jaunt vr – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

September 30, 2019

Verizon Acquires Jaunt XR’s Augmented Reality Tech

Jaunt, the cinematic VR company that pivoted to AR last year, today announced it has sold its software, technology, and “certain other assets” to American telecom Verizon.

Neither company has disclosed the acquisition price, or if that will include any of Jaunt’s remaining staff, although Jaunt says it will be assisting Verizon for a brief period of time with the transition of “select portions of the software and technology.”

“We are thrilled with Verizon’s acquisition of Jaunt’s technology,” said Jaunt XR CEO Mitzi Reaugh in a press statement. “The Jaunt team has built leading-edge software and we are excited for its next chapter with Verizon.”

Founded in 2013, Jaunt became known not only for producing its high-quality 360 video for consumers, but also a 360 camera dubbed Jaunt One (formerly NEO) aimed at idustry professionals looking to get into immersive video capture.

Jaunt to Liquidate Tons of VR Stuff in Online Auction Soon

It’s no secret that Jaunt is stepping back from VR and re-focusing on AR, although we weren’t sure what the one-time cinematic VR company planned on doing with its recently defunct VR business. Now, it’s come to light that Jaunt is holding a massive online auction, serving up everything from monitors and workstation computers to a wide variety of VR headsets & peripherals.

Update (December 9th, 2018): A spokesperson for the auction has sent us a clarification that all bidders, including consumers , are welcome to bid in Jaunt’s online auction.

Original Article (December 7th, 2018): Last month we reported that Jaunt was actively looking for buyers for its VR division. While there’s still no word on where its IP is going, at least now we know where all the kit is ending up: directly into the hands of ~~any business~~ anyone with the cash.

Heritage Global Partners is hosting the online auction, and it includes pretty much everything not bolted to the floor in the company’s Santa Monica office.

Key Items Include:

Large Quantities of 27” Apple Thunderbolt Displays
Large Quantities of Dell Monitors
Samsung Odyssey Systems/ Headsets
Oculus Systems/ Headsets
Wacom 21” Tablets
Google Daydream Systems/ Headsets
Lenovo Mirage Systems/ Headsets
Assorted Microsoft Systems/ Accessories/ Controllers
Apple TV
Sony PS4 Systems/ Accessories/ Controllers

We’ve also spotted some HTC Vives & Vive Pros, a stack of SteamVR basestations, and some controllers.

The auction start on December 12th at 10:00 AM PT (local time here) and ends 24 hours later. Heritage Global specifies that bidders must be “acting within their trade or businesses and may not be used by consumers,” although that probably won’t stop professional Ebay sellers from surreptitiously scouting out the merch and making a payday (see update).

Report: Jaunt in Talks to Sell Cinematic VR Business as It Moves Towards AR

Last month Jaunt announced it was shuttering its cinematic VR division in a critical refocusing of their core mission towards augmented reality, which brought with it lay-offs to a significant portion of their staff. Now, a Venture Beat report maintains Jaunt is looking for a buyer in hopes of alleviating some of the financial strain on the company.

Citing a source familiar with the matter, Venture Beat’s reports that one of the bidders is Spinview Global, a platform created for brands and companies looking to host their own VR and 360 content. Spinview, a London and Stockholm-based company, recently acquired VR communications app Agority.

According to the report, the company is in talks with multiple parties looking to acquire Jaunt’s IP.

Founded in 2013, and exiting out of stealth in 2014, Jaunt previously focused on producing high-quality 360 video in the hundreds, as well as a professional-grade 360 camera dubbed Jaunt One (formerly NEO).

Jaunt said back in October that they’ll be refocusing efforts on further developing technologies that allow for the scaled creation of AR content. This came shortly after the company acquired Personify’s ‘Teleporter’ volumetric video streaming tech and the engineers behind it.

The lay-offs haven’t effected Jaunt China, its Shanghai-based joint venture with Shanghai Media Group and China Media Capital, although at the time we were left wondering whether the bulk of their IP shifted would be shifted to the Shanghai-based branch.

Up until now, Jaunt has secured over $100 million from companies such as Disney, Sky, and Axel Springer, with its latest funding round in 2015 garnering the company $65 million.

The post Report: Jaunt in Talks to Sell Cinematic VR Business as It Moves Towards AR appeared first on Road to VR.

October 16, 2018

Jaunt Lays Off ‘a Significant Portion of Staff’, Shutters VR Production to Focus on AR

Jaunt, the startup once focused on delivering cinematic VR, is laying off what the company says is “a significant portion of [their] staff” in a restructuring move that will bring the company’s focus away entirely from virtual reality to augmented reality.

