Nokia has announced that they will be releasing ‘OZO’, the first commercially available virtual reality camera, later this year. The company says the device has been “designed and built for professional content creators, and [is] the first in a planned portfolio of digital media solutions.” The unit features eight synchronized global shutter sensors, eight integrated microphones for spatial audio, and a design reminiscent of the Star Wars training remote.
OZO was designed at the company’s R&D facilities in Tampere, Finland. Software included with the device will allow real-time 3D viewing courtesy of “an innovative playback solution that removes the need to pre-assemble a panoramic image”. Beyond these basic specifications, Nokia will not be announcing any more information, including pricing, until a future date.
“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.”
“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.”
Footage captured with the OZO can be published for commercially available VR viewing hardware such as Oculus Rift. Nokia notes that the product easily “integrates into existing professional workflows and works with third-party tools.”
California-based production company, Jaunt Inc., has also pledged to support Nokia’s upcoming OZO hardware by “offering the camera for use in Jaunt Studios and by supporting content produced with OZO through its post-production services.”
Here’s a short teaser video for the new camera:
Those interested in the Nokia OZO can visit the product’s microsite by clicking here. The website features a countdown to August 4th when the new OZO video will be released. PetaPixel has learned that one of the three upcoming videos will feature information about the OZO’s ability to handle parallax correction between its eight sensors.
Source: Petapixel.com
https://petapixel.com/2015/07/29/the-nokia-ozo-is-a-spherical-camera-for-capturing-vr-imagery/