Courtesy of CBC.ca:
User-controlled camera debuts on Hockey Night
"Online viewers will have personal control over a near-ice-level perspective as the Hockey Night in Canada All Access Cam makes its debut in Friday's telecast of the Montreal Canadiens' centennial anniversary game against the Boston Bruins.
The new camera will give viewers logging on to CBCSports.ca total freedom to choose where they focus their attention during the pre-game festivities and after the puck drops at the Bell Centre.
"It's a cool innovation. We're always trying to bring the event to the viewer," said Hockey Night in Canada executive producer Sherali Najak.
Developed by Immersive Media in Calgary and sponsored by Chevrolet, the circular camera, smaller than a soccer ball, has 11 lenses working simultaneously. The different views are pieced together by computer software, giving online users a real-time 360-degree view of the action.
"You can watch the play at your discretion," Najak said. "It's just something that is so user-generated, and the innovation behind it is really neat. [Fans] can use it on their own terms."
...This is a GREAT idea. A 360 degree view of the ice and you can pick any angle? Damn! Looks like the track-ball has just been resurrected from the dead.
You couple this with 1080p and Dolby Surround? Hoooobaby...a Hockey fan's wet dream. Only on CBC, though...
Lucky Canadians have all the fun...
