Getty Images and Jaunt partner up to create a cinematic Virtual Reality database of 360 degree images and video

According to a recent report by PwC, Virtual Reality will soon become the fastest growing area in the UK Media and Entertainment sector, with a predicted growth of 76% year on year. If those forecasts prove true, the VR content industry will be worth a staggering £801 million in just four year’s time.

Whether you’re a cheerleader or a stone-cold sceptic, the point is that VR is here to stay. And while we can argue about such things as hardware, field of view, mass consumer adoption rates and even what we should call various flavours of virtual experience, one thing is certain: Content –good content – will be the key ingredient in that mix.

Content is going to be the key ingredient in the VR Mix
Share on X

Which is why Tech Trends has been following Jaunt closely for a while now, including their recent amazing America’s Cup 360 experience. They are not only a leading producer and publisher of fully immersive cinematic Virtual Reality content, but they also make awesome hardware, software and applications to enable cinematic VR, and have been a leading voice in creating industry standards to empower creators of such immersive experiences.

Jaunt has the largest library of cinematic VR content in the industry
Share on X

Jaunt also has the largest library of high quality cinematic VR content in the industry with a team of highly-skilled producers filming travels and experiences, and it is now partnering up with Getty images, one of the world’s largest and most used sources of visual content, which already boasts over 200 million assets including photos, videos, and music used widely by photographers and videographers worldwide.

“Today’s partnership with Jaunt takes us into the next frontier of immersive experiences and we look forward to working with them to provide our customers with a level of VR content not yet seen in this space,” says Anthony Holland Parkin, Head of VR, Getty Images. “By including compelling VR content as part of our core offering, we are facilitating the growth of – and driving demand for – this exciting new medium that is revolutionizing the way we experience the world around us.”

This exclusive global distribution partnership is set to transform Getty’s database of imagery and content and enable it to provide premium cinema-grade VR video to content creators. The move will see customers gaining access to Jaunt’s immersive 360° stereo video experiences through Getty Images’ websites alongside its existing collection of over 25,000 360 photographs. Getty is betting on VR content to enhance its brand and business model, and this new content will be available to brands and agencies to utilise via a multitude of channels including apps, mobile phone handsets and now this new image library.  The new partnership symbolises their confidence in this pioneering technology industry, underlining their belief that VR content is going to enter the mainstream and be a key part of consumption for consumers.

“We are thrilled to be working with Getty Images to bring our high quality 360 and cinematic said “Just as meaningful as producing premium VR experiences is to Jaunt, it’s equally important to help facilitate others to create quality 360 and VR content.  We aim to do all we can for the growth of this powerful emerging medium, and this is but another step in that direction,” says Mitzi Reaugh, Global Head of Strategy & Content Licensing at Jaunt. VR footage to the wider creative community.”

The deal follows Getty’s partnership with Google, which saw the company supplying hi-res VR content from current events around the world for Google Expeditions. The company also has relationships with other big players in that space such as Oculus Rift, 360Cities.net, AirPano, Laduma and Yellowbird.

“In 2017 scepticism around VR has finally taken a backseat. What has become clear to brands and the public alike is that VR is here to stay. Undoubtedly, it has the potential to transform the way the public consumes and engages with brands. At Getty Images we are embedding VR content technologies into the core of our business and ensuring that, as use of VR continues to grow, its users are further enhancing their experience with access to the world’s best content,” concludes Parkin.

This post was originally published on VRScout

Getty Images and Jaunt Offer 360 Content for Creatives via @alicebonasio https://t.co/RnnWuAuQpr pic.twitter.com/AAgBVESByE

— VRScout (@VRScout) August 3, 2017

Tech Trends’  Virtual Reality Consultancy services offers support for companies looking to get a foothold in the growing Mixed Reality spectrum and enhance their brand strategy with these exciting new technologies. 

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Immersive Experiences For the Creative Community appeared first on Tech Trends.

Virtual Reality presents an opportunity for businesses to transform the way their employees interact and learn through increasingly scalable, accessible and cost-effective technology

There has been an increase in the number of businesses interested and willing to invest in VR
Share on X

British technology Immerse has experience designing VR environments for industry, working on projects across the defence, engineering, manufacturing and healthcare sectors. It has so far received funding from a new UK investor group, and now it has announced the launch of a live enterprise-ready virtual reality platform that enables multiple users to create and share VR and 3D experiences for a number of business-critical applications.

