Canon camera systems powered by AMD's Versal AI Core series are expected to deliver groundbreaking, immersive viewing experiences for live broadcasts of premier sporting events worldwide.

AMD announced on the 29th that it will equip Canon's Free Viewpoint Video System, which is driving innovation in the live sports broadcasting and webcasting sector, with its Versal™ AI Core series based on its AI engine technology.

The Versal AI Core device delivers powerful machine learning-based video processing at the edge for Canon camera systems.

The Canon Free Viewpoint video system configures a high-resolution camera ring around a stadium or concert venue, allowing viewers to see the action from any position or angle within the stadium.

This innovative change in sports broadcasting provides viewers with a vivid experience as if they were present at the scene. Canon's Free Viewpoint system will be deployed in major sports stadiums around the world, including the National Basketball Association in the United States.

“Our single-chip Versal solution enables systems that can perform more tasks in real time,” said Masanori Yamada, Executive Vice President and Head of Canon’s Imaging Group. “By leveraging the powerful edge processing capabilities of the Versal AI Core to handle multiple functions simultaneously, Canon’s system will enable broadcasters to deliver a new level of immersive viewing experience.”

The high-performance and ultra-low latency processing capabilities of the Versal AI Core series significantly reduce image processing times, enabling processes that would take minutes or more on conventional architectures to be realized at near real-time broadcast quality.

This technology provides viewers around the world with an unparalleled level of video experience they have never experienced before, and also enables revenue generation based on various live event metrics, such as game and player statistics, based on the live broadcast network.

The technology provided by the Canon Free Viewpoint system shifts AI-based intelligent video processing capabilities to the edge, reducing data center workloads. The onboard Versal AI Core powers the image processing system behind Canon cameras deployed around the stadium, supporting Canon's proprietary algorithms that utilize machine learning at the edge to perform image detection and segmentation.

“Performing machine learning at the edge is a significant first for live broadcasting,” said Yousef Khalilollahi, vice president of AMD Asia Pacific. “The Canon camera system provides viewers with a more immersive sports viewing experience than ever before.” “The Versal AI Core series will usher in a new era of live sports broadcasting by providing low-latency edge processing at the heart of these cutting-edge systems from Canon,” he said.