First LIVE Apple Immersive Sports Stream

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RockRock8

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The Lakers played a game, and Apple streamed it live in Apple Immersive. From the comments I've read online, it seems to be a resounding success. Social media opinion is unreliable, but multiple reviewers have praised Apple Immersive as a game changing feature exclusive for their spatial OS, so it seems likely that people are extremely happy with it. I looked at someone who filmed it through one of the lenses, and it looked remarkable: clear, color-rich, no fish eye distortion. It just looked like normal, not some horrible quality stream. Combined with the 3D vision (Apple Immersive is a 3D/8K/HDR, 180 degree video with spatial audio ), it seems like you're really there. Court side seats itself costs $2,000 per game, so this pretty much pays off with 2 games.

Read more about what I'm talking about here:
www.apple.com

Spectrum Front Row tips off January 9 on Apple Vision Pro

Apple and Spectrum unveiled the schedule for The Lakers in Apple Immersive, a series of live basketball games in a revolutionary storytelling format available only on Apple Vision Pro.
www.apple.com

Brian Tong's reaction from Twitter here:
Just rushed home from CES 2026 and NBA Immersive games on Apple Vision Pro are UNREAL! This is a killer app. The fidelity, the camera angles and production are unreal. I've tried other platforms live sports and NOTHING comes close to this! This MUST BE EXPERIENCED to understand how special it is.
Click to expand...

A comment from social media I found interesting:
Not one to leave comments often, but that experience deserves one. Couldn’t get the people in my house to take a look, but I was so in awe that I threw on some sneaks, hopped in the car with the AVP and ended up at the watering hole of one of the nice hotels in town. Resumed watching for a bit at a table, eventually asked a patron if I could borrow his eyes for a minute. Five minutes later, he was blown away too. The next live game isn’t until Feb. 5. Here’s hoping Apple sells a lot more AVPs!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
 
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RockRock8 said:
The Lakers played a game, and Apple streamed it live in Apple Immersive. From the comments I've read online, it seems to be a resounding success. Social media opinion is unreliable, but multiple reviewers have praised Apple Immersive as a game changing feature exclusive for their spatial OS, so it seems likely that people are extremely happy with it. I looked at someone who filmed it through one of the lenses, and it looked remarkable: clear, color-rich, no fish eye distortion. It just looked like normal, not some horrible quality stream. Combined with the 3D vision (Apple Immersive is a 3D/8K/HDR, 180 degree video with spatial audio ), it seems like you're really there. Court side seats itself costs $2,000 per game, so this pretty much pays off with 2 games.

Read more about what I'm talking about here:
www.apple.com

Spectrum Front Row tips off January 9 on Apple Vision Pro

Apple and Spectrum unveiled the schedule for The Lakers in Apple Immersive, a series of live basketball games in a revolutionary storytelling format available only on Apple Vision Pro.
www.apple.com

Brian Tong's reaction from Twitter here:


A comment from social media I found interesting:
Click to expand...
Thanks. I’m planning to watch the replay as soon as it’s available.
 
I just finished watching the game highlights and selected parts of the full game. My thoughts:
  • Overall experience: Fantastic, and I'm not a big NBA fan. It was so much more compelling than watching a game in 2D, even on a large screen. I didn't mind missing selected close-ups of the action. Instead, I was able to concentrate on what I was interested in by looking in that direction, whether it was to see what Luka Dončić and Lebron James were doing when they didn't have the ball in their hands, other camera operators at halftime, the officials, or whatever.

  • Field of view: I could see the edges of the field on both sides, but no differently than on other immersive videos, and not an issue. It was great to be able to look up at the stadium displays and crowd or down at the court, depending on which camera was in use, adding to the sense of being there.

  • Camera placement: The main views were from a camera at mid-court and two others on the basket stanchions, with the director choosing the one closest to the action. There were several others as well, including a handheld for the national anthem, for example. I've read that there were small areas missing from view on the same side as the mid-court camera, though I didn't notice it.

  • Clarity: The courtside cam's focus was seemingly tuned to the near-mid range, so I was able to see fine details in the wood slats nearby. The people on the opposite side weren't as clear. I wonder it this is something that can be adjusted. During halftime, one of the Laker Girls standing below an end camera was holding an iPhone, and I could see details on the display.

  • Replays: They were few and not in slow-motion, probably a limitation of the technology, at least for now.

  • Color: In a recap video this morning, Hugh Hou and his partner pointed out that the color was off— specifically, the Lakers' purple appeared blue. I guess this is something that can be fixed going forward.

