Nokia enters the virtual reality world with the OZO camera

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 The Nokia OZO Virtual Reality camera The device has eight shutters and eight microphones. ©Nokia


The Nokia OZO Virtual Reality camera
The device has eight shutters and eight microphones.
©Nokia

Described as the first commercially available virtual reality camera for professional filmmakers, the OZO is a ball-shaped device with eight synchronized lenses and eight synchronized microphones for true 360° sound and vision.

“We’re thrilled to introduce OZO to the content creation world, and to define a completely new category of virtual reality capture and playback solutions,” said Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia Technologies. “OZO aims to advance the next wave of innovation in VR by putting powerful tools in the hands of professionals who will create amazing experiences for people around the world.”

Now that it is free of its smartphone business, Nokia has set its sights on breaking into and being at the forefront of virtual reality entertainment. The OZO is the first of a planned range of devices, and its launch comes at a time when interest in VR is beginning to pique.

ABI Research forecasts that VR headsets aimed at consumers could hit shipment levels of 43 million units annually by 2020 as more and more mainstream uses, such as cinematic and live event viewing become popular.

“Sales of VR Head Mounted Displays, including mobile-based devices like the Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, as well as tethered devices like the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Morpheus, will be driven by the release of high-profile devices and a growing awareness and interest in the technology from consumers,” says Eric Abbruzzese, Research Analyst. “Platform agnostic content like video will serve as a strong driver of growth for both platforms.”

However, according to research and consultancy firm Tractica this growth will all hinge on how well the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus — both tipped for release within the next 12 months, perform.
“The stakes are high for VR given the huge amount of money invested in the industry by some of the world’s biggest companies,” says principal analyst Craig Foster. “Getting users to experience VR technology firsthand, and therefore truly understand its potential, remains a challenge.”

The emergence of Google’s do-it-yourself Project Cardboard headsets has helped enormously in giving consumers a taste of VR — shipping 500,000 headsets in just four months.

As well as courting games studios, since its acquisition of Oculus VR (the makers of the Oculus Rift) Facebook has also been touring Hollywood studios showcasing VR’s immersive storytelling and cinematic capabilities. YouTube already supports 360° video viewing, and Nokia is betting heavily that it’s simply a matter of time before VR becomes an integral part of the visual creative process.

“We expect that virtual reality experiences will soon radically enhance the way people communicate and connect to stories, entertainment, world events and each other. With OZO, we plan to be at the heart of this new world,” said Haidamus. -afprelaxnews.com/ Relaxnews