Category: LG

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Google to Bring 3D 180 ‘Point-and-Shoot’ Cameras to Vloggers this Winter

To fit alongside the company’ Daydream mobile VR platform, Google is partnering with Lenovo, LG, and YI Technology to create a new class of 180 cameras. Called VR180, the point-and-shoot video cameras create stereoscopic 180 video that can be uploaded or livestreamed to YouTube, and viewed on VR headsets.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki took the stage at Vidcon 2017 to announce that the Google-owned company would immediately support 180 video, or what YouTube calls VR180, and is bringing an eponymous class of VR cameras to market. In a YouTube blogpost, the company says VR180 video can be viewed on Cardboard, Daydream, and PSVR headsets.

image captured by Road to VR

While individual VR180 cameras are still under wraps, the company says the point-and-shoot cameras are due out sometime this winter. As for price, Wojcicki says these cameras will be comparatively cheaper to 360 cameras, revealing that VR180 cameras “are just a couple hundred [dollars].”

Google is also opening up a certification program so other manufacturers can create VR180 cameras—starting with Z CAM.

image courtesy Google

YouTube has released a playlist on its official Virtual Reality Channel showing a number of its content partners using what we would presume is some version of the supported 180 camera. Unlike 360 video, which first saw support on the video sharing platform back in 2015, VR180 video is missing the ability to change your point of view (POV) when viewed on traditional monitors. Since these videos are also displayed as 16:9 videos on traditional monitors, a YouTuber could hypothetically shoot video exclusively in VR180 to garner a greater crossover of VR and non-VR viewership on a single video.

It’s uncertain if the videos below were captured with official VR180 hardware, or a test rig that provided similar performance. Notice the videos are delivered at up to 4K resolution at 30 FPS on both traditional monitors and in the VR-accessible YouTube app. Find out how to watch a VR video on your smartphone here by using the stock YouTube app.

180 degree stereoscopic video has been around in VR for a while now, with companies like NextVR broadcasting their sports coverage almost exclusively in 3D 180. This is because it allows you to deliver video with better resolution than a 3D 360 video, but at lesser or equal file size—something that’s important when you’re streaming to headsets. When the action is mostly forward-facing, the back register of a 360 video tends not to be used anyway, making 3D 180 a smarter choice for specific purposes.

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ICVR, LLC: Dell, LG und weitere wollen Standardanschluss für AR und VR entwickeln

Es ist eine Crux: Immer mehr Lösungen bereichern den VR-Markt, doch von einem gemeinsamen Standard ist man weit entfernt. Zumindest bei den Anschlüssen soll sich dank der neuen Initiative ICVR, LLC etwas ändern. In einer Partnerschaft wollen Dell, LG Electronics und andere Unternehmen einen Standardport entwickeln, mit dem sich AR- und VR-Headsets mit Zubehör, PCs und Smartphones verbinden lassen.

ICVR, LLC: Lösung über USB-C und DisplayPort-Protokoll

Dell, Analogix Semiconductor, Tencent und LG Electronics haben zu diesem Zweck die ICVR, LLC ins Leben gerufen, die den Industriestandard entwickeln will. Das ICVR steht dabei für Interface for Connected VR. Der neue Anschluss erfindet das Rad nicht neu, sondern basiert auf USB-C und nutzt das DisplayPort-Videoprotokoll für die Übertragung von Daten, Audio, Video und Energie. Durch den Standard verspricht sich Liam Quinn, CTO von Dell, zudem eine einfachere Handhabung der AR- und VR-Brillen, da die Headsets nur noch ein dünnes und leichtes Kabel benötigen anstatt ganze Kabelstränge. Bereits im dritten Quartal 2017 soll der neue Standard für Hersteller, die der ICVR, LLC beitreten, verfügbar sein.

Das ist sicherlich ein Schritt in die richtige Richtung, allerdings bleibt abzuwarten, ob der Standard nicht teilweise vielleicht zu spät kommt: Bereits jetzt gibt es mit TPCast für die HTC Vive eine kabellose Lösung, und die für dieses Jahr angekündigten All-in-One-Daydream-Brillen von HTC und Lenovo benötigen naturgemäß kein Kabel, da sich die Recheneinheit im Headset befindet. Kritiker wenden zudem ein, dass die USB-Lösung Apple-Geräte ausschließe. Der iPhone– und iPad-Hersteller setzt im mobilen Bereich auf den proprietären Lightning-Anschluss.

Andererseits ist es wahrscheinlich, dass Dell den neuen Anschluss in seiner erst kürzlich vorgestellten Microsoft-Mixed-Reality-Brille verbaut, die bis Jahresende erscheinen soll. Ob ICVR dann auch in die Headsets von Acer, Asus und HP einziehen wird, bleibt abzuwarten.

Quelle: ICVR, LLC

Der Beitrag ICVR, LLC: Dell, LG und weitere wollen Standardanschluss für AR und VR entwickeln zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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LG and Dell Aim to Develop VR Connection Standards

There has been an effort made recently towards creating standards for virtual reality (VR). Weather that involves software standards, or specifications that hardware has to meet in order to acquire certifications from the likes of THX. Other companies are looking at standardising the ports and connectors used in wired VR.

Anyone who remembers working with computers before USB will know what chaos it can be when connectors are not standardised. It can make things difficult, confusing and often expensive for consumers when every company uses its own proprietary connectors. That is currently the case in the area of wired VR. There are a bewildering array of different cables, ports and connectors in use by wired VR solutions. Two companies, LG electronics and Dell are aiming to change that state of affairs by introducing a standard connector that can be used to connect VR headsets with accessories, PCs and phones.

The proposed standards will utilise the DisplayPort video protocol over a standard USB-C connector. Dell and LG Electronics have formed an industry group called ICVR in order to promote the proposed standard. The standard will be available to companies who are part of the ICVR from the third quarter of 2017.

