谷歌眼镜赋予NBA赛事转播新视角

    上周三，罗伊•希伯特和印第安纳步行者队跟他最大的对手勒布朗•詹姆斯及迈阿密热火队交手，班克斯人寿球馆（Bankers Life Fieldhouse）的球迷们按计划将有幸从全新角度观战——通过遍布球场各个角落的谷歌眼镜摄像头观看实时转播。

    步行者队已和旧金山的一家名为CrowdOptic的创业公司合作进行这次转播。这家公司的主要业务就是提升实况转播观众的观赏体验。他们将依靠位于球场各个角落的人所戴的谷歌眼镜所拍镜头进行转播，比如坐在中场，看着队员上场下场的解说员迈克尔•格雷迪；球队吉祥物布玛猫（Boomer）；球队DJ；球童；步行者拉拉队队员；精选球迷；甚至还有中场表演时扔飞盘的训狗师。当步行者队工作人员爬上球场大梁的天桥通过降落伞往下扔奖品时，他们还能让观众鸟瞰全场。

    随着电视尺寸越来越大，越来越薄，技术又日益先进，各支运动队都需要找到能提高现场直播效果的新手段——同时也确保球迷们不用从沙发上站起来才能更好地观赏现场。而对像步行者的赫伯•西蒙这样的球队老板来说，这就更加重要了。一年前步行者队投资了一块巨大的50英尺乘以21英尺的记分牌。它硕大无朋，从一边罚球线直达另一边罚球线。

    步行者队运动与娱乐首席运营官里克•弗森称：“赫伯•西蒙要求我们尽快采用最新技术。我们在萨克拉门托看到谷歌眼镜很快投入了应用，于是就迅速采用了它。”

    萨克拉门托国王队今年一月就采用了这项技术，开了NBA先河。甚至在与步行者队的一场主场比赛赛前热身中，国王队队员就已经用上了这款眼镜。尽管步行者队打算在季后赛中采用CrowdOptic的技术，但它的队员不太可能戴这种眼镜。步行者队目前在东区遥遥领先，因此它绝不想冒险尝试新玩意——但它已让乔治•希尔、C.J. 沃森、所罗门•希尔和拉沃伊•阿伦在非正式比赛中试用这项技术了。

    步行者队的赫赫战绩也让CrowdOptic从这次合作中收获颇丰。这家公司此前已和斯坦福大学（Stanford）篮球队、橄榄球队及索诺玛赛道（Sonoma Raceway）进行了合作。而尽管国王队一直积极采用新技术——从近场通讯技术（NFC）到座椅内置无线充电，从数字货币比特币到3D机器人所戴的无人摄像头——但它的战绩在西区却处在倒数第三的位置。CrowdOptic的首席执行官乔恩•费舍尔说：“国王队是技术迷。这种态度会让人有想象空间，但它实力不济。而如果步行者队也积极采用新技术，那就是另一码事了。”

    Tonight when Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers take on their biggest rivals, LeBron James and the Miami Heat, fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse will get a whole new view of the action -- from shots taken by Google Glass cams around the arena.

    The Pacers have partnered with San Francisco-based CrowdOptic, a startup focused on enhancing the experience for spectators at live events, to pull footage from devices worn by people like P.A. announcer Michael Grady, who sits at center court right, where players come in and out of the game; team mascot Boomer; the team DJ; ball boys; members of the Pacemates dance team; select fans; and even the dog trainer that will throw out Frisbees during the half-time show. When Pacers staff climb up to the catwalk in the rafters of the stadium to throw down prizes via parachute, they too will give spectators a birds-eye view.

    As TVs get bigger, thinner and more technologically advanced, sports teams need to find new ways to enhance the live experience -- and make sure fans don't skip the arena for better views from their couches. For owners like the Pacers' Herb Simon, it's more important than ever; a year ago the team invested in a massive new 50-ft. by 21-ft. scoreboard, so large it nearly reaches from free throw line to free throw line.

    "Herb Simon urged us from the get-go to be on the cutting edge of technology," Pacers Sports & Entertainment COO Rick Fuson says. "We had seen Google Glass in operation in a very quick use in Sacramento. We got ahold of them right away."

    In January, the Sacramento Kings were the first NBA team to adopt the technology, even outfitting Kings players with the devices as they warmed up before a home game against the Pacers. Though Indiana plans to use CrowdOptic's technology through the playoffs, it's highly unlikely that players will wear them. With the Pacers leading the Eastern Conference, the team doesn't want to take any chances -- but it has let teammates George Hill, C.J. Watson, Solomon Hill and Lavoy Allen play around with the tech during pick-up games.

    The team's standings also make the partnership a huge get for CrowdOptic, which had initially worked with Stanford's basketball and football teams, as well as the Sonoma Raceway. While the Kings have been quick to implement new technology -- from NFC to in-seat wireless charging, the digital currency Bitcoin and drone-cams from 3D Robotics -- the team is ranked third from the bottom in the Western Conference. "The Kings are hugely tech savvy," says CrowdOptic CEO Jon Fisher. "That's to be expected. But the Kings aren't in contention. It's a very different thing when the Pacers adopt the technology."

    今晚的比赛将用上11副谷歌眼镜，每一副都会搭载CrowdOptic的软件。这家公司的算法会按帧筛除质量较差的镜头，把最好的画面送到视频控制室的转播平台上。在这个控制室里，这支球队可挑出最好的画面投射到大屏幕上——或者就直接让CrowdOptic的技术来做主。这些镜头也可供当地其他转播机构使用。

    Tonight, 11 pairs of Google Glass will be in play, each outfitted with CrowdOptic software. The company's algorithm weeds out inferior views by frame rate and feeds the best footage to a launch platform in the AV room. From there, teams can pick the best shots to send to the Jumbo tron -- or just let CrowdOptic's technology figure it out. The footage can also be used by the local affiliates broadcasting the game.