We've been following the recent developments of bullet time rigs pretty closely, especially the one created by Japanese broadcasting company NHK. Their rig consisted of just 8 multi-viewpoint remote-controlled cameras, but the folks over at Replay Technologies has developed a 12 4K Teledyne DALSA Falcon2 CMOS camera setup. They're calling it "freeD" and you'll be able to watch the NFL from multiple new perspectives in little over a month. To see it in action and find out how it works, hit the jump:
PetaPixel recently talked to Patrick Myles of Teledyne DALSA about the details of freeD, or Free Dimensional Video -- what it is and how it works:
Replay’s freeD system utilizes powerful cameras and sophisticated algorithms to create three-dimensional photo-realistic real-time scenes. This information is stored as a freeD database that can produce (render) any desired viewing angle from the detailed information.
The rendering takes only 30 seconds on average. The video below gives you the lowdown on how it all works:
According to PetaPixel, this rig has already been used in golf, gymnastics and baseball under the name “YESVIEW." To see freeD in action, check out the video below of a Yankees home game.
So far, Replay's system has only been installed in the Dallas Cowboys stadium. The cameras are set up around both red zones, and will be capable of everything you'd expect a high-end bullet time rig to do: freezing, pivoting around, and zooming in on a subject.
I don't think there's any doubt that the rest of the NFL stadiums will follow suit, as well as the rest of professional sports (and who knows what else.) So, the million dollar question -- when will we be able to watch a sack/interception/illegal facemask/80 yard punt return in bullet time? The answer -- September 8th for the Giants vs. Cowboys game in Dallas.
What do you think of bullet time rigs being used for instant replays? Is this technology a gimmick or do you think it'll be the future of watching sports? Let us know in the comments.
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