The Nokia Ozo VR Camera recently got beefed up with features, and the jewel in the crown is the added support for VR live streaming.
The new capability enables content creators to easily record and broadcast VR footage on the spot, while those sitting at home can enjoy the 360-degree video via a VR headset.
What is more, Ozo's dedicated app received 3D stitching capabilities and Nokia rolled out a VR player SDK to cater to the needs of developers.
"By making new solutions such as live broadcasting, [...], Nokia enables the VR ecosystem to dramatically accelerate content creation and publishing," says VP of Digital Media at Nokia Technologies, Paul Melin.
The first customers got their hands on the Ozo during the first quarter of 2016.
Nokia's Ozo stands out from its competition due to a number of factors. First off, it is a relatively compact camera with a rounded shape, featuring multiple lenses that allow it to gather footage from a myriad of angles. The 360-degree video is the result of merging the footage captured by the eight sensors. Second off, the camera is firmly targeted at professionals, as its standard price of $60,000 makes it unaffordable for the consumer sector.
Those who use YouTube's 360-degree video viewer simply need to pan around the file to get a different angle, or if they are using a VR headset, tilting the head will do the trick.
The introduction of VR live broadcasting means a big step for Nokia, whose camera is not only VR ready, but offers post-production quality levels. The Live VR broadcasting will come to handpicked partners in the second quarter of 2016, while the third quarter of 2016 will see the feature made broadly available.
The company touts that it will keep pushing to provide immersive realism, and the next step is including full 3D VR audio in real-time to the video streaming.
In April 2016, Nokia will load 3D VR stitching to the Ozo Creator app, for no extra charge. This will allow customers to save a lot of effort when compiling 3D 360-degree videos. During the Q2 of 2016, Nokia will push out the VR player SDK in an effort to spread its content on all important VR platforms.
