The United States "Spring Festival": a high-tech feast-the Super Bowl-IT information
United States "Spring Festival," said NFL (American Football League) final Super Bowl (Super Bowl) Beijing NRG Stadium in Houston on February 6 the morning busy staging. In recent years, any high-end events are inseparable from science and technology. Including the NFL and NBA top us sports events, including live coverage of the virtual reality applications and 8K camera, these high-tech tools to make the game more fair and effective, and to enhance the audience's viewing experience.
Midfielder show Lady Gaga
This is known as America's most important sport events, surrounded by hundreds of millions of fans, attracted audiences of more than 100 million each year, "gold" is also much higher than the Olympic Games. 2016 evaluation of Forbes Super Bowl can bring in $630 million in revenue, compared with games for $366 million. In addition to football game outside the Super Bowl, wonderful performances in midfield more appealing to the audience's attention. You can say than the game itself, halftime offer 15 minutes of top stars play is where the real charm of the Super Bowl. In the more than 50-year history of the Super Bowl, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyonce had to "Super Bowl" offered playing.
Performances in midfield as a chameleon Lady Gaga this year more people look forward to. With a Woody Guthrie song This Land is Your Land of melody, Gaga appears in the NRG stadium roof in Houston, is made up of 500 drone of "Star". Preheating before drawing to a close, UAV fleet into the red-and-white flag of the United States. It was also "Super Bowl," midfielder drone for the first time in the show express NFL sponsors "embrace technology" attitude.
In the big show, unmanned aerial vehicles are no longer rare, mainly the task of performing and filming. Spring night in almost two years new year's Eve also uses drones shows. At the gala this year Mao Amin and Jason joined the city of fireworks, song and dance performances, 50 drone DOBBY Pocket formation flight. Another UAV products ROLLCAP also undertook the task of filming, a new perspective rendering images of Gala.
Neither China's Spring Festival Gala and America's "Super Bowl", various obstacles such as lifting, architecture on the stage, such as LED screens, lighting, staff communication equipment will be affected drones performing obstacles, so the drone control and performance requirements are very high. Unmanned aerial vehicle performance is the "pinpoint", "obstacle avoidance" and "formation program" technology showcase.
November 2016, Intel spent 500 drones staged a spectacular light show. That same month, Intel was created in collaboration with Disney "Starlight tours holiday drone" exhibition, 300 flying drones to take responsibility, to 4 billion colors "blooms" in the air.
Social live Cara VR
Think of "Super Bowl", people's first impression is that "it's too expensive for me!" Company NRG in Houston Stadium in front of Lee on the first financial reporter says: "the game, my yard has become a parking lot. I locked and shuttered. Other activities can also look at the ' Super Bowl ' tickets are too expensive, look down! ”
"Super Bowl" tickets starting at $3600 per year, auction price on the black market even up to tens of thousands of dollars. Since most people are unable to travel to the scene to get a grand, than sitting in front of the television with friends and family, watching while eating.
With the development of VR, now sitting in front of the TV watching, and more immersive. This "Super Bowl" on the duel between Fox Sports hand LiveLike VR, VR technology applied for the first time in the nation's largest event.
Livelike VR is headquartered in San Francisco, a focus on sporting events live virtual reality platform. Its benefit is that you can invite your friends to watch the game, and in the process of watching and chatting with friends in a virtual space. Equipment installation is very simple, simply install a wide-angle lens on a camera, you can by LiveLike servers and virtual reality platform, broadcast streaming media content.
LiveLike VR was developed in cooperation with the British soccer team Manchester City demo, allows users a panoramic look at harder stadium or watching the athletes, you can use Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Google and HTC Vive cartons experience. Users simply download the sample program and access to personal information and customizable suite of VR, you can invite friends to watch the game. In the game, users can chat, you can open the different angles of vision, you can see the score.
