For the first time, it is now possible to stream immersive experiences in 8K 3D live, including sports and concerts.
Soon, you will be able to experience concerts almost as if you were there, all from the comfort of your living room, similar to Metallica's pre-recorded "game-changing" immersive concert.
This milestone was announced by video compression company Ateme in partnership with Focal Point VR, using Focal Point's 3D 8K panoramic camera system.
- "Ateme is proud to power this revolutionary workflow," said Mickael Raulet, CTO at Ateme. "The ability to stream the highest stereoscopic resolution live is a game-changer for sports, concerts, and immersive storytelling."
First-ever workflow for 8K 3D
This is the first-ever workflow designed for live immersive content in 8K 3D. The companies noted that the workflow was specifically developed for the Apple Vision Pro headset, using the MV-HEVC video codec.
Also read: First Look at Apple Vision Pro: A Video Revolution
Meta Quest and other headsets do not natively support MV-HEVC, which is the multiview extension to HEVC. MV-HEVC is the official successor to MVC, the multiview extension to AVC MPEG4 used to encode movies in 3D in 1080p resolution on 3D Blu-ray. MH-HEVC can support 3D with 4K, 8K, HDR10, Dolby Vision and more.
Apple has delivered some sports content in its immersive format, but so far all of it has been pre-recorded. Photo: Apple
8K's breakthrough?
While 8K has been a miserable flop on TVs, immersive VR content can require 8K or even higher resolution content to truly shine.
Until now, delivering immersive experiences matching the Apple Vision Pro's 37 pixels-per-degree fidelity has only been possible through post-production, the companies explained, i.e. pre-recorded content.
- "This innovation marks a pivotal moment for live immersive content," said Jonathan Newth, CEO at Focal Point VR. "By enabling real-time, ultra-high-fidelity 3D streaming, we're redefining what's possible in live broadcasting."
