Liverpool are among three Premier League football clubs to install Intel technology which will allow matchday fans to see replays in 360 degrees.
The tech is coming to Anfield while Manchester City and Arsenal will also install Intel True View at their Etihad Stadium and Emirates Stadium homes respectively.
The high-tech video systems rely on 38 ultra-high-definition 5K cameras to provide periscopic 360-degree replays, meaning fans will be able to experience shots and goals from every conceivable angle.
Arsenal’s home game with Manchester United on Sunday March 10th will see the debut of the technology in the Premier League after it was installed in six stadiums in La Liga – including those of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – as well as many American sports venues.
The tech will give each club the wherewithal to produce immersive content for their various digital and social channels, such as City TV.
“I think we can take our learnings from the country of Spain and improve, embellish, and really let our partners – Man City, for instance – put their hands in the clay with us and to build and to tailor a very specific Manchester City opportunity,” said Howard Wright, Intel Sports’ AVP of business development.
“So the tech is the same, the camera is the same, the hardware is the same, but the digital storytelling can be really, really unique.”
Volumetric video uses cubic voxels, rather than planar pixels, to reproduce imagery with depth.
Intel will also help produce a laser wall, a virtual plane that can show precise player positioning, at the grounds.
This could in theory help with VAR decisions in future, but would probably have to be included in every Premier League ground to ensure uniformity.
“[We’re trying to bring] “all the objectivity into the game and as little subjectivity as we can,” said Wright.
“When these systems are installed in a venue, it gives you mathematical certainty where the ball, where the player, where the ref, and everybody else is.”
Peter Laundy, the VP director of partnership planning and creative at City Football Group, said: “We need to be sure we are engaging and entertaining our followers around the world.”