Groove Jones recently used the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera to capture a Major League Pickleball Moneyball Match between the Dallas Flash and the New Jersey Fives at Pickler Universe in Carrollton. The match featured top pros, including Anna Leigh Waters who is currently the number one female player in the world. It was the perfect opportunity to put our new camera to work.
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive Camera at Pickler Universe
Pickleball moves fast, and traditional broadcast cameras often miss the true speed and intensity of the game. The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive, co-designed with Apple and Blackmagic Design, delivered the clarity and performance we needed. Its high-resolution imaging, strong color fidelity, and low light capability made the action look incredible, especially when viewed inside the Apple Vision Pro.
The image quality is simply mind blowing. We’ve gone from roughly 2K per eye, to 4K per eye, and now to a staggering 8K per eye with URSA Cine Immersive. That’s now more than 16 times the pixel data we originally started with, all running at 90 fps instead of the old 30 fps. Add the jump from 8 bit color to full 12 bit HDR, and you’re talking about trillions of colors and a depth of realism that just wasn’t possible before. It’s not just more pixels; it’s better pixels, richer light, and smoother motion that makes your brain believe it’s real.”
Looking Ahead
We filled three modules at eight terabytes each, capturing a large amount of high-resolution content. One of the biggest advantages was the workflow. No stitching or tripod cleanup was needed, which saved significant editing time and let us focus entirely on the story instead of technical fixes.
This project supports our ongoing effort to create a short-form series that highlights local art, events, sports, and culture across DFW. The URSA Cine 12K continues to elevate how we capture immersive experiences, and this pickleball match is a strong example of what the camera can do.
Learn more about our work with the Apple Vision Pro – https://www.groovejones.com/spatial-computing-app-development-apple-vision-pro
Apple’s New Spatial Browsing
Immersive Videos Delivered via WebXR
Apple Vision Pro User? Now you can watch the Apple Immersive Video on Safari via Spatial Browsing and WebXR.
Since the best way to watch the video is on the Apple Vision Pro, device owners can now view it as it was intended to be as a full immersive experience. Groove Jones integrated the experience into a specially built Safari web page using new technology introduced by Apple that they call Spatial Browsing.
Spatial Browsing is a feature in the Safari app on the Apple Vision Pro that transforms standard web pages into an immersive “spatial experiences.” When you enable this feature, it dynamically rearranges web content in your physical space and enhances the visual elements around you. Users with an Apple Vision Pro that are running the latest VisionOS, can click on a link below to view the full immersive experience. For those of you who don’t have an Apple Vision Pro, the page will not load the video, but if you’re curious, this is what Spatial Browsing looks like for Vision Pro users. We have version of the video on YouTube below.
Vision Pro Users Watch it now in Your Safari Browser.
Safari Spatial Browsing Web Link https://www.groovejones.com/major-league-pickleball
- Step 1: The page will load a web version of the video.
- Step 2: After tapping the Play Button on the video thumbnail it will load the Immersive Video.
- Step 3: Once the Immersive Video loads, click the icon in the upper left hand corner to launch full screen.
- Step 4: Enjoy the video.
Check Out the Video on YouTube
We created multiple versions of the video to be playable on different platforms and owned media channels. Our GrooveTech Media Server accounts for the HDR color space of the Apple Immersive format, so this version has been updated to account for YouTube’s color spectrum capabilities, which is much less. On YouTube, you can see the 180º video below via the web on your desktop or mobile device.
