Lytro dives into virtual reality filmmaking with debut of its Immerge video camera
[Philip Lelyveld comment - this could be huge!!]
Available for rent starting in the first quarter of 2016, this 360-degree sphere can be considered the Canon 5D MKIII for virtual reality. The camera has five layers, each containing a densely packed ring of cinematic video cameras that captures a high frame rate and resolution. It’s being called the first of its kind for the way it’s leveraging the light-field mathematical model Lytro is known for within the relatively new realm of virtual reality.
Company chief executive Jason Rosenthal told VentureBeat that the Immerge can provide what studios are looking for when they turn to virtual reality. “None of the existing 2D technology works with a 3D medium,” he said. “What we found post launch of the Illum, was filmmakers coming up to us and saying they couldn’t accomplish their craft without capturing the light-field. It’s an entirely different conversation than traditional photography.” ...
Although Immerge is billed as a camera, what videographers get is much more. In fact, it’s not a simple handheld device, but rather a pretty sizable sphere that can be mounted on a standard tripod. Components that come with it include Lytro-architected servers to store and process footage in real-time, and a light-field editor that’s like Adobe Lightroom for virtual reality — it’s a plugin for Premiere, Final Cut Pro, and Nuke and enables you to take all the camera views from Immerge and import them into your preferred editing tool. ...
Plus, Immerge provides a playback engine that create files that will work on Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Sony Playstation VR, Microsoft HoloLens, HTC Vive, and others.
Control of the Immerge device can be managed through a tablet connected through Wi-Fi.
See the full story here: http://venturebeat.com/2015/11/05/lytro-dives-into-virtual-reality-filmmaking-with-debut-of-its-immerge-video-camera/