This article is part 3 of a three-part series on private networks and sports. Please read part 1 and part 2.
Digital twins create the foundations for the bonanza of digital experiences and the Meta world. The 3D virtual reality versions of the design assets produced by architects during construction become the building blocks of digital experiences. Private 5G networks are the bedrock of rich media experiences and exhilarating interactivity. SoFi’s giant video board has already been received with much fanfare. Metaword experiences are building on it.
Modeling of stadiums for the meta world
The Dreamground, a combination of a physical and digital playground, is the Metaworld, with the physical structures interlaced with on-screen animation and augmented reality at Hollywood Park. The meta-virtual world simulates the physical shapes of the nearby SoFi stadium. It can be accessed through a 4K film projected on the Infinity Screen by Samsung, the 70,000 dual-sided videoboard inside SoFi Stadium.
A model of the stadium with its 600 million polygons built into a Virtual Reality headset could zoom in and out with views with multiple dimensions of the stadium. The audience could see it from any seat, causeway, or from outside the stadium. “We worked with Doğan Köslü, the founder of a company called Treyarch, later sold to Activision 20 years back. He’s a gamer. He applied gaming techniques to building digital experiences,” our source informed us.
An additional layer of software is layered on the game-like rendering of the stadium with motion graphics generally seen on a big format LED board and displayed on a desktop or a smartphone. “If you look at the board, it’s cylindrical, curved, and two-sided. The cylinder shows what’s inside the roof, such as in the Atlanta stadium. SoFi has both an inner and an outer circle. From the vantage point of where you are seated, you see two different sides of the board. For example, those seated on the east side of the stadium can see the west side and vice versa,” our source explained.
“Smartphone users can use it as a controller to view the virtual stadium from different vantage points. An Oculus is like a TV that displays game content. SoFi has developed its software for an end-to-end 4K HDR broadcast,” the source added.
Interactive virtual and augmented reality experiences require low latency interactions that 5G private networks can best provide.
Pervasive cameras and 360 degrees views of sporting events
One of the most widely discussed innovations in sports is the ability to view a game from multiple angles. To be sure, this is independent of digital twins and their reflections on mobile devices. “SoFi has hundreds of fixed IP cameras that go with broadcasting. The sources noted that it has invested in cameras like TrueView, which is a composite of 8K PTZ cameras and AK HDR cameras that allow volumetric capture of events,” the sources noted. The numerous cameras for instant broadcasting compound the network capacity needs that 5G private networks can provide.
“In a 5G environment, you have the bandwidth to capture video from multiple angles, with more POPs near stadiums than in entire cities. Communication Service Providers like T-Mobile or Verizon would have the motivation to provide new experiences to the audience. They can stitch together the video for an angle of interest, such as someone catching a ball in baseball. They can replay selected video slices only after a time lag.”
In the future, fans can view a game from multiple angles from any end of the stadium without waiting for replays on the board. “Fans can pick the preferred replays with short time lags and deliver them to any location, such as when waiting for a beer at a concession. Members of the SoFi loyalty club or the Ram’s Charger’s loyalty club could access them.”
Telecom operators are collaborating with cloud computing companies to do data processing faster at the edge. They already have the solutions—Microsoft has Sphere and Amazon with Snowball. These tools can be used to create new experiences with shorter time lags.
Conclusion
Digital experiences take a great deal of craftsmanship to get it right. Painstaking legwork goes into building the network infrastructure before presenting digital experiences to the audience. Private 5G networks can be customized and controlled to deliver the desired digital experiences. The partners in the venture are often unwilling to buy in because they don’t, at the outset, see the benefits. They are more likely to see the risks and costs of an uncharted course. The way to move ahead is to take the steps which reap value with short time lags.
