Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
You're tuned in to Roundtable.
I'm Steve Hatherly.
Today with Yushan and Xinyu.
Coming up.
The next revolution in sports broadcasting is here.
China's latest streaming breakthrough lets you switch camera angles in real time.
What?
Creating a fully immersive 3d viewing experience.
It's more than a new feature.
It's a fundamental shift from watching a game to being inside it somehow.
How does it work, and what does it mean for the future of live sports?
After that, the chill in the air brings more than frost.
It brings a primal, gnawing hunger that no single meal can satisfy.
A deep craving, if you will, for warmth in the form of carbohydrates and fat.
The seasonal shift.
Appetite is not a personal fail, by the way.
It's an ancient biological script written for our bodies for survival.
We'll discuss how the hidden science of dropping our podcast listeners can find us at roundtable china on apple podcast.
And don't forget, we love to hear your voice, so Send your voice notes our way with any of the things that you might want to say about any of the things that we discuss here on the show.
Here's the contact info.
Roundtable podcast at QQ dot com.
Once again, roundtable podcast at QQ dot com.
And now.
China has unveiled a groundbreaking new technology for sports streaming that is capturing international attention.
They call it Ultra Perspective Broadcast, and the result is a major industry collaboration that constructs a fully immersive 3D version, virtual model of the playing field in real time.
For sports like basketball and badminton.
It allows viewers at home to dynamically switch.
So what's the power behind the leap forward and why is it being handled?
No, I lied.
I didn't play with the feature.
I watched somebody playing with the feature.
Yeah. through a video and it's pretty crazy what you're able to do.
So what's going on here?
There are video clips shared on social media all over the globe nowadays about this new technology that you mentioned, called ultra perspective broadcast or ultra perspective mode.
I think that first got really popular during the 15th National Games held in November this year in China.
Yeah, when we were talking about the national games.
Yushin brought up This camera angle thing just for a sentence or two and my ears perked up and I said well, I want to talk about this.
Yeah.
So here's how it goes.
So fans of basketball in Bedmonton, they call the new technology a next level innovation, because the 3D video stream created is sent out through the new version of the CCTV video app and from there, fans who wanted to watch these matches during the 15th National Games they can dive directly into the action from any angle they want via phone or tablets.
That's almost as if you are right there in the court yourself and you can adjust or zoom in and zoom out just with your fingers and see live stream in a way as if you are directing the live television.
Yeah.
It's like you're the TV producer.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, so the clip that I watched, the person was using their tablet or their phone and you just kind of click and drag on your screen as you would swipe.
And you just drag it.
And then when you're happy with the camera angle, then you stop.
And when you want a new camera angle, then you just drag again and you stop.
And you can go in any direction that you want to.
And, like you said Yushan, you can zoom in and zoom out and just find that perfect angle for your viewing pleasure.
Yeah, and actually, I have experienced that during the national games.
Oh, you used it?
Because I am a huge fan of badminton.
I watch a lot of badminton games.
She wins awards too.
Actually, I didn't know before the games.
And during the games, also, Yu Xun, he recommended me to try this feature.
I think in the past, when we watch, like badminton matches, it's just what you're just be able to be able to see what's shown on TV.
But now you can almost choose any type of mode you want.
It can be the ones with sports commentary, or it can be a particular player that you want to see, or these ultra perspective, any angle that you want.
So you have a lot of options now, and that really changed how we as audience we are not just the audience, we are producers, maybe.
How do they do this, mmm?
That's a combination of various technologies, so the core of this ultra tech has landed on the total of 36 high-precision cameras that's developed by China Media Group in collaboration with a lot of other agencies.
So they are positioned around the stadium as a ring 10 degree...
So 360 degree as in 36 cameras.
And they are there to capture every single frame of the action from the whole round angle.
And then the video is combined and turned into a 3D model in real time using AI algorithms and, after that, the platform.
They sent the data at a very high speed through a 5g network to the viewers.
That's how you're able to zoom in and zoom out without too much lagging.
Yeah, and well, speaking of lagging, they.
They took that into consideration too.
Yes,
Yeah, because the National Games.
When it was held, they already know that they have a huge number of people watching it at the same time.
So the tech team improved the 3D reconstruction and rendering engine, which is the software that builds and displays the 3D virtual scene.
And they also reduced the response time for... switching camera angles to as fast as 0.1 seconds.
That's barely noticeable.
So even if you are only using a normal 4G network, you can still drag and move the viewing angle smoothly.
And this solves the biggest problem of traditional multi-camera sports stream, which is lagging.
Or what if I have not as good network and I still want the live reaction?
Really smooth experience.
