When Samsung launched its Gear VR headset, we asked ‘where’s the content?’ Then, at the recent IBC broadcasting show in Amsterdam, Wireless Watch’s sister service Faultline met DJ Roller and Brad Allen from NextVR, who proudly announced their intentions to become the definitive content aggregator for virtual reality (VR) content in mobile.
From what we saw of their app running in Samsung’s Gear VR, we have no doubt that this type of content can command a premium price – but it remains to be seen who ends up selling it to the customer.
The Gear VR is a simple headset that turns the image on the Galaxy Note 4 into a stereoscopic one. Two lenses (imagine a pair of binoculars) position the viewer’s eyes at one end and the video at the other. As the phone displays one video for each eye, the image becomes 3D when viewed by both eyes. The Gear VR features a small touchpad and buttons to control the unit, but all the processing and movement tracking is taking place on the phone. It is really just a matter of attaching the phone to the front of the unit and strapping it on to your head – an experience that could grow rapidly if other smartphone manufacturers get on board.
While the quality is still not entirely photorealistic, the experience is extremely impressive. In our short time with the headset, we didn’t see any lag or chopping – which arise from the phone not being able to keep up with the user’s head movements. While you can notice the outline of the pixels on the screen when you initially put the headset on, you quickly forget they are there. Improvements in screen technology will only further improve that aspect.
Among the demonstrations that we tried out, we experienced a Coldplay gig from the front row, a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, a secluded Californian beach and a fashion show. Roller mentioned that the viewpoints could be used as some sort of meditation experience, as well as providing a virtual tour of a place you are unlikely to be able to visit.
But the main aim of the VR experience is to give the consumer an experience that they could never have themselves. Being in the front row of the Coldplay gig is one example, but Roller and Allen were very excited about the trials they had completed with a major basketball league.
In the experiment, the camera rig provides a perspective that would cost thousands of dollars to experience in the real world location. Instead of paying a four-figure sum for courtside tickets, this app and headset could provide a viewer with a very close approximation of being at the game, for what could feasibly be the cost of the headset and a subscription app – the very definition of disruptive technology.
And other sports can be included. Soccer or American football stadiums could just as easily be equipped with cameras to provide multiple views of the action, which could be switched between on the fly by the viewer using the touchpad on the side of the headset. The perspectives could be sponsored or exclusive too, potentially allowing for tiered packages of events. Multiple windows could be incorporated into the experience, allowing users to see stats, alternative views, or even stores to purchase game jerseys.
The social aspect of this experience is another promising feature – and one that might likely leap to the fore given Facebook’s $2bn acquisition of Oculus, the company behind the Rift VR headset. Roller and Allen spoke enthusiastically about inviting a friend into the VR world, in the form of an avatar or a scan from a social media profile, and then being able to interact with them through sound and vision.
In terms of monetization, the adverts on the video can be replaced to more appropriate or targeted ads based on demographic or location, and the ‘back’ of the picture (where there is no action going on) can be turned into an area of the picture that the viewer could customize. Examples could include a Twitter feed or Facebook page, but this back wall could serve as a place for the team stores or promotional offers – although overly-aggressive advertising in an experience as immersive as VR could be damaging to the user experience to the detriment of user retention.
The NextVR app itself lives on the phone, and this straightforward approach indicates the most likely business model that NextVR will adopt – a tiered subscription service and/or a video-on-demand and pay-per-view store for some events. Roller and Allen said they aim to become the hardware agnostic content aggregator for all VR content on the web, and if all it requires is a headset and a smartphone, it’s hard to argue with their plan – especially as currently they are one of very few companies to be producing this VR content.
But of course, we are skeptical that an entity such as the NFL would happily give up its own VR content to a third party. We think they’d fight tooth and claw to have their own-branded NFL app instead, but these are contract negotiations that the pair would not disclose. However, they clearly earmarked music and sports as the big ticket VR experiences. We will have to wait and see how the negotiations pan out, but from what we have seen, the technology is certainly impressive enough to command a premium from users.
Moving to the more technical side of things, NextVR uses its own Compound Entropy Stereoscopic Compression Encoder, which was developed in part with ESPN – who said it performed better than the Ericsson set up that the broadcaster was using at the time. This technology allows NextVR to stream live VR content to consumers over the internet.
The encoder “greatly reduces the redundant information in the left and right-eye views of stereoscopic video,” which means that you don’t need to stream two independent images for the eyes and can make significant savings on the bandwidth requirements. Another benefit of this approach is that the content produced can be viewed in 2D on any other screen.
Savings in bandwidth are also made by only streaming the part of the video that the user can see, and omitting the parts that are out of sight – an approach that would require a low-latency connection, as well as sufficient bandwidth required to view the VR content in the first place.
The footage is captured by a rig of six RED Epic Dragon cameras, operating in three pairs and capturing 4K HDR footage. Each pair captures the stereoscopic image in front of them, and when the three pairs’ footage is combined by the NextVR software, a 360° composite video is formed. The rig can be static or mobile, potentially allowing for guided tours or other on-the-move experiences.
Launched in 2009, NextVR is a company of 12, which has attracted $5m in venture funding and industry investment. With two patents in the field granted and an additional 14 in the system, its co-founders DJ Roller and David Cole have extensive history and experience in the 3D and film industries. Roller shot the first live 3D sports broadcast at the 2007 NBA All-Stars game, and co-designed the first 3D HD video cameras for use in James Cameron’s Avatar.
This commentary was first published in Faultline, Wireless Watch’s sister service, which provides weekly in-depth analysis in the areas of digital content and video, broadband, WiFi and quad play. Please email Peter White on [email protected] for a free trial or more information about subscribing.