VR is an opportunity for businesses to transform the way their employees interact
Share on X

One of these is with QinetiQ, the British multinational defence technology company which manages and operates extensive testing and evaluation capabilities for air, land, sea and target systems. QinetiQ asked Immerse to facilitate an alternative solution to real at-sea submarine training for the Royal Navy. Immerse’s multi-voice VR solution provided a 3D submarine control room, complete with working displays, VR boat operators and multiple interaction points, enabling trainees to learn and interact with colleagues while safely rehearsing potentially life-threatening scenarios onshore.

“Our platform is specifically designed to democratise the VR experience, allowing content creators to upload their own experiences from anywhere in the world and then share them in a way that enables users to meet in the same virtual environments. While there will never be a substitute for real hands on at-sea training, the VR solution we provided QinetiQ with offered a cost-effective alternative to current submariner training. The solution is not limited by access to live equipment, and covers essential basics while also saving money,” says Immerse CEO Tom Symonds.

Immerse designed a 3D submarine control room for training
Share on X

“Rigid training in fixed workspaces will make way for courses that offer the flexibility to learn wherever and whenever is convenient,” says Helen Dudfield, Chief Scientist for Training & Human Performance at QinetiQ. “Most importantly, technology can vastly improve the quality of learning by tailoring courses to students’ individual competencies and circumstances. Employers can reap the rewards of a highly skilled workforce at lower risk, and be confident of an excellent return on their investment in their people.”

The enterprise Virtual Reality industry is set to grow to be worth more than $4.5bn by 2020, with more than 150 of the 800+ companies working in the VR space worldwide based in the UK. By 2121 it is projected to generate $759 billion in 2021, with emerging industries such as sports and e-sports poised for the most growth.

The enterprise VR industry is set to be worth more than $4.5bn by 2020
Share on X

Which is why the company chose to collaborate with EY – sponsors of the British and Irish Lions – on the development of a rugby-based VR training experience to demonstrate how VR can be effectively used for any training event.

Immerse created a single player VR experience that uses the VIVE tracker to simulate a realistic kicking experience. Each participant in turn wears a HTC Vive headset and emerges into a fully 3D rugby stadium complete with roaring crowd, scoreboard, and scuffable grass. In front of them can be seen the goalposts and they can pick up a ball and place it on the floor ready for their first attempt. Players have 10 kicks each, and aim to score with as few kicks as possible. Every successful kick returns them to the start to try to score again, but each time from a more difficult position. To reduce frustration, each time a player misses, the underlying game logic invisibly makes the next kick more likely to be successful. To add a little more interactivity, VR cardboard cut-outs of well-known rugby players are scattered across the pitch and can be knocked over by throwing a rugby ball.

The VR scenario accompanies all actions and their consequences with realistic feedback noises
Share on X

The VR scenario accompanies all actions and their consequences with realistic feedback noises and crowd reactions to enhance the experience and make it more immersive.

“EY needed a solution that would inject some fun and competitive spirit into their activation events over the course of the rugby tour, leaving a positive and lasting impression on the players, so we provided a simple but entertaining goal-scoring game which could be used without internet connection where necessary, and still demonstrated the power of VR”.

“Over the last twelve months we have seen a marked increase in the number of businesses who are interested – and willing to invest – in VR. With businesses being able to create their own VR scenarios easily and without prohibitive costs, demand is only set to grow, with future applications emerging as adaption continues,” Symonds concluded.

If you would like to find out how to leverage VR/AR/MR in your enterprise, Tech Trends offers Virtual Reality Consultancy support

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post VR for Better Learning and Better Play appeared first on Tech Trends.

From hypnotic fairy tales to a harrowing look at a history, the BBC’s VR experiences are pushing immersive content production to the next level

The BBC is keen to explore VR storytelling in all its forms
Share on X

There is no doubt that the BBC is keen on exploring Virtual Reality in all its creative forms, from Radio Drama to sharing the harrowing journey of refugees, we’ve seen some interesting examples of this emerging already. Now the corporation is also making widely available two highly acclaimed experiences which were produced in collaboration with virtual reality production studio, VRTOV.