CEO and founder Andre Lorenceau LiveLike VR said, the company's platforms and technology will allow broadcasters don't have to spend huge sums of money to buy a professional broadcasting equipment and streamline the production process. In Exchange, broadcasters can offer LiveLike content. Due to the current real time streaming media has a certain degree of monopoly, but Lorenceau believes that once the global virtual reality head when there is a certain user base, these monopolies will release VR broadcasting rights alone.
However, games are not full use of VR technology to broadcast, but moments will be recorded by 6 different cameras at the stadium. Fox Sports VR App enables users to, to watch the event in the classic highlights 20 scores, as well as some related content before and after events. The application supports iOS and Android system, equipment Gear available Google Cardboard or Samsung VR.
Meanwhile, Fox Sports will be applied during the TV broadcast cameras provided by Intel, to capture images of different perspectives, then stitching them together rendering a 360 degree view. According to Forbes, Fox also used augmented reality camera instant marking and highlighting real time location. In addition, for the time will soon come, 8K cameras will also be used to record NFL games.
Pylon cam (camera) Super Bowl debut, Pylon cam can be regarded as one of the outstanding technical achievement of the season, ESPN Research Department is responsible for developing, developed spent several years. 8 towers in the terminal area will be equipped with 16 cameras to shoot the two team's goal line and sideline camera built-in microphones to capture the sound of ground. Pylon cam improve the viewing experience on the one hand, on the other hand also for the magistrate's ruling provides a wide variety of perspectives, make more fair.
Big data and artificial intelligence
The game itself, also into a lot of high-tech elements, among which the most useful is data. NFL has begun in the player's jerseys and Rugby test wearable motion tracker, which will be responsible for game live analyst to provide more data, and presented to the audience in the live events.
"We're going to see more video that contains data. "For live television images and data management of Joe Durant (Joe Durante) said. Durant worked for 16 years in ESPN. Past before the broadcast began, ESPN collected a lot of data and supporting information, also designated officers responsible for collecting field data. "Now more than ever focused on the field data, paying particular attention to tracking data. "Kevin Durant said.
Players can wear in-line camera kit in the future. This is similar to mount cameras on a NASCAR race car, so the audience can observe at close range the contestants ' every move. "Super Bowl" dispatch supervisor qipu·Dien (Chip Dean) said: "every Member of the audience wants to be involved, close contact with the players. Some day in the future, wait until the technology is safe, portable and reliable enough when supported by the major league, this may actually achieved. ”
And as the technology giant, Amazon and Apple won't miss "the Super Bowl" the Carnival feast. Artificial intelligence played a role in the game: for example, you can ask the Assistant Alexa Amazon's voice which team participated in the Super Bowl, who are more likely to win, it might also give you a bunch of the team's historical data. Of course you want Alexa to about football-related jokes is not a problem.
If you have an Apple TV, a game that day, you can tell Siri voice Assistant: "we watch the Super Bowl. "" Super Bowl "will be able to auto-play, and you don't need to subscribe to a cable service, to stream channels to watch. In addition, you can ask Siri on iPhone: "Patriots and Falcons team members who are even more powerful? "As well as" the midfielder who will join Lady Gaga performance? "And so on.
Ratings declined overseas expansion
Technology is changing not only on the field, outside audiences are swept by the tide of technology and changing viewing habits. According to Bloomberg statistics, 5 weeks before the final game of the season, 10% less TV audience, especially in the age of 18-49 ratings are down 14% in the crowd.
This is not a "Super Bowl" of problems encountered, but the entire United States population shrinking of television viewers. Nielsen research data show that from 2010, United States television audience by 10%, in which TV audiences dropped 40% under 24 years of age, this shows that the millennial generation (after 00) is no longer in television as a primary form of entertainment. To that end, Chairman of the NFL Roger Goodell had to adjust the game broadcasts, increase in streaming media and other channels of delivery.
