that story. Lauer explained in his presentation that by placing a spherical rig courtside, fans across the world can, too, sit courtside and be more immersed in the game than ever before. Looking to the future, as VR technology improves, Lauer noted that the experience for fans watching in VR will get even better with full, unique sound elements, greater number of camera angles, and augmented views of the court and players. He went on to say, Down the road, we can tell all kinds of stories, and let the fan direct where they want to go. Through hot spots, and different positionings, and [using] GoPro 360, allowing them to move through the story as if they are there. The future of VR looks bright under the Oracle Arena lights.

LINK:	https://gopro.com/news/GoPro-VRARA-and-the-Golden-State-Warriors-Work-...
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