14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung’s 2014 Developer Conference is currently underway in San Francisco, and the Korean tech giant has just unleashed something extremely interesting for videographers.
Sammy calls it Project Beyond and the name itself is enough to catch your attention. The gizmo is actually is flying saucer-looking camera that can capture “true” 3D video in full 360-degree.
Samsung's camera to help develop virtual reality experience
The device is capable of snapping a gigapixel of 3D footage every single second. This is a technology that will naturally be further implemented into Samsung’s endeavors to make virtual reality as realistic as it can possibly get.
The outside of this futuristic-looking device is outfitted with a bunch of 16 full-HD cameras, each one having an ultra-wide-angle lens attached to it. On top of that, the resulting footage from the camera can be seamlessly integrated with Samsung’s own Gear VR headset. No surprise here!
Beneath the hood of the camera lie the processor and storage plus a high-speed connectivity system that allows you to port footage off the camera to other devices.
Completing the picture, there are an image sensor and a controller that make sure that Project Beyond captures what has been designed to capture.
Those who had the opportunity to check out footage created with Project Beyond report that they found the experience mostly impressive, but there are a few caveats to take into consideration. For example, users are unable to move through the world and audio is inaudible in scenes (as seen at The Verge).
However, Project Beyond still sounds like an important step towards creating some really impressive, realistic and immersive VR experiences.
Naturally, Samsung still has more work to do on the camera before it can actually release the product into the wild for consumers to pick up at their local photo shop. However, the content created will be made available to Gear VR users from the get-go.
Samsung Gear VR developer edition comes out in December
In related news, Samsung has also announced that it will launch the Gear VR Innovator Edition – or in other words, the developer preview hardware – next month.
If you follow the industry’s news, you probably know that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone is integral part of Samsung’s entire virtual reality setup, but the handset will, of course, be sold independently of the headset.
The Gear VR will go on sale for $199 / €160, for which you will receive the headset alone. Throw in another $249 / €208 and you get one of Samsung’s Bluetooth gamepads. And don’t forget that you’ll also need to spend more money on purchasing the Galaxy Note 4.
