Most of the time I was watching the game from just beside the dugout of the team that was batting. I could turn to see the on-deck batter warming up, watch the pitch come in, and see the whole park in front of me. As usual for Apple’s Friday Night Baseball, the picture quality was outstanding, from the on-field action to the footprints and sunflower seeds in the dirt below my view. I’ve visitied many baseball stadiums and sat in all kinds of seats, but nothing compared to the immersive view Apple provided. You can get a sense of it in the post below, but a flat image doesn’t really do it justice.
While the camera put me inside the stadium, the broadcast still let me know that I was watching Apple TV. Paul Severino and Xavier Scruggs were the dedicated announcers (different from the ones on the Apple TV broadcast), and they often reminded viewers that they were witnessing something special. If I looked up, I could watch the flat Apple TV broadcast and see relevant stats.
There were a few replays that were particularly impressive, including Ben Rice’s first-inning double that made it feel like I was practically playing left field. I was so close to the action that I could hear muffled chatter in the dugout and see sunflowseeds spit in my direction.
Between innings was particularly magical. There were no commercials, so the view stayed in the stadium, with the camera shifting to the broadcast booth above home plate numerous times to get an expansive overhead view of the whole field. And when David Bednar came in to close the ninth inning, the camera view shifted to center field so I could see his full bullpen entrance and watch him jog to the pitcher’s mound while his walkout song, Styx’s “Renegade,” played in the stadium.
It was so enthralling, I wanted a way to mute the broadcast to soak in the sounds of the stadium. It wasn’t so much that the announcers were bad (though Apple TV has never been known for its broadcast crew), but the Spatial Audio microphones were so clear that the ambiance of the ballpark was enough.
Unfortunately, the game ended 1-0, so there wasn’t a ton of action other than a solo home run, but one particular play stands out as a showcase for what the immersive broadcast brings. In the top of the 7th inning, the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out, so I strapped on my Vision Pro to watch the rest of the inning.
