Sir David Attenborough uses a VR headset
Two new BBC virtual reality projects will receive their premiere at the Sheffield Doc Fest tomorrow.
Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel, We Wait, and Home – A VR Spacewalk join earlier 360 degree work by the BBC.
In a blog post Andy Conroy, Controller of BBC Research & Development, said BBC R&D’s Immersive & Interactive Content section led by Graham Thomas has been researching the area for several years. Their work in Binaural Audio has been particularly successful and is paying dividends in the quality of audio experience we can create for Virtual Reality environments.
“Truly interactive VR video is in its infancy and can be expensive to create, but total or partial animation or CGI can be used very effectively and efficiently, while other production techniques may yet emerge or become more accessible over time. All of our true VR experiments seek to address different challenges that will provide invaluable insights for the organisation now and in the future,” said Conroy.
Easter Rising explores how VR might create a completely new way for people to engage with the past – by living through a protagonist’s memories and perceiving events from their perspective. The project was built for the Oculus Rift and Gear VR headsets.
Home – A VR Spacewalk is a collaboration between BBC Science, BBC Learning, BBC Digital Storytelling and Rewind. It was created to help learn from some of the most advanced visual effects currently available in VR, combined with spatial audio, to explore its potential for factual and science content.
The BBC is also launching a special 360-video, giving audiences a Queen’s eye view of Trooping the Colour – the annual ceremony performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies – on BBC Taster today.
Strictly Come Dancing, Natural History and BBC News have previously been captured in 360 degree video.
