If you were one of the lucky 1.5 million households who subscribe to the Verizon Fios television & internet services then you can now participate in a testing of some new broadcasting features for watching NFL games. The NFL is testing the ability of home users to control the game's camera angles that they are watching on their NFL Network.Verizon subscribers get the NFL Network as part of their basic package (unlike Comcast & Time Warner) and can change camera angles from the main feed to the sideline cam, the end zone cam, and the cable cam hovering above the field with their new Game Extra service. There is also a "quad" view showing the main feed and 3 alternate angles at once. You can even change the camera during commercial breaks so you can see what is going on on the field while the rest of America is watching commercials.
Yahoo Sports tested out the service last week and had this to say:
The ability to switch camera angles proved less useful than it sounds. While the sideline cam is, of course, located on the sideline, it does not always follow the action from the same angle. This is the actual camera used by the NFL Network, so sometimes the operator is zooming in on a particular player or the huddle or a coach on the bench to get a certain shot.
Indeed, the most entertaining part of the alternate camera angles was often the voyeuristic sense of watching close-ups of players preparing to line up or talking between snaps, images rarely seen during telecasts.
The cable cam consistently offered the most interesting angles, including a great close-up during a commercial of medical staff examining Packers quarterback Brett Favre after he injured his arm in the second quarter.
Pretty damn cool really. Too bad only 1.5 million people can use it. I would expect that Direct TV is going to get this service at some point, and hopefully if the NFL, Comcast and TWC can get their acts together and make peace we can all take advantage of this.
From Yahoo!
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