And also what I found interesting is this bullet time highlight.
So when we get to watch some of the video clips, clips popular on social media you can see that when it comes to badminton for example when a player he jumps up and he wants to smash this shuttlecock and then there will be a slow motion of he jump up and also there will be a a moment that it freezes and then it suddenly turns to another angle and you can see the full picture of how he smashes in a real fast speed the shuttlecock.
So that's pretty amazing.
I've never seen that before.
Action movie style.
It sounds like a Hollywood production or some sort of big, big budget film.
Yeah, those two technologies, the ultra perspective and the bullet time.
They were first showcased at the 2025 Shenzhen China Badminton Masters.
Yes, I've watched that too.
I was going to ask if you were in that competition.
Back then, there were no real-time live-stream sports of the ultra-perspective.
I think ultra-perspective was launched just during the National Games.
Yeah, there were more improvements made after its first kind of trial run.
Let's go global now.
What are some examples of live sports broadcasting and how that's changing, how people are changing their viewing experiences?
Because I think we're really at the front door of a revolution in terms of how people view their sports.
There's an example that I'm going to give a little bit later on that's absolutely mind-blowing.
Yeah, starting with some major streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video Sports, they use next-generation streaming delivery, x-ray stats and multi-view on selected matches.
And also there's the Apple TV's MLS.
S season pass, which delivers uniform broadcast feeds with AI driven replays and enhanced data presentation.
So these are major companies who invested hard on live sports.
Yeah.
Also in the States, the NFL, that's the National Football League that I'm a huge fan of.
They have multiple camera options and analytic overlays and real-time stats.
The NBA.
They use these pioneered player tracking cameras and VR viewing for selected games, which I'm going to get.
That's what I said is mind blowing.
I'm going to talk about that in just a sec.
In Europe, Sky Sports.
They are an urbanizer leader in multi-camera angles and ultra slow motion and interactive replays, and in Korea they use it for the KBO to the baseball league there, and I think the K League Football League uses some smart camera tracking and AR graphics as well.
Okay, let me talk about this right now.
Yeah, please.
So I didn't know about this.
It's called X Stadium VR, and it's a sports streaming platform for VR headsets.
So you download the app for free from what I could tell and then when you put on your VR headset, it's completely immersive.
You have.
If it's a basketball game, you have courtside seats to the basketball game through your VR headset.
While you're at home.
Anywhere.
You're sitting anywhere.
Oh.
Yeah, usually on your sofa probably, right?
They do that.
You can have a virtual sports bar.
You can have a futuristic arena.
You can be on court side if you want to.
Then they have these watch parties where your friends can join virtually join your watch party.
So their avatar is there.
And then when they speak, you can hear from the direction of the avatar.
So it's as if they are there in the room.
That's why I said the door is just opening for a completely different viewing experience than what it was before.
Those are just a couple of the features.
And I watched some videos because I wondered, you know, how good is this?
And I was completely and utterly blown away.
This makes not you watch a basketball game on television.
That's one thing.
But it's not exactly easy for someone to get courtside seats to a basketball game.
I looked it up because I was curious.
You know the L.A.
Lakers? the basketball team.
Do you know how much courtside seats are if you were interested in catching a game?
A few hundred dollars?
$5,000. to $25,000.
That's 35,000 yuan to 176,000 yuan to watch one basketball game.
Oh, that's why we see a lot of celebrities sitting at the front row.
Because they're the only ones who can afford to pay for those seats.
With this VR technology, you can sit courtside.
But how much is the headset?
You got to pay for that, of course.
And you also have to probably pay for an NBA season pass or something like that.
So it's not a complete... But the app, I think, is free.
But still, the point is that things are about to change totally and completely from the way it was before.
You see, I am not entirely a sports fan, but I've watched enough movies that captures.
You know, sometimes a figure might be watching TV of a basketball ball, or rather a baseball match, and the angle from decades ago look like it's from a very tall building and you can barely see the ball.
It's just people running around.
And then there's a zoom-in shot of the one hitting with a baseball bat or something.
And then decades later, here we are now.
We can do VR. can do XR and AR and all the different technologies, right?
In our living room.
Yeah.
And the World Cup is coming up as well.
And one of the tech changes they're going to be making is cameras on the referees, so that you can kind of
Beyond the Field. from the perspective, from the view of the referees, which is cool.
You see, I didn't even know this.
Yesterday, when Steve mentioned that now you can have body cams on referees, my first question was didn't there used to be one on referees?
He was like, no.
So now this angle is available to viewers too, from the point where it also ensures Kind of like an entertainment angle from the referees, like seeing more up close and also remaining the transparency of the match as well.
