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Immersive Reality – How to make VR affordable for the masses

Immersive Reality – How to make VR affordable for the masses

How VR Technology has been evolving across the years and it is now more affordable and efficient

Did you remember the first 360 VR Cameras? Back in 2016, 360Degree cameras were heavy, uncomfortable and expensive. About half a kilo in weight and working only when connected to an external computing device, a gaming quality PC, smartphone or game console, and roughly the price of $400 per headset.

Despite bringing an exciting technology, for years, VR technology have required huge computation power, the creation of complex simulation using proprietary software and expensive, tethered goggles in order to view the experience.

With the growth of 360Degree camera market, driven by extreme sports cameras like GoPro for example, the entry of all in one Android VR headsets, and options like Google Cardboard, the Virtual Reality world has gradually changed becoming far more affordable. The evolution that’s occurred in this technology, means it’s now ready for greater industry adoption.

VR for everyone – but how?

Affordability

Thanks to the innovation of technology and the lower cost of production, the cost of devices has greatly decreased making the prospect of VR much more affordable. HTC, HTC Vive, Oculus VR and Pico, are manufacturing and selling the hardware at far lower price levels and this has driven much momentum in terms of VR adoption. Oculus’s pricing cut in the summer of 2017 demonstrated consumers had a big appetite for VR at lower prices, starting a boom what was widely followed by other businesses. This trend culminated in the launch of Windows Mixed Reality headsets at the end of last year, together with the announcement of multiple standalone VR headsets (where the price range varies from $80 to $500).

An approach to immersive Reality

An approach to Immersive Reality

The second way to make VR more affordable for the public is embracing Immersive Reality. While Virtual Reality is the presentation of an artificial environment that replaces the users’ real-world surroundings, Immersive Reality experience starts with filming the real world. So, why create a fully virtual world, when you can film the real one and overlay an interactive layer, delivering a truly immersive experience, to a large audience for a fraction of the cost?

View an immersive reality video here

 

The evolution of technology

The increasing production of more Virtual Reality hardware both in terms of comfort and efficiency, at a wider range of price points than ever before, is bringing VR into the tech mainstream. Compared to the first 360 headsets, today there are compact, comfortable standalone devices available on the market, that provide better quality videos and can be purchased at more affordable prices.

The next VR’s challenges – The future of Immersive Reality –

There are still a number of challenges VR should overcome in order to become a true mainstream consumer technology, such as getting more content, lowering prices even further, and upgrading the quality of their devices. But thanks to the Immersive Reality approach, the affordability of the cameras and the adoption of standalone hardware, we are confident VR will keep growing and it will be ready soon for a mass-adoption. It’s reaching an exciting tipping point.
According to market predictions, VR is set to become a $38 billion Industry by 2026 and at 360dgrees we believe this is already happening, with VR driving massive change in the way we work, train, apply information, and interact with people.

Explore 360dgrees.com and start creating some powerful Immersive 360 Videos. Visit 360dgrees.com

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360Dgrees Voices: The story of Caleb Rozario

360Dgrees Voices: The story of Caleb Rozario

Today we have the pleasure to interview Caleb Rozario, a talented video editor with more than 7 years of experience in corporate, commercial and post-production.

Caleb is currently working at Picture Perfect Productions in Singapore, and he has garnered strong experience as a freelancer, working for both private companies and individuals. During this time, he has had the opportunity to develop and nurture his skills and specialise in the post-production phase. From in-house graphic design, to film editing, retouching and visual effects, Caleb has worked across a variety of areas in the video production sphere, and now wholly focused on video editing and post-production.

Caleb Rozario

How did you end up working in videos production/editing?

I started making and editing videos when I was only 14 as a hobby. Then, when it was time to choose a school, I chose something that I was sure I liked and I started thinking of video production as a job and not something to do in my spare time anymore.

How did you hear for the very first time about 360dgrees?

I heard about 360dgrees.com almost two years ago when Picture Perfect Productions started a collaboration in order to move from the linear videos to start working on some interactive/dynamic videos. Lately, we have started to use the 360dgrees platform consistently using all the different features, Namely using 360dgrees hotspot technology, which allows the viewer to interact with objects and locations, in order to freely navigate within the 360 experience.

How has your work changed since then?

