First Live VR Broadcast A Success
Ever thought of VR teleportation? One company has already made a huge leap forward in bringing live events over virtual reality.
NextVR, a technology company based in Laguna Beach, California, have successfully transmitted the first live VR broadcast in true broadcast quality of a VR headset last Friday, January 26, between Michigan and Laguna Beach. The company’s co-founder, David Cole, initiated the transmission, and a reporter based in Michigan was the one who experienced the live VR broadcast, allowing him to hear and see everything that is happening live over California.
A major first in the VR industry, the setup was made with the receiving station at Michigan and a camera rig at Laguna Beach that is capable of capturing and transmitting video in a 180-degree wide viewing angle. The broadcast was transmitted as a 3D video feed and perceived over by the Gear VR as a stereoscopic imagery with a 360-degree view.
The broadcast was made over a 8-megabit per second connection between Michigan and Laguna Beach with an astonishing 80-frame per second bitrate in 6K resolution. This is a true high-definition VR feed transmission made possible with the Samsung Gear VR headset. According to Cole, the high bitrate, high resolution broadcast was made possible because the headset subjects the user only to a portion where he is looking at. He added that even at connection speeds as low as 4 Mbps, it is possible to have a live VR broadcast in high definition. According to the reporter, he never experienced any motion sickness – thanks to the Gear VR’s ultra-low latency of less than 20 milliseconds and the fast geometric processing of the Galaxy Note 4, though there was still reported minimal lag on the graphics processing.
DJ Roller, co-founder of NextVR, said that the ability of virtual reality technology to bring live broadcasts of media events such as sports and entertainment have never been realized until now. He added that the live VR broadcast is “insanely disruptive” – it brings someone virtually anywhere in real time. NextVR has worked with artists like Coldplay to deliver VR content to the Samsung Gear VR. The recent “Ghost Stories” concert by the band was captured entirely with the NextVR’s live VR broadcast technology, and the VR video is now available on the NextVR app available for the Gear VR.
NextVR has already filed 14 patents on its technology, and has already experienced bringing on-demand and live VR content to viewers. Soon enough, expect to see (and experience) your favorite NBA game or the Super Bowl over VR in the comforts of your home.
For more information on NextVR, please visit the following websites:
http://www.nextvr.com
http://www.nextvr.com/press-release-coldplay
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/26/first-live-vr-broadcast-next-vr/