That's adopted by the FIFA Club World Cup.
Pretty cool tech.
And maybe this will turn some non-sports fans into sports fans, because I know that some sports are very boring to watch on television.
Such as?
Golf.
My mom complained about that for years and years when my dad would watch golf on TV.
But if you were in control of the camera angle and you could have a look at it from any way you wanted to, then maybe that would make mom a fan of golf, for example.
Hmm.
You're listening to Roundtable and coming up next when the weather turns cold.
Why is it that we want to eat literally anything within our reach?
There is a reason.
Stay tuned.
Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West and understanding is the goal.
You're tuned in to Roundtable.
I'm Steve.
Today with Xing Yu and Yushan.
Has the cold weather outside turned your stomach into a bottomless pit?
Has your tummy gone into winter storage mode?
Suddenly cleaning your plate isn't enough.
You're seriously debating a second mountain of mashed potatoes, like I do, or going for a swim in your bowl of noodles instead of just eating it.
If the season, turning the pages from summer to fall and then quickly to winter, has caused deep cravings for deep fried anything, or the dip in the thermostat has motivated you to use your diet book for firewood Well, don't worry.
You're not failing.
It's not your own personal willpower.
It's biology.
And it happens to millions of people every single year, driven by more than just the temperature drop.
We're going to talk about the science of your insatiable winter.
Winter appetite.
Let me start with that question.
Do you feel like you're hungrier or that you want to eat more in the wintertime?
Yeah, naturally.
I remember when temperatures just suddenly dropped in October this year.
I really craved for noodles almost every single day.
I would go to a restaurant and have noodles with hot soups.
And also, I think that's, culturally related to.
In Chinese we have this saying called, which means you need more fat intake during autumn season arrives.
And I think maybe we'll get to that later as well.
I think we're going to get to it right now.
There's a biological reason that our body physically triggers more hunger when it's cold outside.
What is the reason for that?
So the physical reason that we feel hungrier is closely tied to our body's essential job, which is to maintain its core temperature, a process called thermogenesis.
So the logic behind that is when, When the temperature drops, the body must generate more heat to maintain its internal temperature.
And this process requires extra energy or calories.
Does that mean... Sorry to just jump in.
Does that mean it's easier to lose weight in wintertime if you control your calorie intake?
That logic tracks.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So this increased energy expenditure then triggers our brain to seek out more fuel to compensate, leading to feeling of hunger and starting to eat a bit more.
Yeah.
So that what you mentioned. about the thermogenesis.
There's something on top of that called non-shivering thermogenesis or NST.
And when you get cold and when you start to feel hungry, that NST is activated and that involves the burning of brown fat.
I had never heard of that term before, but that's a particular type of body fat that generates heat.
So when you feel cold or you start to shiver, then that is activated to generate more heat in your body.
And then that ramps up the energy expenditure to keep your core temperature steady.
And that brown fat metabolism.
It acts like a little furnace inside your body that demands more and more and more fuel.
The colder and colder and colder it gets.
And that just means that your body is constantly trying to stay at its core temperature.
Yeah, maintain the core temperature so that the easiest way to do that is just to ingest more fuel and eat a bit more, which makes sense because i think, globally speaking, especially here in china, we tend to have a lot of warmer food as a start, with a lot of um, high carbohydrates and and fat in it to maintain our our cravery for um fuels and and food in in that sense.
But also i think it has something to do with the winter season as well.
Yeah, it's not just the temperatures, it's the lack of sunlight.
There's a connection there too.
Yeah, because during the winter season there will be shorter and darker days and many people they have experienced this lower levels of serotonin.
Serotonin is the body's natural feel-good chemical.
It's a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and happiness, and because we are less exposed to natural daylight.
So the sunlight exposure decreases in winter, so our serotonin levels also drops.
So we are not feeling happy during winter season.
And when we don't feel happy, And that triggers cravings for specific foods, especially refined carbohydrates such as like.
White bread, pastries, chocolate, sugary drinks, such things.
And so when we eat those food they can trigger a spike in blood sugar, which can temporarily boost our serotonin production.
Meaning bringing your mood back.
Back to an acceptable.
That's why I feel happy.
Yes.
Whenever I eat something like sugary, creamy stuff.
Yeah.
Yeah.
There are also people who experience seasonal affective disorder.
Have you heard of this before?
Yeah.
This is a little bit more rare though.
It's a type of depression that occurs during the darker months.
And it also is connected though to increased appetite and those carbohydrate cravings that we have.
But this doesn't happen to everybody.
For example, there's about 5% of the U.S. population that has seasonal affective disorder.
It can vary from down to less than 1%. all the way up to 10%, but that depends on where you live.