Meanwhile, the "Super Bowl" competitions behind the social networking Giants scramble for the second big-screen is as busy as a bee. According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook Messenger chat application adds a virtual football helmet mask feature, turn on your camera, you can chat with friends video, or send pictures at the same time able to pick your own virtual mask acts as a "football fans". Impact of the Internet and mobile platforms, NBC Sports President Mark Lazarus said NBC hopes viewers of different viewing options, such as during the Olympics, which allowed the United States Snapchat channels of news aggregator site BuzzFeed running games.
Lazarus said: "we want to take into account the youngest millennial generation, Prime time is usually their own time (My time), they want to watch the game in their own way, which is why we have to constantly adapt to these people's viewing behavior, let us broadcast channels become more diversified. ”
Although the "Super Bowl" local ratings decline, but NFL active in overseas expansion in recent years. NFL China President Yang Ruiqi (Richard Yang) has worked in China for more than 20 years, can speak fluent Chinese. He told CBN reporter said: "the power of the Web in China is huge, because the openness of the Internet media, can help the fan base is expanding rapidly in a short time, viewers to watch the game, anywhere. ”
NFL choice and SMG, Guangdong TV, Beijing TV and other traditional media's long-term cooperation, began aggressively expanding network of channels. This includes music, Tencent's Internet media broadcast live at the 51st "Super Bowl" game and a half show. According to Yang Ruiqi said, over the years, NFL fans in China almost doubled every year. A youth football coach in Shanghai Jin Jian on CBN reporter said: "Rugby training began in Shanghai, many Chinese parents believe that this activity can foster team spirit. ”
