Category: Kandao

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Visbit and Kandao Demonstrate 8K VR Video Live Streaming

Both virtual reality (VR) 360-degree video use and video live-streaming are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. 360-degree video allows for a degree of ‘presence’ and immersion not possible with traditional 2D video while video streaming offers convenience and ease of access. Immersive media company Visbit have worked with VR camera maker Kandao to present an 8K VR video live stream across the Pacific Ocean.

Higher visual quality tends to be the aim for VR video streams, and a stable 8K stream represents a step forward in VR video streaming. The 8K live stream was generated at Kandao’s office in Shenzhen and delivered to multiple VR headsets at Visbit’s office in California.

The video was captured using a Kandao Obsidian R 360-degree camera, a professional grade device equipped with 6 fisheye lenses, with each lens capable of outputting 11.4 megapixel video stream. All six streams were then stitched together and encoded in H.265 using Kandao Live software in real-time to produce the 8K 360-degree live stream.

“Released in 2017, Kandao Obsidian is already a proven professional VR camera with 8K production capability,” said Dan Chen, CEO and Co-Founder of Kandao. “By optimizing the whole stitching and encoding pipeline, Kandao Live software solution significantly lowers the hardware requirements to the processing computer, making it possible to use one local PC to handle all the 8K workload in real time.”

“Back in 2017, we already demonstrated 5K live streaming of 360-degree VR videos on NABShow, together with AMD. Visbit VVOS technology has been live ready since then. Today, we are excited to see Visbit Cloud and Visbit 8K VR player immediately picked up the 8K live signal from Kandao camera. Combining Kandao’s Obsidian camera, Kandao Live software, Visbit’s Live VR cloud service, and Visbit 8K Live Player, we can now offer a ready-to-use solution to power up all kinds of contents to be delivered to the world in 8K and in real time,” said Changyin Zhou, CEO and Co-Founder of Visbit.

A video of the demonstration can be viewed below. For further coverage on Visbit and Kandao, keep checking back with VRFocus.

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QooCam 360 Camera Begins Shipping to Kickstarter Backers

Having launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for its 360-degree camera the QooCam, Kandao Technology in May that saw success within hours, the team have now announced that deliveries have begun to early backers.

Anyone well versed in backing Kickstarter projects knows that not all of them are a success, even if funding goals have been achieved. VRFocus has seen this happen on a number of occasions, or for companies to announce delay after delay. Thankfully for those backing QooCam this hasn’t been the case, with the campaign keep to its August 2018 shipping date.

Entering the ever burgeoning field of 360-degree cameras, the QooCam offers a unique 3 lens system in a folding design. Users can either opt for the 360-mode which captures a full 360-degree image in 4K, or they can choose ‘Stereo Mode’ for a 180-degree image with more depth.

“We want to make QooCam a good fit for travel vlogging and daily life capturing, so we designed it to be light-weighted and flexible,” said Dan Chen, CEO of Kandao Technology in a statement.

QooCam Depth

The QooCam also comes with a range of other handy features besides the switchable design. It has built-in stabilisation software to ensure video’s look smooth and shake free. This can be activated using the iOS or Android app alongside other options such as Little Plant and Tap Direct.

Another interesting feature is the cameras depth-based visual processing. When in VR180 ‘Stereo Mode’ the device creates a depth map of an image. Users can then refocus the image creating a bokeh effect, or use the editor app to pan, crop and reedit the 180-degree image how they like.

If you missed the Kickstarter campaign the QooCam is currently available to order on Kandao’s website and Amazon, and will be able to purchase from distributors in U.S., Japan, Europe and China soon, priced at $399 USD. For any further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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QooCam Is Kandao Technology’s New 4K 360-Degree Camera, Already Funded On Kickstarter

Kandao Technology have recently launched a Kickstarter for this new product, the QooCam. This is the world’s first interchangeable consumer camera with three fisheye lenses, allowing for 4K video recording and 360-degree virtual reality (VR) capture.

QooCam features

The QooCam features groundbreaking refocusing, cinematic stabilization and an intuitive editing tool. This is complete with a unique switchable structure of three fisheye lenes, allowing for two different shooting modes. The first, “360 mode”, allows use to capture a scene from all direction easily in 4K resolutions. Thanks to the real-time optical flow stitching algorithm, users can get the perfect stitching for their 360-degree photos and videos directly on their smartphone. When the structure of the QooCam is switch, users can then capture in 180-degree front facing video in “stereo mode” and create truly immersive photos and videos.

“We want people to experience the new ways of imaging, from 360° to VR180 introduced by Google, and that’s why we develop QooCam to push the technology to become part of life,” said Dan Chen, Kandao Founder and CEO. “With QooCam, you can experience 3D 180° or 360° filming in one product, recording and sharing life in an immersive and innovative way.”

One of the standout features of the QooCam is the depth mapping technology that the camera uses to generate the special refocusing feature, which was a feature first introduced on the companies professional-grade cameras last year. With this, users are able take their footage and simply tap on the subjects in different distance to create a bokeh effect, enhancing the subject in focus. The result is an image that has stunning depth-of-field regardless of how the image was taken.

QooCam Depth

The impressive technology also continues into other features of the QooCam including the real-time stabilization software that dramatically reduces shake and rolling shutter effect. Users will be able to capture stable and smooth shots meaning recording during motion is not a problem for the QooCam, which is more than suitable for filming at high speeds. Elsewhere, users will be able to make use of an intuitive editing app for iOS and Android devices that allows users to output 360-degree VR experience to share on social platforms directly from their device.