For example, in the southern parts of the world, where it's hotter.
Well, you're probably not going to be experiencing that as often, as perhaps more northern locations would be where you have the Longer, colder winters there.
So what types of foods are we craving then?
Carbs, you said?
That's fine.
We can understand that.
But what's the connection to our ancient evolutionary sense of survival?
It triggers our survival mechanism in our body, right?
It's because we've had this evolutionary gene that's Instinct.
Yeah, instinct that's inside us, with or without us knowing, or pulling it out, because our bodies, they are operating on an ancient evolutionary instinct to just prepare for periods of scarcity, when food was hard to find in the winter.
That's winter.
That's wintertime and also just hard times when it's hard to survive.
And the successful humans were those who successfully stored in fat.
Let's say that they have enough fuel to burn.
I can see that many animals during winter season they go to sleep.
But for human beings we have to eat and in winter there's rare scarcity in food.
So we have to like, eat more and it has kind of programmed in our brain to store food during the winter season.
This is why it's so difficult for a man to get rid of his beer belly or for ladies to remove the fat in various parts of their body, wherever they happen to be.
It's because your body.
I've read so much about this over the years and asked so many personal trainers because I've been dying to have a six pack my whole life.
I have failed again and again and again.
I've given up on that obviously now.
But the reason they've told me, and they've all told me the same thing your body doesn't want you to To eliminate fat.
Your brain has one instinct and one instinct only, survive.
So it wants to keep that fat in case it needs it for times of emergency.
In the wintertime, going back to our...
Old, old, old, old human selves.
The wintertime is when we need to store up that extra fat, that extra food so that we can survive.
Right.
But I think I found a solution for you, Steve.
You can go to the southern parts of China when it's hotter, warmer.
You don't have to worry about the food intake.
It's going to take more than that to get rid of this belly.
All right, well, enough of the negative.
Let's talk a little food then, shall we?
Are there any particular?
I'm curious to know, and I'm sure it's different from region to region, but are there any Chinese dishes that are known for their wintertime comfort, perhaps here in Beijing or other northern parts of the country?
At least here in Beijing, the first thing I think about will be hot pot, especially the lamb dipped in hot boiling water.
We call it shuanyang rou.
That's very local here, kind of.
And...
You can also dip in a lot of different vegetables and meat and various kind of meatballs in it.
It's like at the end of that meal, it looks like a stool.
But a stool is more common in where you're from, right?
Northeastern part of China, stew.
Stew.
Yeah, stew, pork, vegetables.
And I've checked that it's called the vermicelli.
I think it's the noodles like made of potatoes.
And also you mentioned hot pot.
Actually, in different parts of China, we have it. have difference. types of hot pot as well.
In Chongqing, Sichuan province, they have this numbingly spicy hot pot.
In Yunnan, we have these wild mushrooms put into the hot pot.
In Chaoshan, we have this balls beef hot pot. to be very healthy.
Yes, and this winter I am particularly impressed by this 奶皮子糖葫芦, which is hugely popular in China right now.
It's called milk skin 糖葫芦.
And you know what, in South Korea last time I went to South Korea in winter, they also have this Tanghulu this, the same like in the past.
Originally it's from northern China and they have this candid like red hawthorns, Oh yeah.
Sugar-coated fruit.
Is that a wintertime snack?
Yes.
In summer, the sugar coat will melt.
I've seen those for sale in the summertime, though.
And this year, they have put this milk skin.
Milk skin, it originated from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The milk skin is the staple food for them for generations.
And this year it's really popular when you put these sugary candied fruits or hawthorns with this milk skin.
You have to try that one.
Easy to convince people to buy some delicious snacks during the wintertime.
Just very, very quickly.
Then what can we do to avoid?
I mean, these cravings are rooted in biology, but can we do anything to maybe reduce our urge to eat in the wintertime?
Just prioritize protein and fiber in every meal, at least try.
Because they these fibers and protein.
They slow down digestion, which will keep you feeling fuller for longer and stabilize the blood sugar and you know just, less craving.
Sure, stay hydrated as well.
Avoid those sugary snacks if possible.
But this is why i love these types of stories, because when we are aware of what's going on in our brain and body, then it gives us a little bit of power to fight back against these types of things.
Anxiety.
Yeah.
About eating too much.
Less wondering, perhaps.
But at the same time, it's cold outside.
Get yourself a delicious lamb hot pot.
Why not?
That's what I say.
All right.
That'll do it for today's roundtable.
Thank you very much for being with us and giving us your time.
We hope you have a good one.
On behalf of Yishan and Xinyu, I'm Steve, and we'll see you next time.
