Live From MLB All-Star: Virtual Reality Takes the Field at HR Derby With NextVR Production

Virtual reality entered the batter’s box on one of Major League Baseball’s biggest stages on Monday. NextVR partnered with MLBAM to deliver the 2016 Home Run Derby on demand in virtual reality at the conclusion of the event. Although NextVR has produced baseball in VR before (including a live-streamed Dodgers-Giants game last year), Monday’s Derby marked the company’s highest-profile virtual-reality baseball production to date. In addition to the VOD stream, available 15 minutes after the conclusion of the Derby, NextVR presented a live experience in a VIP demo area at San Diego’s Petco Park.

inside the NextVR trailer, which houses the flypack for the VR production at Petco Park

“We’re very excited about the Home Run Derby [VR experience] because we have camera positions that we would never get during an actual game that are really close up to the action,” NextVR CEO/Co-Founder David Cole said prior to the Derby. “Because the ball will originate from the same place, we can focus in on one part of the field of play, which allows us to create a great experience. We have done baseball before, and it works really well, but it’s definitely a different experience than this.”

Inside the VR Production
NextVR deployed seven VR camera rigs throughout the stadium, including positions down both baselines and at pitcher’s mound, home plate, a high-position overview of the park, and a handful of outfield positions. Camera feeds were sent back uncompressed to a flypack inside the truck compound and distributed live to the VIP demo and recorded for the postgame VOD experience, which was essentially produced live-to-tape.

Similar to NextVR’s U.S. Open golf tournament live stream, the demo allows viewers to select among the seven angles along with a switched feed that includes live audio commentary by MLB.com analyst Mike Petriello. The experience also integrated MLBAM’s Statcast system, which virtually displayed distance of all home runs during the Derby.

To select a viewing angle, the user interface displays a baseball-diamond illustration showing the seven viewing positions available. The user needs only to glance at a camera position in order to view it. The Home Run Derby virtual-reality experience is available free on the MLB channel of the NextVR platform, compatible with Gear VR headsets (for more info, CLICK HERE).

“Although it’s an [on-demand] experience,” said Cole, “the user experience is very similar to our live experience at the U.S. Open.”

More Baseball on the Way
The Home Run Derby VR experience marks the official launch of an MLB channel on the NextVR portal, and Cole expects plenty more baseball content — and sports content overall — in the near future.

One of seven VR rigs deployed by NextVR for the Home Run Derby

“It’s reasonable to anticipate that we’re going to fill [the MLB channel] up with a lot more content,” he said. “We are seeing a much greater commitment from the major leagues around the world to VR. I think that, by and large, most of the top leagues have come to the realization that, at some point in the near future, VR is likely going to be part of their digital strategy. And, in addition to that, a number of them have seen the potential value-add of VR as part of their subscription strategy for digital. That is a monetization case that everyone can wrap their heads around.”

NextVR also has a five-year deal in place with Fox Sports to produce live and VOD VR content. It’s not just sports driving the way for NextVR, however: the company inked a four-year deal with Live Nation in May to produce dozens of concerts annually.

“When we know we are going to produce 150 events a year with Live Nation, we can engineer products specifically for that deliverable,” said Cole. “A pipeline deal with a league or broadcaster does exactly the same thing. Due to the amount of involvement with the NBA, for example, we have purpose-built cameras for the NBA that have been approved to go on stanchions now. These kinds of agreements give us the runway to do those kinds of things and improve the product.”

30 Days and Counting: VR Mobile Unit Set To Launch
NextVR’s first mobile unit, which was teased at NAB 2016 in April, is set to officially hit the road within the next month, according to Cole. The unit, capable of handling up to 10 VR camera rigs, will primarily work events in North America. NextVR’s two flypack units will have the capability of producing events in VR globally.

“By having three independent production units with the truck and two flypack units,” he said, “we will be able to do simultaneous productions on a consistent basis.”