The QooCam from Kandao Technology is currently on Kickstarter and, at the time of writing, is already funded. A few spots remain to pick up the product at the early bird price of $299 (USD) which, when gone, will leave only the twin pack available at $578 (USD) for two QooCam’s. It is unclear if more backer tiers will be make available seeing as the project is already way ahead of its funding target with just short of a month still to go.

VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the QooCam from Kandao Technology in future, so stay tuned for more.

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Kandao Announce Specialised VR Livestreaming Software

Chinese-based company Kandao Technology have becomes recognised for its range of virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree cameras, such as the Kandao Obsidian, which received a Best of Innovation award at CES 2017. The company is branching out a bit further with the launch of a new streaming service for VR and 360-degree content.

The new service, called Kandao Live, has been designed as a complete live streaming software that can handle up to 8K live broadcasts of 360-degree or 180-degree content, or 4K stereo broadcasts when using multi-camera set-ups.

Kandao Live

Users of the Kandao Obsidian camera will be able to use the software to broadcasts VR experiences without needing HDMI capture cards. The software uses a custom Optical Flow algorithm for instant stitching and real-time preview, to let viewers see the experience clearly without intrusive stitch lines.

Streamers will be able to control the broadcast down to such details as adjusting individual lenses for exposure and ISO, or global changes such as colour correction and Auto Exposure Compensation, with other features such as Real Time Denoise and RGB Curve due to be added in a future update

Users will be able to save as they stream, as the software allows six video streams captured by the Kandao Obsidian to be saved in 4K resolution for later post-production to be shared after the broadcast.

Kandao have aimed for a simple set-up process, where all users will needs is an Obsidian camera, a copy of Kandao Live, Power over Ethernet power source, and a PC with the recommended specification in order to begin broadcasting in VR. The software needs an additional license in order to be used with the Kandao Obsidian S or R camera models, however.

Kandao Live

For users who wish to begin streaming, the following is the recommendation for PC hardware:

  • OS – Windows 10 64-bit
  • CPU i7-5960x or above CPU
  • GPU – Nvidia GTX 1080 or above
  • Memory – 8GB or above
  • Network Adapter – Gigabit Ethernet

Further information can be found on the Kandao Technology website. For further news on Kandao 360-degree and Vr products, keep checking back with VRFocus.

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Kandao Introduces Depth-Mapping to 360-degree Camera Software

Chinese-based manufacturer Kandao Technology are probably best known for their range of 360-degree and virtual reality (VR) cameras, such as the Kandao Obsidian. The company has now announced that users of the Kandao Obsidian will soon be able to use a new feature depth-based rendering.

Kandao Technology has announced that the beta version of its Obsidian 3D VR camera stitching software will allow users to generate depth maps from 36-degree footage captured by Obsidian cameras. This will allow a range of new possibilities to open up for users to create VR and 360-degree experiences.

The Obsidian R and S models were launched earlier this year, both of which were accompanied by Kandao Studio, which used sophisticated learning algorithms to stitch together high-quality stereoscopic 360-degree stills and videos.

Now Kandao is introducing a depth-based rendering stitching mode which will estimate the pixel-wise depth of the captured frames and render the panorama accordingly. This allows for the creations of more comfortable VR experiences, as the movement of the scene will appear more natural to human eyes.

Another related feature added to the software in the ability for content creators to export the depth maps in 360-degree post-production, allowing for depth-based visual effects to be added in software such as Adobe After Effects. Kandao is also working towards exploring the possibility of introducing 6DoF to create more immersive VR experiences that let users move their head in a more comfortable and natural way.

The Kandao Obsidian R and S cameras received awards at this year’s CES for ‘Best of Innovation’. The Obsidian R allows for up to 8K of resolution in 3D-360-degree videos, while the Obsidian S is optimised for high frame-rate, able to capture up to 120fps at 4K resolution. Both models are priced at $6,999 (USD). Further information can be found on the Kandao website.

A short video on the depth-mapping function of the Kandao software is available to view below.

VRFocus will bring you further news on the Kandao Obsidian as it becomes available.

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Kandao Update 360-Degree Camera Range With Obsidian GO

Earlier this year, Chinese tech firm Kandao announced its new hardware product, the Kandao Obsidian 360-degree camera. Kandao have now announced a new version of the camera is being launched – the Obsidian GO.

In contrast to the Obsidian R and S models, which were launched for early adopters in July, the Obsidian GO is designed for beginners to 360-degree filmmaking and virtual reality (VR) content creation. The Obsidian GO can capture 8K panoramic stills and 4K VR video.

The Obsidian GO shares a similar to design to the R and S models, while supporting several updates features, such as support for the DNG file format, a wireless remote control feature and several options for time-lapse panoramic image capture, such as adjustable time intervals and a maximum of 4 hours shooting time.

The Obsidian GO will be priced at $2,499 (USD) and will come with Kandao’s stitching software. The more powerful models, the Obsidian R and S are also getting an official price of $6,999. The R and S models of the Obsidian received awards for ‘Best of Innovation at CES 2017 earlier this year. The Obsidian R features 8K resolution for 3D-360-degree videos. The Obsidian S models is optimised for capturing high frame rates, able to capture up to 120 fps at 4K resolution.

Kandao’s co-founder and CEO Dan Chen said: “‘With this, we are delivering on our promise to make it easy to capture and create engaging VR experiences, and with attractive pricing and features attracting more content creators to join the game.”

The Obsidian GO is available for pre-order from the Kandao website.

VRFocus will bring you further news on the Kandao Obsidian camera is it becomes available.