  • Sound: I've read comments that it didn't seem spatial. I agree, though it was OK.

  • Commercials: None! I don't know how this affects subscription costs, but I suspect Apple provided subsidies.

  • Commentary: There were two play-by-play announcers dedicated to the immersive experience who were able to tailor what they said to what the immersive audience was seeing.

  • Other: I liked being able to look down to see a graphic showing the current score and time clock.

  • Value: Watching in real-time requires a Spectrum internet account in Southern California and a subscription, so I don't know the exact cost, though it's certainly cheaper than buying good seats if you have an AVP. (And courtside seats cost as much as the device alone.)
This was quite impressive for a first attempt, and I'm sure it will improve, even just for the limited number of NBA games scheduled. Adapting this technique for other sports and events will require some work. For example, I think immersively telecasting a football game would require more active cameras than the three main ones used here. Switching between views was much less jarring than I expected it to be, though it might be problematic as the number of cameras goes up. On the other hand, live stage or concert performances might be handled with just one or two cameras.

Although I generally prefer to attend sporting and other events in person, there are many games and events for which that will remain practically impossible for me. I'd happily pay to watch them on my AVP.

But don't take my word for it. If you have or can borrow an AVP, I suggest you try it for yourself. The replays are available for free the day after the game using a no-cost NBA ID.
 
I would pay a lot of money to watch Mets games this way.
 
Roller said:
I just finished watching the game highlights and selected parts of the full game. My thoughts:
  • Overall experience: Fantastic, and I'm not a big NBA fan. It was so much more compelling than watching a game in 2D, even on a large screen. I didn't mind missing selected close-ups of the action. Instead, I was able to concentrate on what I was interested in by looking in that direction, whether it was to see what Luka Dončić and Lebron James were doing when they didn't have the ball in their hands, other camera operators at halftime, the officials, or whatever.

  • Field of view: I could see the edges of the field on both sides, but no differently than on other immersive videos, and not an issue. It was great to be able to look up at the stadium displays and crowd or down at the court, depending on which camera was in use, adding to the sense of being there.

  • Camera placement: The main views were from a camera at mid-court and two others on the basket stanchions, with the director choosing the one closest to the action. There were several others as well, including a handheld for the national anthem, for example. I've read that there were small areas missing from view on the same side as the mid-court camera, though I didn't notice it.

  • Clarity: The courtside cam's focus was seemingly tuned to the near-mid range, so I was able to see fine details in the wood slats nearby. The people on the opposite side weren't as clear. I wonder it this is something that can be adjusted. During halftime, one of the Laker Girls standing below an end camera was holding an iPhone, and I could see details on the display.

  • Replays: They were few and not in slow-motion, probably a limitation of the technology, at least for now.

  • Color: In a recap video this morning, Hugh Hou and his partner pointed out that the color was off— specifically, the Lakers' purple appeared blue. I guess this is something that can be fixed going forward.

  • Sound: I've read comments that it didn't seem spatial. I agree, though it was OK.

  • Commercials: None! I don't know how this affects subscription costs, but I suspect Apple provided subsidies.

  • Commentary: There were two play-by-play announcers dedicated to the immersive experience who were able to tailor what they said to what the immersive audience was seeing.

  • Other: I liked being able to look down to see a graphic showing the current score and time clock.

  • Value: Watching in real-time requires a Spectrum internet account in Southern California and a subscription, so I don't know the exact cost, though it's certainly cheaper than buying good seats if you have an AVP. (And courtside seats cost as much as the device alone.)
This was quite impressive for a first attempt, and I'm sure it will improve, even just for the limited number of NBA games scheduled. Adapting this technique for other sports and events will require some work. For example, I think immersively telecasting a football game would require more active cameras than the three main ones used here. Switching between views was much less jarring than I expected it to be, though it might be problematic as the number of cameras goes up. On the other hand, live stage or concert performances might be handled with just one or two cameras.

Although I generally prefer to attend sporting and other events in person, there are many games and events for which that will remain practically impossible for me. I'd happily pay to watch them on my AVP.

But don't take my word for it. If you have or can borrow an AVP, I suggest you try it for yourself. The replays are available for free the day after the game using a no-cost NBA ID.
Click to expand...
Wow, thank you for not only taking the time to try it but writing such a thorough review of it! I really appreciated you going into depth on multiple things.