BBC Taster has just launched a new Virtual Reality app
Share on X

One of these newly available experiences is The Turning Forest, which was produced by BBC Research & Development and features an award-winning spatial soundtrack that uses dynamic binaural audio to provide a greater sense of immersion for viewers as they explore the 360 degree world. The sound was adapted from an original soundtrack commissioned for S3A: Future Spatial Audio for an Immersive Listener Experience at home, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).Originally only available as a launch title for Google Daydream and showcased at the Raindance Film Festival, it has now become available for Samsung Gear on the Oculus Store. The new Gear VR version will enable viewers to trigger interactions by gaze, such as making music with the monster’s teeth, as well as the birds, fish, and icicles and other items that feature in the fantasy world.

“It was designed from the sound up, using state-of-the-art spatial audio to transport people into this entrancing realm,” explains The BBC’s head of Commissioning for Virtual Reality Zillah Watson.

Another newly launched experience is Easter Rising: Voice Of A Rebel, which was produced by BBC Learning and previewed by Tech Trends last year at the newly launched National Theatre’s Immersive Storytelling Studio. 

Taking viewers back to the streets of 1916 Dublin, the film depicts the memories of 19 year-old Willie McNeive, a rebel who took part in the Easter Rising against the British. Watson says that the film shows how technology can be used to give audiences a greater sense of presence, enabling them to better understand a range of issues like important current affairs, news, science and history.

BBC Taster VR will be a showcase for new commissions
Share on X

As part of its ongoing remit to put the BBC’s early and experimental ideas in the hands of audiences, BBC Taster has also launched a new virtual reality app, which is now available for free on Android and iOS.

“BBC Taster VR will be a fantastic showcase for some brilliant new commissions, as well as some new takes on some of the best BBC Taster VR experiences to date. It gives audiences cutting-edge mobile VR experiences from the BBC,” says Andy Conroy, Controller of BBC Research & Development.

The app will feature a range of content designed to push the limits of virtual reality on mobile devices, including animated VR, interactive 360° videos, dynamic binaural audio and branching narratives, which let users decide where to take the story. It was developed using technology from EEVO, and alongside user feedback, the app provides analytics and VR heat maps to show where users are looking while they’re in virtual reality. This will help BBC developers and editorial teams learn more from their content, helping them to refine storytelling techniques in this emerging medium.

One of the first pieces of VR to be published in the app is a trailer for upcoming BBC Three feature-length documentary One Deadly Weekend in America. The VR trailer is a virtual experience about gun crime, immersing you into an American street scene where clips from the documentary play around you.

The app analytics and VR heat maps show where users are looking
Share on X

The One Deadly Weekend VR trailer was developed by BBC Three in collaboration with virtual reality studio Parable VR. It was commissioned by BBC Three controller Damian Kavanagh, who will be taking on an additional role as editorial lead for BBC Taster.

Kavanagh says that in his new role he will use new technologies such as VR explore a new ways to tell stories that will engage with audiences.

“This new VR trailer is a fantastic first step. Using virtual reality it literally puts the audience in the shoes of the victims of gun crime. It’s the first time the BBC has ever used VR in this way, and offers a whole new way to engage an audience.”

Other content featured in the app includes new interactive 360° video from Planet Earth II, which enables viewers to choose their path through the story. The app will be regularly updated with new VR experiences so we can probably expect to see a lot more innovative immersive content coming through in the coming weeks and months.

Tech Trends’  Virtual Reality Consultancy services offers support for companies looking to get a foothold in the growing Mixed Reality spectrum and enhance their brand strategy with these exciting new technologies. 

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedInand follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post BBC Bringing Audiences More Virtual Reality Experiences appeared first on Tech Trends.

It’s getting easier to make VR content, but showing it off is still a daunting task. WeLens is the start-up looking to change all that 

The VR industry is growing rapidly, with PwC estimating that 68 million VR headsets will be in use in the U.S. by 2021 with an expected revenue of $4.6 billion. That massive hardware growth needs to be matched by quality content, however, as well as the ability to share it in a streamlined way. And this is what San Francisco start-up  WeLens is setting out to do.