“Today we had to make some difficult decisions in an effort to realign Jaunt for continued success,” the company said in a statement obtained by Variety. “We are restructuring the company, resulting in letting go of a significant portion of our staff.”

In a company blog post, Jaunt says they’ll be focusing efforts on further developing technologies that allow for the scaled creation of AR content. These changes won’t be effecting Jaunt China however, as it’s a Shanghai-based joint venture with Shanghai Media Group and China Media Capital.

The company continues: “This focus means though that we have had to make some tough decisions on our lines of business. We will be winding down a number of VR products and content services in the coming weeks. We will work with our current clients to deliver our existing commitments and manage this transition smoothly and professionally. In addition, this unfortunately means that some of our valued and highly talented colleagues will be moving on.”

Founded in 2013, and exiting out of stealth in 2014, Jaunt cut their teeth on cinematic VR, not only producing high-quality 360 video throughout the years, but also a professional-grade 360 camera dubbed Jaunt One (formerly NEO). At the time of this writing, Jaunt has secured over $100 million from companies such as Disney, Sky, and Axel Springer, with its latest funding round in 2015 garnering the company $65 million.

In August 2018, the company made a critical expansion of their JauntXR platform—possible writing on the wall that shifts were coming to the one-time VR focused company.

Jaunt then revealed a new prototype volumetric video solution for AR-compatible smartphones in September. Later, the company later took definitive steps in the direction of AR by acquiring both Personify’s ‘Teleporter’ volumetric video streaming tech and the engineers behind it.

The layoffs come soon after Mitzi Reaugh, previously VP of Global Business Development and Strategy, stepped up as CEO early this month. Jaunt’s former CEO George Kliavkoff has since joined MGM Resorts International as President of Entertainment and Sports.

The post Jaunt Lays Off ‘a Significant Portion of Staff’, Shutters VR Production to Focus on AR appeared first on Road to VR.

September 12, 2018

Jaunt Acquires Personify’s Volumetric Capture Tech & Talent to Build Out XR Platform

Jaunt was once a cinematic VR company which produced high-quality 360 video, and to boot even a professional-grade 360 camera dubbed NEO. Taking a step in a decidedly more AR direction with its recently revealed volumetric video capture solution, Jaunt further announced it’s also acquired both Personify’s ‘Teleporter’ volumetric video streaming tech and the engineers behind it.

As a talent and IP-driven acquisition, the move is said in a press statement to directly support Jaunt’s volumetric R&D initiatives for its Jaunt XR Platform, a solution that lets businesses create and deliver their own branded volumetric video content like livestreamed avatars of real people, deliverable to both VR headsets and AR-capable devices like flagship Apple smartphones and tablets.

According to Venture Beat’s Dean Takahashi, who visited Jaunt’s San Mateo, California headquarters last month, the company has created a pipeline that uses six Intel RealSense depth cameras; the resultant images are then automatically stitched into a single 3D avatar and livestreamed to supported devices.

Jaunt CTO and Founder Arthur van Hoff says adding both Teleporter and the talent behind it allows them to “increase the speed and scope of our research and development as we move further into the extended reality arena with the Jaunt XR Platform at the core of our business.”

Continuing: “We’re honing in on fully immersive virtual, mixed, and augmented reality experiences, and are thrilled to advance those technologies with the help of our new Chicago-based team.”

Jaunt Reveals Livestreamed Volumetric Video Solution for AR

Jaunt first cut their teeth on cinematic VR when they came out of stealth in 2014, not only producing some pretty high-quality 360 video throughout the years, but also a professional-grade 360 camera dubbed NEO. Now under new management, the company is striking out in a new direction, and revealing a new AR project for its Jaunt XR Platform that makes volumetric video capture a relatively cheap and easy process.

The project, which is still in R&D, uses what the company calls a “simple capture stage with a streamlined setup,” which uses the company’s proprietary streaming tech that can send volumetric captures to AR-capable devices.

According to Venture Beat’s Dean Takahashi, who visited Jaunt’s San Mateo, California headquarters, the company has created a pipeline that uses six Intel RealSense depth cameras; the resultant images are then automatically stitched into a single 3D avatar.

Takahashi says the experience was “quick and seamless,” and doesn’t use the sort of dedicated green screen studios like Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Studio, which has captured the likes of Buzz Aldrin, George Takei, Reggie Watts, and Max Frost to name a few. A setup like Microsoft’s requires a large space, a 35-foot diameter area outfitted with 106 cameras (53 RGB and 53 infrared), reports Variety. Jaunt’s capture area appears to be carved from a standard office space, something you could hypothetically set up and put away as needed.

