Nokia jumps into the Virtual Reality market

As readers of the Videoguys blog know, we've been following the emerging Virtual Reality (VR) market very closely. While the big internet players like Google, MicroSoft & Facebook are making strong plays, so are GoPro and Samsung. Now Nokia, a camera/ smartphone vendor, is jumping in with a new camera called OZO designed specifically for Virtual Reality filmmakers and Hollywood. Things ar ereally heating up in the VR space!

Nokia announces OZO virtual reality camera for professional content creators Nokia today announced OZO, the first commercially available virtual reality (VR) camera designed and built for professional content creators and the first in a planned portfolio of digital media solutions from Nokia Technologies, the company's advanced technology and licensing business. "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." read more... The Verge by Casey Newton Today Nokia is beginning to lay out its vision. At an event for the entertainment industry in Los Angeles tonight, Nokia is announcing Ozo, a next-generation camera for capturing audio and video in 360 degrees. Nokia intends for the device, which is now in its preproduction phase, to become the default mode of shooting virtual-reality experiences for Hollywood, the media, and the advertising industry. A formal launch, along with a final sale price, is planned for the fall. But Ozo is not a consumer camera — the device is expected to sell in the mid-five figures. read more... Engadget by Mariella Moon Nokia has just revealed a new camera for filmmakers called OZO that can capture virtual reality videos. But unlike similar devices from GoPro and Samsung unveiled in the past months, it's not a flattened circle with cameras but a spherical ball-like device with shutters all over it. It has eight shutter sensors in all to capture 360-degree videos and eight integrated microphones. What users might find advantageous is its capability to show them what it's shooting in real time through a VR headset. It can also churn out a low-resolution version of the footage it shot within just a few minutes if filmmakers want to see it again or to show it to someone else. Videos captured through similar cameras usually have to be stitched together during processing before you can see them, and that takes a lot of time. read more...