The platform is very helpful. The primary way our production workflow has changed, is that while with linear 360 video the journey of the viewer is dictated by the production team, with fully interactive

A 360 shooting in Singapore

360 experiences the viewer has almost total control. So every possible avenue of movement needs to be considered. And 360dgree’s tools and platforms have been a great help from start to finish of the entire workflow.

What do you think about 360dgrees from a professional point of view and from a user point of view?

From a product perspective, 360dgrees enable us to have a better control of the videos we are working on. Making them interactive including hotspots and links, the videos became actually something completely different from the flat linear videos we previously produced.  From a user point of view 360dgrees is definitely user-friendly and offer a wide range of features which makes our end production very competitive in the market.

How do you see the way of producing videos evolving in the next years? What about the way audiences are consuming visual content?

We will see the number of videos circulating around us increase, but they will be sharp and shorter. They will increasingly be rich with details, but most importantly they will take the user inside the action. Beyond the WOW factor, they will invite the audience to immerse and” and jump into the video.

In terms of a professional point of view, as a consequence of an increasing number of videos, we will be required to be more competitive, flexible and accurate. We are heading to an even more customer-centric era which will challenge every video production business to research for the last trend and to really understand what is engaging and effective.

How do you define ”a good video” and what ”good” means to you?

If we want to identify the three main characteristics of a ”good” video, we should first clarify between content and technical quality.

A good video, in my opinion, should always be short and sharp. Try to keep this as original as possible, and ideally make them interactive, allowing the users to engage with them and not just be watchers, but able to jump into the action.

What are the best ways to use 360dgrees? What are the best features?

If you are looking to take your 360/VR experience to the next level of interactivity, without having to utilize costly 3rd party custom-built software, 360dgrees is definitely one of the most powerful and user-friendly platforms out there.

Tell us something crazy you have done in your life – with videos?

One of our more interesting projects would probably be in early 2017, when working together with FOX Sports, we shot and edited five 360° videos for the upcoming.

Australian Open in Melbourne. During this time we created five 360° Tennis Master Class episodes, hosted by Paradorn Srichaphan. Both 360 and 2D footage was shot at the same time, with the 2D footage acting as close up popup windows within the 360 experience. Overall it was quite an interesting experience as this was one of our earliest 360/VR productions.

Thanks to Caleb Rozario for telling us your story.

It is always great to listen to real stories from real people using our 360dgrees platform and hearing compelling insights, particularly from the experts in the field.

Want to know more about 360dgrees platform? Visit 360dgrees.com

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The 360dgrees.com Platform Now Supports Flat Video Gamification

Gamification
by Max Harris, Media Producer at 360dgrees.com
  • 360dgrees.com’s Interactive Reality platform empowers anyone to create immersive, interactive experiences
  • The platform now supports flat videos, allowing users to augment non-360 video with POS and interactive links between videos that the viewer can control.
  • The process is simply, easy, intuitive and powerful.

As Mixed Reality has rapidly expanded into the mainstream in 2017, devices and software platforms have become increasingly accessible and affordable. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive dropped in price significantly (triggering major market share booms), consumer-grade headsets like the Oculus Go were announced, and development platforms like Apple’s ARKit and Nvidia’s Holodeck were opened.

360dgrees.com is committed to bringing Interactive Reality further into the mainstream with a video platform that empowers anyone to create dynamic immersive experiences. Simply upload 360 degree video content and augment it with interactivity through a simple and intuitive interface.

Now 360dgrees.com is excited to announce the introduction of flat video functionality, meaning that anyone, with any camera, can easily and quickly create and gamify dynamic, interactive, flowing experiences.

This is achieved by placing interactive hotspots into your videos – points of sales that can open forms, link to websites, or transition to other videos – empowering the creation of flowing narrative paths that the user can choose between. These hotspots can be moving or static; invisible or represented as virtual objects. The implication is that you can gamify your content, and create decision-based interactive videos that can be used for entertainment, education, or training. You can insert custom or preset icons, badges, timers, text, picture-in-picture interfaces – and the possibilities are limitless. The platform also provides analytics and insights into how users respond to the interactivity and the choices that they made.
Check out this interactive video created for Sydney Aquarium on the 360dgrees.com platform which employs both flat and 360 degree video. Click the interactive hotspots in the video represented by the shark and the “buy” graphics to trigger different sections of the video.

To sign up or learn more about the platform, visit 360dgrees.com. Our experts are waiting to empower you to create your own interactive experiences.