NFL Kickoff 2017: freeD Is Back and Its Installed in 11 Stadiums for the Upcoming Season
The 360-degree replay system is coming to eight new venues, including the site of Super Bowl LII
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freeD, the 360-degree replay technology owned by Intel Sports, is poised for its biggest NFL season yet with installations in 11 stadiums for the upcoming season, including U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, site of Super Bowl LII.
The specialty replay technology uses strategically-placed 5K cameras (38 of them)
to capture a complete 360-degree and 3D image of the action of the field. When the replay is played back from a dedicated control room at each stadium, an operator could sweep through the image virtually anywhere through the environment and added graphics can be layered on top.
As one would imagine, the file sizes are dramatic with Intel servers processing up to 1 terabyte of data per 15- to 30-second clip.
The technology was already in place at M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens), NRG Stadium (Houston Texans) and Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco 49ers) with Intel and the NFL adding these eight new venues for the 2017/18 campaign:
- Arizona Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
- Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Cleveland Browns’ FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio
- Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
- Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota (site
of Super Bowl LII) - New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Washington Redskins’ FedExField in Landover, Maryland
These playbacks with be made available to broadcasters and the in-venue show at each game. In addition, clips will be published to NFL.com, the NFL Mobile app, the NFL’s YouTube channel, and other NFL digital channels.
