VR TV
 

Right, we're currently in 2017. Let's see how far away we are from VR TV channels. To me it seems to be the next step in the natural evolution of television.

Current 3D TV experiences wouldn't come close to it. Instead of looking at a screen, you enter the live broadcast.

Imagine walking around a ring while watching the fight live. Imagine watching a live football or rugby match on Sky or BT Sport VR (for example)

A device such as the Oculus Rift or one of its successors could be linked to a cable or satellite set top box or a smartphone app to receive the broadcast channel or PPV event. The channel could then provide a few selectable spectator positions from the stand.

You could then choose to switch your seat to view from different positions and move your head to look at different areas of the pitch. Optional graphics could be overlayed onto the player positions such as their names and shirt numbers.

Anyway. If nobody thought of this already, don't worry, I'm not looking for royalties. It is kind of an obvious idea :D

When it actually happens, the things I wrote above will sound archaic and slightly outdated. I can't imagine it will be much different though, as a general idea.

Re: VR TV
 

You have to have cameras at the angle you want to view or enough cameras to cover a continuous FOV/Field of View.

So if a referee could wear this for example, you could look around with a headset but could still only see it from the angle he is standing...just that you could look behind him too:

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/09/12.jpg

Moving your head would change the view giving you the feeling you are there though. Might as well stream it straight to your phone as with cardboard or cheap VR headsets you can get the effect now. Some of the VR apps on the play store let you download concerts where you are viewing it as if you are there.

Virtual reality porn appears to the biggest up take of the technology so far.

Doing it for sports is possible and multiple positions by having multiple camera setups is too. Just how long before it jumps from phone to sat or cable box's. They might even all be IPTV by that time anyway, so will end up streaming to a phone with headset over wifi anyway.

Re: VR TV
 

Yes, the images are be stitched together much like a panoramic camera does it. It certainly could be an application for multiple 4k or 8k streams.

The "walking around" idea occurred to me more as a kind of "Microsoft Hololens" projecting sports onto a flat surface in your home. I'm not sure how the camera setup would have to be done for that to work - but in terms of what can already be done, having selectable fixed locations in a stadium would definitely be very immersive for a new type of VR PPV sports event setup. The other set up (hololens) of watching a match on your living room carpet live, from any angle, might actually not provide the best experience in comparison to fixed stadium VR seats.