What’s more, Jaunt promises real-time processing, so you could livestream your volumetric captures to anyone with an AR-capable device such as an iPhone.

“At Jaunt, we’re always thinking about expanding the boundaries of storytelling by exploring the full immersive content spectrum; from virtual reality, to augmented & mixed reality, volumetric, and even new formats that our advanced development teams are working on,” said Arthur van Hoff, Jaunt CTO & Founder. “But our primary focus is empowering our partners to harness these evolving technologies, using the Jaunt XR Platform as the foundation for delivering their cutting-edge immersive content. Our ongoing research and development will serve as a cornerstone of the XR Platform’s evolution, and our volumetric capabilities are only the first step in this initiative.”

The Jaunt XR Platform, which was announced late last year, is a B2B solution created to stream AR, VR, and 2D assets across multiple devices, and allow companies to make and distribute their own branded content. Jaunt’s other initiatives include additional volumetric streaming tech, immersive content driven by machine learning, and technologies to enable premium XR experiences.

The post Jaunt Reveals Livestreamed Volumetric Video Solution for AR appeared first on Road to VR.

July 11, 2018

VR Music Experiences from Will.I.Am and The Bloom Twins Now on Jaunt

Music artists and performers are always seeking new ways to reach the audience. Whether this is through radio play, streaming, music videos or live performances. With virtual reality (VR) a new avenue for connecting with fans is available, and it is one that recording artists Will.I.Am and the Bloom Twins have embraced.

The new VR experience featuring the performers was captured during a performance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and has been titled Virtual VIP, to signify how the viewer is getting a closer look at the performance than many who were in the audience at the time.

Will.i.am_image

The VR experience is being made available to user through Jaunt VR, a content distribution platform for VR content that has already seen high-profile works for music, dance, cinema and theatre become available in VR through the use of its platform.

The film was captured using multiple 360-degree video cameras which were places in strategic locations throughout the theatre, allowing viewers to be transported to the live event and letting them view the performance from the best seats in the house.

Will.I.Am and his band, the Black Eyed Peas have previously been involved with immersive media when they worked together with Marvel to create an immersive augmented reality (AR) comic titled Masters of the Sun: The Zombie Chronicles, which combines elements of Egyptian mythology with hip-hop culture. The comic has seen been adapted into a VR experience for mobile VR platforms like the Samsung Gear VR.

Other music artists like Bjork and Gorillaz have also embraced immersive technology as a means of engaging with audiences and fans in a new way. As the technology develops, it can be expected that more performers will become involved with using the technology.

As usual, VRFocus will keep you informed on new developments regarding VR and AR experiences.

December 18, 2017

Jaunt to Enrich its VR App Experience Using Adaptive Bitrates

As virtual reality (VR) technology becomes better so does every other technology associated with it, including 360-degree video. 360 cameras – whether professional or consumer – have massively improved over the last couple of years, not only in visual quality but also post-processing. For consumers that end result is very important, yet it’s something the industry is still trying to improve upon – mainly due to video on VR headsets looking nowhere near as pin sharp as HD TV’s. One of the biggest 360 production company’s, Jaunt, has announced its plan to improve the viewing experience, Content Adaptive Bitrate Encoding (CABE).

From today, Jaunt will be employing its CABE streaming solution to provide a better viewing experience, regardless of platform, based on an individual’s available bandwidth and device capabilities without the need to download entire pieces of content and with minimal buffering.

Going into greater depth about the CABE solution Jaunt explained in a press statement: “The CABE technology improves upon the current “fixed ladder” for ABR streaming. Previously, multiple representations were generated through a predetermined set of representations, or fixed ladders which, based on the bandwidth and device capability delivered between 720p 30fps to 4K 60fps, mono or stereo VR video at bitrate ranging from ~1 Mbps to upwards of 60 Mbps. With the new CABE algorithm, the bitrate ladder is optimized for each title published through Jaunt’s XR Platform. As a result, our users can now experience high-resolution, stereo content at a lower bitrates, while simultaneously reducing storage and CDN costs for Jaunt and our publishing partners.”