美国“春晚”：一场高科技盛宴 - 超级碗 - IT资讯
有美国“春晚”之称的NFL（美式橄榄球联盟）决赛超级碗（Super Bowl）北京时间2月6日早上在休斯敦NRG球场热闹上演。近年来，任何高端的赛事都离不开科技。包括NFL和NBA在内的美国顶尖体育赛事的直播都已经覆盖了虚拟现实应用和8K相机拍照等，这些高科技手段既能够让比赛更加公正有效，又能提升观众的观看体验感。
Lady Gaga的中场秀
这场被誉为美国最重要、簇拥上亿粉丝的体育盛事，每年吸引观众人数超过1亿，“含金量”也远高于奥运会。《福布斯》杂志2016年评估超级碗能带来6.3亿美元的收入，相比之下奥运会仅为3.66亿美元。超级碗除了橄榄球比赛以外，精彩的中场表演更加吸引观众的眼球。可以说比起比赛本身，中场休息的15分钟顶级明星的献演才是超级碗的真正魅力所在。在超级碗超过50年的历史中，迈克尔·杰克逊、麦当娜、碧昂斯都曾为“超级碗”献演。
今年的中场表演因为百变天后Lady Gaga的加入更让人期待。伴随着一首Woody Guthrie的《This Land is Your Land》的旋律，Gaga出现在休斯敦NRG球场的屋顶，是由500架无人机布成的“星空”。场前预热接近尾声，无人机舰队排列成一面红白相间的美国国旗。这也是“超级碗”中场秀中首次使用无人机，表达了NFL主办方“拥抱科技”的态度。
其实大型表演中，无人机已经不罕见，主要承担表演和拍摄的任务。中国近两年大年三十的春晚上也使用了无人机表演。在今年春晚毛阿敏和张杰加入的《满城烟花》的歌舞表演节目中，50架DOBBY口袋无人机进行了编队飞行表演。另一款无人机产品ROLLCAP还承担了拍摄的任务，从新的视角呈现了春晚的画面。
无论是中国的春晚还是美国的“超级碗”，舞台上的各种吊装、构架等障碍物，比如LED屏幕、灯光、工作人员通信设备等都会成为影响无人机表演的阻碍，因此对无人机的性能与操控要求都很高。无人机的表演其实都是其“精确定位”、“障碍躲避”、“编队程序”等技术的展示。
2016年11月，英特尔曾用500架无人机举办了一场别开生面的灯光展。同月，英特尔与迪士尼合作创建了“星光之旅假日无人机展”，300架无人机承担飞行的重责，将40亿种颜色“绽放”在空中。
社交味十足的VR直播
想到“超级碗”，人们的第一印象就是“太贵了”！公司就在休斯敦NRG球场门口的李先生对第一财经记者表示：“一到有比赛，我这院子就成了停车场。我索性把门锁了，闭门谢客。其他活动还可以看看，‘超级碗’门票太贵，看不起！”
“超级碗”每年门票起价就3600美元，黑市的拍卖价格就更达到上万美元。既然大部分人无法前往现场一窥盛况，那么还不如选择同亲朋好友围坐在电视机前，边吃边看。
随着VR技术的发展，如今即使坐在电视机前收看，也更有沉浸感。在本届“超级碗”上的对决，福克斯体育携手LiveLike VR，把VR技术首次应用到这项全美规模最大的赛事中。
Livelike VR是总部位于旧金山的一家专注于体育赛事虚拟现实直播的平台。它的好处是可以邀请朋友一起收看比赛，并在收看的过程中，在虚拟的空间里与朋友分享聊天。设备的安装也非常简单，只需在现有的摄像机上安装广角镜头，就可以通过LiveLike的服务器和虚拟现实平台转播流媒体内容。
LiveLike VR曾与英国的足球队曼城俱乐部合作开发了一个演示，允许用户全景浏览哈德体育场或者观看运动员训练，可以通过三星Gear VR、Oculus Rift、HTC Vive和谷歌纸盒体验。用户只需下载示例程序并获得个人信息和可定制的VR套件，可以邀请朋友在一起观看比赛。在比赛中，用户可以聊天，可以打开不同角度的球场视野，可以看到计分。
LiveLike VR的CEO兼创始人Andre Lorenceau表示，该公司的平台和技术可以让广播公司不用耗费巨资去买专业的广播设备和简化后期制作流程。作为交换，广播公司可以向LiveLike提供内容。由于目前实时流媒体已有一定的垄断性，但是Lorenceau相信，一旦全球虚拟现实头显有一定的用户基础时，这些垄断机构会单独放出VR转播权。
不过，一般比赛都不会全程使用VR技术来直播，但精彩瞬间将会由体育场内6个不同方向摄像头记录下来。用户可通过Fox Sports VR App，来观看赛事过程中经典的20个得分集锦，以及一些赛事前后的相关内容。该应用支持iOS及Android系统，设备可用谷歌Cardboard或是三星Gear VR。
