New CBC Camera Offers Panoramic View For Online Hockey Viewers

The CBC Friday during its broadcast of Bruins-Canadiens introduced its "online access camera," which "provides a 360-degree panorama of the action during a game," according to Bruce Dowbiggin of the GLOBE & MAIL. The camera is "positioned at centre ice, just above the level of the protective glass," and fans with the "requisite online technological capability can choose to view the play on the ice, the players on the bench, the fans in the stands, the Jumbotron or just about anything else that occurs within the radius of the device." There was "no play-by-play associated with the game" accompanying the device, and "thanks to Chevrolet's sponsorship of the soccer-ball sized gizmo, there were no commercial interruptions." Online viewers had the "closest approximation of a live game experience as a result." The "experiment -- which will be repeated at various games throughout the year -- seemed to work well," as there were "no lags or delays in the coverage, no dropouts, no blurring of the action (unless you tried to zoom in)." Dowbiggin noted once viewers were "finished noodling the technology's novelties, it settled into a more conventional game cast," though the nets "seem a little distant." "HNIC" Exec Producer Sherali Najak said that "cost and accessibility in various arenas will dictate future usage" of the camera, though it "will be available" for the January 1 Flyers-Bruins NHL Winter Classic (GLOBESPORTS.com, 12/7).