Skip to main content

The future home of the San Francisco 49ers is getting a Sony-powered upgrade

Untitled-1Levi’s Stadium, the future home of the San Francisco 49ers set to open in 2014, is coming along nicely.

Once it does, the hope is to create a smarter, more connected place for fans to experience the game. “We want to be a software-driven stadium,” 49ers owner Jed York said Thursday on the final day of the All Things Digital Conferences in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Taking the stage last week with Sony CEO Kaz Hirai, the two pledged to provide fans a tech experience well beyond the norm.

Recommended Videos

Sony will outfit the stadium with much of its technological infrastructure, including 4K televisions and cameras, with screens promising four times the resolution of that HD screen you just had mounted on your wall – enough to end any debate as to whether that receiver got both feet in bounds. From there, the in-stadium fan will have options through smartphones and tablets to tailor his experience, perhaps following an individual player or asking for a camera view (show me the linebackers!) not offered on broadcast TV or the big board. York envisions fans able to order concessions from their seats or find the best places to park. This in addition to keeping up with action around the league, no small consideration given the importance of fantasy football for today’s NFL consumer.

For Sony, there will be potentially endless branding opportunities, not just with TV’s but perhaps the ability for fans to rent its Xperia smartphones and tablets inside the venue.

San Francisans are long accustomed to high-tech amenities at their stadiums. AT&T Park, home of baseball’s Giants, has long been considered one of the country’s most forward-thinking in that regard. In fact, Giants fans are often mocked for doing everything at a game but watching what happens on the field. For the Niners, creating a space in step with technological times is not a question of simply selling tickets – the Niners have routinely filled to capacity an old, uncomfortable Candlestick Park, which is ranked by fans as among the worst stadiums in sports. They made the Super Bowl last season and are well positioned to contend for years. To coin a phrase, even if they didn’t build it, people are coming anyway.

Still, fans have an ever-increasing number of options on where to spend their entertainment dollars. By making sure their venue has new technology that can improve the game-watching experience in ways that even a fancy home theater setup cannot, the 49ers are investing in a time when the team might not be so strong – like the 18 years between their last two conference championships.

Brian Kamenetzky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brian Kamenetzky has worked in sports media for over a decade. He has covered the Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers for ESPN…
Topics
GlassesUSA Black Friday Sale: Get 30% off prescription glasses
GlassesUSA frames close up with multiple styles.

Need a new pair of glasses? Want to stock up for your holiday trips before you head to meet up with your relatives? Typically, you'd have to wait until the official Black Friday event, the day after Thanksgiving, or maybe even Cyber Monday, but that's not the case this year. Alongside a variety of the best online glasses deals, GlassesUSA is hosting a huge Black Friday sale early, allowing you to save big on prescription glasses and frames with no waiting necessary. Of course, we always recommend browsing the sale of your own accord to see what's discounted because we couldn't possibly cover everything, nor could we know precisely what you're looking for. That said, we've called out quite a few of the best deals below.

What to shop in the early GlassesUSA Black Friday sale
Rightfully dubbed the Black Friday Early Bird sale, now's an excellent time to save up to 30% on prescription glasses. Moreover, GlassesUSA is truly dedicated to helping you find the perfect pair. Not only are there a ton of brands and styles to choose from, but you'll benefit from free shipping and returns and a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied. You can even take to find the correct pair for your face. Ray-Ban, Oakley, DKNY, Prada, Ottoto, Muse, they are all here and available to shop, most discounted even. Men's and Women's eyewear are on sale, too, so there's something for everyone.

Read more
The best DNA testing kit Black Friday deals you can shop now
Daughter gifting Ancestry Gift Membership to family

DNA tests are awesome holiday gifts for your family. Together you can all build your family tree and discover your genetic makeup. Unfortunately the tests are pretty expensive, but at least you only need to test once. There are some nice Black Friday deals going on today that will save you a significant amount of money on single tests or bundles. Check out our favorite below, then more more deals worth checking out under that.
The best DNA testing kit Black Friday deal
AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit -- $59, was $99

The single person AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit is our pick for the best Black Friday deal already available. The kit normally costs $99, but right now it's down to just $59. That's a nice discount of $30 on one of the best DNA tests available. We're not sure how long this deal will last, so you should grab it soon.

Read more
The 5 best DNA test kits for 2024
We spit in a ton of test tubes to find the best and most unique DNA tests
A 23andme DNA kit.

Despite the fact that tons of competitors have sprung up in recent years, 23AndMe still makes the best DNA test on the market. It's the quickest, it's very comprehensive, and the way the company presents your genetic data is simple and easy to digest. However, depending on what kind of information you're looking for, there are other, more specialized DNA tests that might be better suited for you. Whether it's ancestry, fitness, disease risk, or something else entirely, there's likely a DNA kit that'll uncover that data.

With the rising popularity of these tests, we decided to take a closer look and see which ones are worth the investment. To do this, we secured a mail-in kit from as many DNA testing services as we could find, then shipped them a spit tube full of our precious genetic code for analysis. After looking through all the data and personally trying all of these services, there were a few that stood out from the pack. Here are our favorites:
The best DNA test kit in 2024

Read more