Pacers Going to The ‘Glass’
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Pacers will use Google Glass during the next five home games in an effort to enhance the arena experience. The team is partnering with San Francisco-based CrowdOptic on the effort. The Pacers will debut the feature during tonight's game against the Miami Heat.
March 25, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) today announced the inclusion of Google Glass as a new element of the in-game experience during Indiana Pacers' home games in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The launch of Google Glass in partnership with the software platform CrowdOptic will allow first-person views of select Pacers personalities seen in real-time on one of the best arena scoreboards in sports.
Pacers fans will experience the first Google Glass broadcast on Wednesday, March 26, during the home game against the Miami Heat. While at the game, fans can expect to see never-before-seen, first-person views from Public Address Announcer Michael Grady, members of the Pacemates, and the trainer for the Frisbee dog, among others. Additionally, select Pacers players will wear Google Glass during a non-game day practice in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“We are dedicated to making the game experience the best possible for our Pacers fans,” said Rick Fuson, PS&E Chief Operating Officer. “The inclusion of Google Glass helps us continue that goal while testing the leader in wearable technology.”
The experience will be powered by CrowdOptic, a software platform which analyzes the real-time Google Glass feeds and curates them by their subject matter and quality, exporting only the highest quality live footage to the scoreboard. CrowdOptic’s ability to analyze where mobile and wearable devices are aimed allows future opportunities, such as optimizing in-seat arena services or providing fans the option to control their own broadcast.
“The Pacers' vision of always improving the game experience is perfectly aligned with our vision,” said Jon Fisher, CEO of CrowdOptic. “Since starting the company, we’ve aimed to visually enhance the event experience through emerging technology like Google Glass.”
The addition of Google Glass reinforces the importance of PS&E’s efforts to always improve the in-game experience. In August 2012, PS&E announced a major audio and video system upgrade to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. These upgrades resulted in a state-of-the-art, center-hung scoreboard nearly five times the size of its predecessor. The scoreboard features twin 1080p high definition (HD) video screens, each measuring 50 feet long – extending nearly foul line to foul line – by 21 feet high.
Pacers fans looking to learn more about the launch of Google Glass should visit Pacers.com/Glass or follow any of the team’s official social media sites, including +Pacers on Google+, Indiana Pacers on Facebook, @Pacers on Instagram, or @Pacers on Twitter. Fans looking to attend the game should visit Pacers.com/tickets or the NBATickets.com Fan Resale Marketplace.
Source: Pacers Sports and Entertainment