What better than enjoying the event at home in the comfort of your favourite lounger, with your favourite mug and a huge family-size bag of crisps.
Well, being able to watch an immersive 360-degree VR rendition on TV or your mobile device! Bringing virtual reality to life is the 360 video technology. We wrote about it a few years back when the technology was in its infancy see the article here but since then the application of it has made strides.
Major sporting events and production companies have been shooting the live event in 360 to capture all the glory and atmosphere and all the angles so, you as the spectator can pan and move around as if you were there. But advantageously, you don’t have to bump shoulders and spill your beer, or brave cold weather or rain or risk catching that dreaded crowned virus thing.
They use 360-degree, HD cameras mounted on the helmets of jockeys and horses and dollies around the racetrack to capture all the angles simultaneously so, when you move left or right or up or down, the picture you are viewing moves with you.
What Events Can We Enjoy?
Well, with the Cheltenham Festival being forced behind closed doors this year from fears of transmissions, last year saw several cases of Covid from the large crowds, 360-degree video will allow punters to enjoy the event as if you were there.
A fully immersive capture of the racecourse, runners and paddock. It could even give the punters a greater advantage to assess the horses as the video will give them more angles to see the poise of the horse as they prepare for the starting line.
You save on the 1.5-hour journey and multiple changes to get to the Bloomin racetrack and you don’t have to hold your nose when you go past a steaming pile of horse doo doo.
This 4k video shot in 360 at Woodbine will give you a feel for what you will be able to see.
Mounted on different horses and great stabilization technology you really feel part of the race and can purvey everything. The track below your feet, the blue sky, the horses behind and the leading horse you have to hunt down.
You can feel the crack of the whip urging the horse towards the finish line and even the turf being kicked in your face from hooves galloping over the track.
How Does Horse Racing Betting Tech Tie In?
Horse racing tech is tied in via online betting platforms. You can bet on both live horse racing events such as Cheltenham Festival 2021 along with a full guide for new bettors. When the races are on, you can use live streaming and place in-play bets whole there are also 360 degree augmented reality virtual horse racing betting options for those times when the races are not on.
Simply sign up to an online sports book, and you will have access to racing event schedules both live and virtual 360 degree races, and the chance to use bonus bets!
Hardware Advances
With hardware gadgets such as virtual headsets that are fully immersive and hand remotes for real-time controls and movement. Furthermore, the advancing computing power, memory and graphics cards mean that the picture and refresh rates are so real and quick.
By adding wireless hardware so movement is multidirectional, remotes or sound systems that can bring to life the event and even eye-tracking that can make the viewing even more natural.
By giving each spectator an individual physical space to view and enjoy the event. You get a tailored experience that cannot be matched by a TV broadcast with fixed cameras and brings alive an event and all the atmosphere as if you are there.
At a time when this pandemic has decimated the horse racing calendar and stripped audiences of social interaction, our need for close encounter and immersion in the live event is even greater. This technology may go some way to bridging that gap, especially in this COVID-19 ravaged world. This would be an easier and safer way to get fans watching an event.