“To deliver a truly immersive experience, it is vital to stream virtual reality content in a stereo layout, and at UHD resolutions,” said Sourabh Khire, Software Engineer at Jaunt in a statement. “While broadband users can experience this by streaming from the higher ends of a traditional ABR streaming ladder, mobile users who typically stream at a much lower bandwidth might miss out on this premium quality experience. By enhancing our existing ABR streaming technology with content adaptive encoding, each of our titles is optimally encoded to deliver a high resolution, stereo experience at the lowest possible bitrates. We strongly believe that this enhancement specifically tuned for immersive content, will put true immersivity within reach of all of our users.”

The roll out of the CABE streaming solution follows on from last weeks Jaunt XR platform announcement, a white label distribution solution available to media companies, brands, content aggregators and enterprise customers. This will enable them to deliver immersive VR, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) content directly to audiences through their owned and operated channels.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Jaunt, reporting back with any further updates.

November 30, 2017

Hulu VR to get Seven Exclusive Jaunt VR Experiences Including INVISIBLE & Home Turf

Jaunt VR is one of the most productive content creation company’s working in virtual reality (AR) at present, having recently released experience such as Free the Night and Through You, whilst winning an Emmy for its documentary, Collisions. Today, the studio has announced a new partnership with immersive streaming app Hulu VR, to bring a range of titles to the service.

Hulu VR will be getting a total of seven experiences from Jaunt, all of which will be exclusive. Currently only two have been revealed as part of the deal, five-part scripted VR series INVISIBLE, as well as two episodes from the action and adventure series Home Turf.

HomeTurf

INVISIBLE is a supernatural drama series following a mysterious American family, the Ashlands, whose reach extends into the largest corporations and governments across the world. Although they control a large portion of the world’s economy they exist in relative ambiguity. They move without being seen and somehow without being known. That’s because select family members have the power to make themselves invisible.

INVISIBLE was created by a partnership between Condé Nast Entertainment (CNÉ), Jaunt, Samsung Electronics America, Inc., and the 30 Ninjas team of Director Doug Liman (Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow) and Producer Julina Tatlock, along with Oscar-nominated Screenwriter Melisa Wallack (Dallas Buyers Club).

The Home Turf series takes users on iconic adventures all over the world including Iceland and Utah. In addition to the beautiful landscapes on offer, the series follows famous figures including world-renowned slackliner Andy Lewis.

The new deal gives consumers access to a larger library of high-quality and award-winning immersive content across all major devices where the Hulu VR app can be streamed, which includes Google Daydream, PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

Additionally, Hulu subscribers can also stream Hulu’s entire library of 2D content, including current season content, past seasons of hit shows, movies and Hulu Originals, in immersive 3D environments.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Hulu VR and Jaunt, reporting back with any further updates.

October 19, 2017

Jaunt VR Releases Experimental Experience Through You

Award-winning filmmaker and dancer Lily Baldwin and Emmy award-winning director Saschka Unseld (Henry , Dear Angelica) have created an experimental virtual reality (VR) experience Through You which Jaunt has announced is now available through its app.

Filled with saturated colors, a bold score and dance, Through You tells the story of love born, lived, lost, burned, and seemingly gone forever.

“The story begins in the 1970’s when a couple named James and Julia first meet, and stretches through 2046 when they have grown old and questioning, “Can love be found again?”, the official description explains. “James is played by Juilliard-trained actor Amari Cheatom. Julia is played in her youth and old age by two different actors: contemporary dancer and choreographer Joanna Kotze, and Marni Thomas Wood, the last dancing member of the original Martha Graham Company, and professor emerita/ co-founder of UC Berkeley’s dance program.”

Jaunt Through You image 2 — Lily Baldwin and Saschka Unseld, co-directors of Through You. Photo by Albert Sanchez and Pedro Zalba.

“We treat the viewer like a fellow dancer, speaking with movement and bypassing words. We put them at the center of the story, first as a lover and then as a memory,” said Baldwin. “With the potential inherent in 360 degrees of immersion, we ask: What does the passage of time feel like? What does love and loss feel like?”

“We both have a very clear opinion on what we like and what we don’t. But the process of how we achieve these things is quite opposite,” adds Unseld. “In a way this yin-yang approach made our collaboration perfect. Both of us were able to judge each other’s work from a distance and help each other focus on our strengths.”

Featuring an original score by Mark degli Antoni, with sound design and binaural mix from Q Department, Through You is the first live action immersive experience directed by Unseld who’s better known for animations like Henry and Dear Angelica which were created at the now defunct Oculus Story Studios.

Through You is available through the free Jaunt VR app store, which supports iOS, Android, Cardboard, Google Daydream, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR today at 10 am ET.

For the latest Jaunt news, keep reading VRFocus.