For myself and others who haven't tried Apple Immersive format yet, is the 3D depth similar to how you perceive real life? As in, if someone was standing there in the game, did it look like they were in front of you depth-wise? Not referring to resolution, but depth perception rather. I'm very curious.

Also are you planning to watch the other 5 games?

With an educated guess, Is there a sport that could be filmed using this that would change entirely how the sport is perceived when watched? I'm not referring to people's feelings about the sport, but like how it feels to watch the sport on TV or even in person. I'm asking because obviously this gets you far closer than a traditional 2D flat screen broadcast, and because it's a pretty small set up, it can be put in places normally not accessible and/or makes sense for 2D flat screen viewers?

Something cool I continually read was that multiple people saw celebrities at the game, and thought it was cool since it was Apple immersive. Did you happen to see anyone?

Thank you again for the in depth review.
 
RockRock8 said:
Wow, thank you for not only taking the time to try it but writing such a thorough review of it! I really appreciated you going into depth on multiple things.

For myself and others who haven't tried Apple Immersive format yet, is the 3D depth similar to how you perceive real life? As in, if someone was standing there in the game, did it look like they were in front of you depth-wise? Not referring to resolution, but depth perception rather. I'm very curious.

Also are you planning to watch the other 5 games?

With an educated guess, Is there a sport that could be filmed using this that would change entirely how the sport is perceived when watched? I'm not referring to people's feelings about the sport, but like how it feels to watch the sport on TV or even in person. I'm asking because obviously this gets you far closer than a traditional 2D flat screen broadcast, and because it's a pretty small set up, it can be put in places normally not accessible and/or makes sense for 2D flat screen viewers?

Something cool I continually read was that multiple people saw celebrities at the game, and thought it was cool since it was Apple immersive. Did you happen to see anyone?

Thank you again for the in depth review.
Click to expand...
Happy to do it. As for your questions:

1. Is the 3D depth similar to real life? It depends what you mean by similar, but it definitely provides a strong feeling of depth, especially for objects that are near the camera. In some immersive experiences, I want to reach out and touch what's in front of me or duck to get out of the way.

2. Will I watch the other games? Probably, after the same delay that applied to this game. I want to see if anything is tweaked as time goes on.

3. Is there a sport that...would change how it's perceived? Yes, but not in the way I think you're suggesting. Because the immersive experience is closer to being there than a 2D broadcast, the amount of detail is lower. As in a real stadium, what you actually see depends on your visual acuity and location. With a conventional TV program, the camera can zoom in on details that aren't visible to most people. But the immersive version lets you look at things the 2D director chose not to show at any given moment, which is much closer to attending in person.

4. Did I see any celebrities? No, apart from the players themselves. TBH, I wasn't looking that hard. I wasn't adept at recognizing them when I lived in L.A., either.
 
As I mentioned in my "iOS 26 adoption rate is great," and "Apple confirms Google technology, not Gemini, will help power Siri" posts, John Gruber is turning into an unreliable jackass.
So on that note, I've seen sentiment growing in the Apple fan community that John Gruber is negatively influenced by Ben Thompson who runs some blog that comments on Apple. Honestly, I never read it, but given his recent article that has the line "The first live sporting event was broadcast in the Vision Pro, and it's a big disappointment. The experience could be amazing, but Apple actively ruins it," I'm going to go ahead and say I'm not surprised that other Apple fans have this opinion of Gruber and Thompson.

They both seem like jackasses. Here's a pro tip: don't mix genuine and honest feedback with clickbait. If he ever had a point in those articles, they were missed because he chose to frame what is widely regarded as a success instead as a failure.

Counter to this:

(Not an endorsement of any of these sites)

9to5mac.com

What it’s like to watch an NBA game courtside in Apple Vision Pro - 9to5Mac

I watched a full NBA game in Apple Immersive Video on Vision Pro, and it felt remarkably close to sitting courtside.
9to5mac.com 9to5mac.com

www.macstories.net

Immersive Lakers Game Now Widely Available on Apple Vision Pro

Last Friday, basketball fans in the Los Angeles Lakers market got their first glimpse of an immersive live game when the Lakers faced the Milwaukee Bucks on Spectrum Front Row on Apple Vision Pro. While that experience was limited geographically and only available to Spectrum customers via the...
www.macstories.net www.macstories.net


You can also view the plethora of comments on social media praising the product and feature. Social media comments are unreliable, but it seems Ben Thompson is quite literally alone in his article portraying this launch as a "failure."
 
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