Warriors owner Joe Lacob gets most of the ink when it comes to telling the story behind his team’s amazing success. He’s the principal stakeholder. The guy who put the group together.
But Peter Guber — Lacob’s co-owner — is the mad scientist behind the scenes. He’s the Hollywood schmoozer who can mesmerize a room with his fast-talking shtick. The guy you want to have a martini with.
He also happens to be a guy who can see the future.
That much was evident Friday night at Oracle Arena, where an innovative group of tech types came out to show off what could be a true game-changer in broadcasting. A company called NextVR, based in Laguna Beach (Orange County), has come up with a broadcasting platform that allows you to put on a funky pair of goggles, plug in your smartphone and suddenly, magically, be standing courtside at an NBA game.
Players run past you as though you were at the scorer’s table, waiting to check in. You can follow the ball, or look up at the scoreboard. Shoot, you can watch the vendors walking up and down the aisles if you want. Bottom line is that the world of three-dimensional virtual reality is upon us. And it’s no surprise that Guber is one of the leading voices evangelizing the technology’s merits.
Keep innovating
“Innovation,” he says, in a gravelly voice that still has a hint of New York in it somewhere. “If you don’t have that, you have stagnation. Then eradication.”
It’s a classic Guber line, delivered with pure sincerity and belief. The former head of Sony Pictures made a fortune with movies like “Rain Man” and “Batman.” He knows how to pitch a product. But after all these years and all that money, he still gets excited by the latest shiny dime. He’s a true believer in change.
“If you can think of the conceit,” Guber says excitedly, urgently, “you are in charge. You are a participant instead of a passenger. This is a game-changer of location-based entertainment.”
It’s hard to argue.
NextVR is one of a handful of companies trying to capitalize on emerging virtual reality technology, both in the gaming and broadcasting space. This particular company has partnered its software and broadcast expertise with Facebook’s Oculus gaming technology, along with the muscle of Samsung’s hardware developers, to produce a device that’s truly remarkable.
While there are market ready versions of the NextVR available right now, the technology is still probably a year or two from mass-market adoption. But if these virtual reality companies can make the right deals with pro sports … and gaming companies … and retailers … the possibilities are truly endless. One NextVR executive estimated a market of 200,000 units. Within a few years, the company envisions a market of 200 million units.
The future of broadcasting?
I looked into a pair of virtual reality glasses at Friday night’s Warriors game and saw the future of broadcasting.
A software company called NextVR from Laguna Beach was on hand to demonstrate the latest technology used to broadcast something like an NBA game. And the Warriors-Mavericks game was a perfect test.
The device, made by Samsung in concert with Facebook’s Oculus and NextVR, works by snapping a Samsung 6 phone into the viewfinder of a device that looks like a pair of fancy ski goggles. The results are stunning. The game is shot using a 3-D courtside camera (shooting 60,000 frames per second) and beamed to the phone’s screen. Then the headgear translates it into a virtual reality, with very realistic depth.
“It’s intended to make you feel like you’re there,” said NextVR co-founder Dave Cole, who started the company in 2009 with business partner D.J. Roller.
Once the game action starts and you put the goggles on, the results are remarkable. You feel as if you’re standing courtside, and you can see the players running past you. You also have the ability to control the field of vision. You can look left, right, up or down. And you don’t have to follow the ball.
It’s like being there … virtually. And that’s the whole point.
NextVR and its partners have a version of this technology available for sale already, although on a limited basis. They hope to make it a mass-market product in the next year or two.
To read the full story visit the SF Chronicle where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
