Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking, into the sport media future.
Apple revealed Major League Baseball Advanced Media’s take on augmented reality(AR) on stage at its media event earlier this month. MLB Advanced Media was created in 2000 to allow the MLB to take advantage of the increased use of the internet and digital space for ticket sales.The division of the MLB quickly made attempts to stream games online, and became one of the first companies to stream live content. Today, the MLB At Bat app is the company’s most successful venture. From streaming live games, to giving behind the scenes looks using extensive statistics and advanced graphics, the MLB At Bat app is an extremely valuable tool for baseball fans, and it is about to get even better.
The app has partnered with Apple in the past, streaming games on iOS devices and Apple TV. Now, Apple’s new AR capabilities are set to bring the At Bat app to a new level. The use of the AR technology within the At Bat app while attending an MLB game is the newest feature looking to be offered by the cutting edge sports app. The technology is still in the initial days — MLB announces that it won’t reach the hands of customers until a new version of the MLB At Bat app reaches devices for the opening of the 2018 season. It’s clearly on the move, powered by iOS 11’s AR-Kit technologies and MLB’s large quantity of Statcast data.
If you don’t know about Statcast data, here’s the thing: Every major-league ballpark is equipped with imaging devices that allows MLB to measure, at a rate of 60 frames/second, the position of each player on the field, as well as the location of the ball. It’s a technological epoch that is allowing teams and researchers alike to learn aspects of baseball that were thought to be unmeasurable because they go beyond regular stats that only measure the outcomes of individual plays.
This data is available in real time — and it’s being tapped by the MLB At Bat app to power its AR view. While relaxing at AT&T Park in San Francisco, one will able to look at an iPad pointed at the field and view on-screen icons with images of every player on the field. These icons are calibrated to move with the players in real time. Interacting with the shortstop’s icon added a coloured shape showing his fielding range, the area where he’d be expected to catch a ball and make an out. When a runner takes a lead, the app could display the length of his lead for the user. Features such as these marry the new AR technology with the game of baseball and are reminiscent of a video game.
The hurdle for the MLB At Bat app developers is to estimate data is interesting and helpful to someone at the ballpark — and how to deliver it to them in a way that’s simple to use and understand. Also, an alert when a foul ball is coming your direction so you can look up from your phone might be great.
Functional challenges currently exist as well. Primarily, making certain that its AR views will work in every conceivable part of every ballpark. It turns out that aligning the app with the field itself isn’t that troublesome — baseball diamonds are symmetrical, even if stadiums aren’t. The difficulty is that different seats can have entirely different views. If you’re behind home plate, you’ll get a very different picture than if you’re resting atop the Green Monster at Fenway Park. So far, they’ve tested the app in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles, but it will need to be experimented at every location.
I wonder if perhaps there are some AR applications for this technology that goes beyond people at the ballpark. Imagine constructing a virtual ballpark on your table and being able to play back game events. All the technology to create that exists today, too — it’s just a matter of figuring out the best way to build it. But there’s no uncertainty that, once again, MLB’s apps will be pushing these new technologies to the limit.