与此同时，在电视广播期间福克斯体育将应用英特尔提供相机，来捕捉不同视角的图像，再将其拼接起来呈现360度现场视图。据福布斯报道，福克斯还利用增强现实摄像机即时标记和突出显示实时位置。另外，不久的将来，8K相机也将用于记录NFL比赛。
Pylon cam（塔式摄像机）也首次亮相超级碗，Pylon cam可以算是本赛季卓越的技术成就之一，是由ESPN研发部门负责开发的，光研发就耗费了好几年。在终端区域的8个塔内会设有16个摄像机来拍摄两个球队的球门线和边线，相机内嵌麦克风以捕捉地面的声音。Pylon cam一方面改善观看体验，另一方面也为裁判裁决提供多样的视角，使决定更公正。
大数据和人工智能
就比赛本身来讲，也融入了很多高科技元素，其中用处最大的就是大数据。NFL已经开始在球员的球衣和橄榄球上测试可穿戴运动追踪器，这将给负责比赛直播的分析人员提供更多的数据信息，并在赛事直播中呈现给观众。
“我们将看到更多包含数据的比赛视频。”负责电视直播中的图像和数据统计管理的乔·杜兰特（Joe Durante）说道。杜兰特在ESPN工作已经长达16年。过去在直播开始前，ESPN会搜集大量相关数据和支撑信息，还会派专人负责搜集场上数据。“现在比以前更关注赛场数据了，尤其要注意追踪数据信息。”杜兰特说。
未来球员也能穿上内嵌摄像机的球衣。这类似于纳斯卡车赛中在赛车上装载摄像头，让观众可以近距离地观察选手的每个动作。“超级碗”调度主管奇普·迪恩（Chip Dean）说道：“每位观众都希望参与其中，近距离地接触球员。在未来的某一天，等到技术足够安全、轻便和可靠的时候，在各大联赛的支持下，这个目标也许真能实现。”
而作为科技巨头，亚马逊和苹果自然不会错过“超级碗”的狂欢盛宴。人工智能在比赛中发挥了作用：比如你可以问亚马逊的语音助理Alexa哪支球队参加了超级碗、谁更有可能胜利，它还可能丢给你一堆球队的历史数据。当然你想让Alexa讲与橄榄球有关的笑话也没问题。
如果你拥有一台Apple TV，一到比赛那天，你就能直接告诉语音助手Siri：“我们来看超级碗吧。”“超级碗”就能自动播放了，并且无需订阅有线服务，以流媒体渠道观看即可。另外，你可以在iPhone上询问Siri：“爱国者与猎鹰球队成员比较而言谁更强？”以及“谁将加入Lady Gaga的中场表演？”等问题。
收视率下降海外拓展
科技改变的不仅仅是赛场上，场外的观众也在受到科技大潮的席卷而改变着收视习惯。根据彭博数据统计，本赛季决赛前的5周内，电视观众收视同比下降了10%，尤其是年龄在18至49岁的人群中的收视率更是下降了14%。
这并不是“超级碗”所碰到的问题，而是整个美国电视观众的人群在萎缩。尼尔森的调研数据显示，从2010年至今，美国电视观众减少了10%，其中24岁以下的电视观众骤减40%，这说明千禧一代（00后）已经不再以收看电视作为首要的娱乐方式。为此，NFL主席Roger Goodell已经对比赛的转播方式进行调整，增加了流媒体等渠道的投放。
与此同时，“超级碗”激烈赛事的背后，社交巨头们对第二大屏幕的争夺也忙得不可开交。据《华尔街日报》报道，Facebook在聊天应用Messenger中添加了一个虚拟橄榄球头盔面具功能，打开相机，你可与好友视频或发送图片聊天，与此同时还能挑上你喜欢的虚拟面具让自己充当一把“橄榄球迷”。面对网络和移动平台的冲击，NBC Sports主席Mark Lazarus曾表示，NBC希望通过给观众不同的收视选项，比如在奥运会期间，就曾允许美国新闻聚合网站BuzzFeed运营奥运会的Snapchat频道。
Lazarus表示：“我们要考虑到年轻的千禧一代，黄金时段通常是他们自己做主的时间（My time），他们希望以自己的方式观看比赛，这也是为什么我们要不断去适应这些人群的收视行为，让我们的转播渠道更加多样化。”
尽管“超级碗”的本土收视率下滑，但是NFL近年来积极地进行海外拓展。NFL中国区总裁杨瑞奇（Richard Yang）在中国工作时间已经超过20年，能讲一口流利的中文。他对第一财经记者表示：“在中国网络的力量是巨大的，因为网络媒体的开放性，能够让球迷基数在短时间内迅速扩张，观众能够随时随地去观看任何一场比赛。”
NFL在选择与SMG、广东电视台、北京电视台等传统媒体长期合作之后，开始大力拓展网络渠道。此次包括乐视、腾讯内的网络媒体全程直播了第51届“超级碗”比赛和中场秀。据杨瑞奇透露，过去几年里，NFL在中国的粉丝数量几乎每年都在成倍增长。上海的一位青少年美式橄榄球教练金鉴对第一财经记者表示：“橄榄球培训开始逐渐在上海兴起，很多中国家长认为这项活动能够培养孩子的团体协作精神。”