The VR hardware boom needs good quality, shareable content
Share on X

68 million VR headsets will be in use in the U.S. by 2021
Share on X

WeLens has worked for years on delivering VR solutions for high profile events such as the Sundance film festival. Working at the coalface of delivering smooth audience experiences, and having managed and facilitated hundreds of VR activations around the world, they saw a growing demand for a simpler way to bring that “communal theatre” vibe to personal screens by syncing multiple devices with the same content. The idea that emerged was that there was a real need to make it easier for Marketers, Filmmakers and Educators to screen their own VR content.

“Right now, VR is very difficult to use in real-world settings outside of your living room, especially when you’re using multiple VR headsets,” said James Levy, WeLens’s founder and CEO. “Devices need to be manually setup one at a time, there’s no way to control and track devices, and the result is chaos, stress, and elevated tech support costs.”

With LensPass anyone can orchestrate their own VR screening without the need for tech support
Share on X

LensPass is their recently launched software that is looking to fill that gap, by letting anyone setup their own VR screening, eliminating the need for technical staff at events. You can prepare and play VR content to multiple devices, it tracks engagement analytics with real-time device performance alerts, and offers the extra bonus on not relying heavily on WiFi to work, essential for environments such as festivals and conferences – which often suffer from chronic tech fails at the most inopportune moments. It’s available as a subscription service that allows users to assign screenings to any number of mobile VR devices from a simple customizable online dashboard.

“LensPass is designed to create opportunities for anyone to easily incorporate VR into different settings without the need for deep domain expertise,” explains Levy. “There is already a range of VR devices offering a variety of capabilities and benefits, from portable mobile VR systems to room-scale VR that can make use of an expanding number of peripherals and sensors. Especially now that hands-free augmented reality is looming on the horizon, at WeLens we expect to see VR expanding into an entire spectrum of immersive computing experiences, ranging from watching Netflix on a large virtual screen, to viewing a 3D scene play out on a table top using AR, to viewing a 360-degree video, to fully virtual experiences with positional tracking.”

VR headsets are individual by nature, but that doesn't preclude making the experiences social
Share on X

But what all these devices have in common is that they are fundamentally designed for individual use, much more so than smartphones, tablets, or even wearables like smart watches. However, Levy doesn’t think this precludes making immersive experiences more social:

“Our goal is to help make VR and other immersive computing more of a communal process,”he says. “As a first step toward achieving that, we’re focused with LensPass on the needs of organizations that are sharing and screening VR experiences for groups. That’s a critical part of the emerging media landscape where lenses will start to gradually replace other screens”

“In the last couple years, we saw a lot of experimentation in VR from brands, marketers, non-profits and other organisations. In many instances, they’ve just been figuring out their production and post-production workflows. For those creating live-action video VR experiences, there’s been a lot of learning about how to capture video in 360, how to tell stories in that medium, and many technical learnings about how to perform well within current constraints.”

Accordingly, the early users of LensPass have included top marketing agencies, media brands, VR production houses, and major theme parks across the country.

“We’ve seen our customers discovering that immersive content is a truly powerful storytelling tool, and not just a novelty,” said Levy. “We believe that improving the communal aspects of mobile VR and other personal display technology is a critical part of the emerging media landscape.”

As well as the increased interest in the Augmented/Mixed reality end of the VR spectrum, Levy points the fact that where companies were previously only dabbling with VR have started incorporating it into their long-term strategy and investing much more heavily in the technology.

“A lot of organizations and brands are coming back to us and saying that they have much more ambitious projects, and in some cases aren’t doing one-off screenings but are incorporating VR into their retail strategy, or they’re doing a traveling campaign of marketing activations or screenings that put the VR front and centre.  VR is starting to become more than just a novelty, and that’s because it’s really the best possible form of experiential marketing there is. After all, this immersive content is literally delivering an experience directly to your brain in a way that is completely unprecedented.”

Tech Trends’  Virtual Reality Consultancy services offers support for companies looking to get a foothold in the growing Mixed Reality spectrum and enhance their brand strategy with these exciting new technologies. 

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedInand follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Enabling DIY VR Screenings appeared first on Tech Trends.