“VR technology is finding its way into all spheres of broadcast and content delivery including marketing, advertising, training, education, sport and narrative filmmaking.”
Mediatech 2017 at the Ticketpro Dome was filled with all kinds of exciting new technologies. The Visual Impact stand had an extensive range of technology on display including the whole range of LED lights available from Arri, the entire Arri camera range as well as other new products like the Movi Pro with the Freefly system. While these big brand items attracted huge interest and constant crowds, one little corner in particular generated a lot of traffic and that was because of two VR 360º cameras on display there.
Visual Impact recently became the agents and distributors for the Insta 360 Pro as well as the agents and resellers of the Z-Cam S1 and S1 Pro series of cameras. Mediatech 2017 was the perfect platform for us to launch these models into the South African rentals and sales markets. The decision was made within our company to not pick just one model but to rather find a suitable solution to meet the needs of our entire client base.
The Insta 360 Pro and the Z-Cam S1 are both manufactured in China and both do 360º video but are very different camera systems. The Insta 360 Pro can do it all – 8K, 4K, 100FPS, Stereoscopic VR, Stream, pre-stich – and it comes with all its control and stitching software included. It’s a wonderful, affordable all in one solution for most VR/360 applications. There is only one drawback – the image is “very video” as it only shoots in REC 709 and the imaging sensors and glass reflect the price tag.
The Z-Cam S1 however is aimed at a different market, that being those more concerned with the quality of the imaging and less with being able to do almost anything. The Z-Cam S1 series has two models, the standard and the Pro. The latter being around the $17 000 mark, excluding any software required. The standard version however is much more affordable but also does not come with any software which is around the R35 000 mark for the entire software package that includes Wonder Stitch, Wonder Live and Assimilate VR for grading in a VR space with the addition of an Oculus Rift headset. The S1 is limited to 6K but has 4 x Sony Exmor R sensors as found in the RX series of Sony cameras and allows for 10 bit Log acquisition in the form of Z-Log. It also has a very handy battery system that allows for location shooting at a fraction of the price of proprietary batteries found in most other cameras. It actually uses the same 3000MA batteries that the vaping cloud crowd use in their vaporisers which are easily accessible and relatively cheap.
Even with these cameras on display there was another doing the rounds and generating vast interest on our stand and that was the Insta 360 Air that Zelda Wilson had connected to her Phone and was shooting pre-stitched videos on her Android mobile device. These models come in an Android and an IOS version. Insta 360 really have penetrated the VR market in a massive way by bringing products that connect to all social media platforms, that support 360 video, with relative ease.
The adoption of this technology globally by a consumer mass has been extremely rapid and the potential user base encompasses half the global population – basically anyone who owns a smartphone is a potential end user or broadcaster. Whether using the technology as intended by full immersion or just viewing in 360, which is a by-product of the technology, users have been driving this tech by sheer mass demand. This is evident by the service of live 360 being offered on all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Periscope, all in a relatively short period. This however is just the start of this global trend, VR technology is finding its way into all spheres of broadcast and content delivery including marketing, advertising, training, education, sport and narrative filmmaking.
At Mediatech 2017 I was also fortunate enough to have had two presentation slots on VR cameras and technology. I was really taken aback by the reaction I received from the people attending the presentations and it dawned on me that the level of interest and scope of application of this technology, crossed areas I have never worked in. I had numerous conversations and resulting meetings with potential clients regarding VR acquisition which spans all areas of media and broadcasting. Most encouragingly I was presented with potential uses of VR/360 technology in spheres so far removed from the film industry that have totally captured my attention and imagination. This technology has unlimited applications!
VR and all that is associated with it, is the new flavour right now and is not there to replace anything, it is simply another medium. Right now there is a massive demand and as a result there is a huge push for content creation systems and content to drive this trend. The one area that is lagging behind as this moment is content production. As service providers in acquisition systems and back end services gear up and embrace this platform this will change. Immersion is a new world that brings with it a new way of looking at content delivery, creativity and technical skill sets. All of us at Visual Impact are really proud to say that we are out there testing and finding the best possible solutions to make our client’s virtual dreams a reality. Immerse your imaginations; it’s a new world out there.
By Stefan Nell, head of Digital Imaging and Rentals, Visual Impact