Of course, standards don’t mean much unless other companies get on board, and it remains to be seen how many other VR and hardware companies will get on board. The new standard also doesn’t seem to take into account the various proposed wireless solutions for VR. It’s also been pointed out by some critics that the standard uses the USB standard, which means that Apple devices that use Apple’s Lightning connector, such as iPhones are somewhat out of luck, which cuts out a large part of the mobile VR market.

VRFocus will bring you further information about the new ICVR standard as it becomes available.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 Gets Google Daydream Support

Google Daydream has many phones that are currently compatible, including the upcoming LG flagship smartphone that will be launched later in the year. Google also announced during I/O that Samsung’s latest smartphones will also be getting Daydream support.

Clay Bavor Vice President of Virtual Reality at Google announced during the presentation that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ would also be getting an update that would introduce Google Daydream support at some point during the summer. Samsung are one of the world’s most popular smartphone manufacturers, especially in the west and are the creators of one of the Google Daydream’s main competitors with the Samsung Gear VR.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 5.8 inch quad HD display using what Samsung refer to as the infinity display. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which means a lot of virtual reality apps can be stored on the device. The S+, meanwhile, has a 6.2 inch display, also with infinity display.

The LG smartphone referred to by Bavor will probably be the LG G6, which has already launched in South Korea, and is due to launch in the US and Europe in summer. The LG G6 has a 5.7 inch display with a 18:9 aspect ratio, a resolution of 1440×2880 and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor.

Starting from summer, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 users will be able to experience apps such as Along Together, Hungry Shark VR and Polaris on the Google Daydream.

VRFocus will continue to keep you informed on updates regarding the Google Daydream.

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Google is Bringing Daydream Compatibility to Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG’s Next Flagship Phone

Google I/O has begun, the company’s annual developer conference, and amidst expectations of a new all-in-one VR headset, the company announced that Samsung’s Galaxy S8/S8 plus and LG’s next flagship phone will be officially receiving Google Daydream support.

Taking the stage at I/O, Clay Bavor, the head of Google’s VR team, announced that Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus phones will finally be receiving Daydream support via a software update this summer. This is the first mention of a specific Samsung device supporting the Daydream VR platform.

LG’s next flagship phone, a yet unrevealed model, will also be supporting Daydream at launch later this year.

When first announced at last year’s Google I/O, Daydream-compatible phones were supposed to come from several manufacturers including Samsung, HTC, LG, Mi, Huawei, ZTE, Asus, and Alcatel.

Because of the lack of onboard electronics, Daydream-compatible phones require highly-tuned inertial measurement units (IMUs) which determine head-tracking latency, not to mention the graphical guts to make the cut. Google Cardboard, the company’s wide-reaching VR initiative that supports a multitude of mid-to-low end devices, delivers a basic but serviceable mobile VR experience. Daydream however, with it’s hand controller and beefier specs, that necessarily push frame rates to 60 fps, delivers what most consider a high-quality VR experience on par with Samsung’s Gear VR mobile headset.

This story is breaking. Check back for more information soon.

The post Google is Bringing Daydream Compatibility to Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG’s Next Flagship Phone appeared first on Road to VR.

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LG VR: Neues Dev Kit mit besseren Spezifikationen

Auf der diesjährigen GDC hat LG erstmalig eine neue Virtual Reality Brille des Unternehmens vorgeführt, welche mit der Tracking-Technologie von Valve arbeitet. Somit liegt der Vergleich zur HTC Vive nahe, denn beide Systeme setzen auf eine ähnliche Grundlage. Dennoch könnte die Brille von LG technisch an der HTC Vive vorbeiziehen, denn LG verspricht bereits ein Upgrade für das kommende Development Kit.

Neues Dev Kit mit besseren Spezifikationen

Laut LG sei das aktuelle Dev Kit nur in sehr geringen Stückzahlen verfügbar gewesen, doch das kommende Dev Kit 2 soll in größeren Mengen produziert werden und seinen Weg zu vielen potentiellen Entwicklern finden. Außerdem fügt LG hinzu, dass es verschiedene Verbesserungen beim neuen Development Kit geben wird, die beispielsweise auch das verbaute Panel und die Linsen betreffen.

Da LG mit Valve kooperiert, ist eine Funktionalität auf Steam gesichert. Theoretisch sollte die Brille auch einfach einen Zugang zum Viveport erhalten, aber hier hat HTC natürlich ein Wörtchen mitzureden. Sollte der Support aber nicht offiziell gegeben sein, gibt es sicherlich schnell findige Entwickler, die den Support über eine gesonderte Software ermöglichen. Dank ReVive ist auch der Oculus Store nicht vor den HTC Vive Usern sicher.

Ein Datum für die Veröffentlichung der LG VR Brille für Konsumenten gibt es noch nicht. Der Preis soll sich aber an aktuellen Virtual Reality Brillen für den PC orientieren.

Der Beitrag LG VR: Neues Dev Kit mit besseren Spezifikationen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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The 9 Biggest VR Stories Of GDC 2017

The 9 Biggest VR Stories Of GDC 2017

Whew, what a week. Can we sleep now? With each passing year the Game Developers Conference (GDC) becomes more and more important to the VR industry, and 2017’s iteration was no different. There have been a frankly ridiculous amount of announcements over the past six days and we wouldn’t blame you if you’d missed a few of them.

So we’ve gathered what we’d consider to be the nine biggest stories of the show, representing the need-to-know information. If you’ve been living under a rock (or in a VR headset) for the past week then look no further! You can start by listening in on our hour-long post-GDC live videocast analysis from yesterday right here:

After that, keep scrolling for the nine most essential headlines of the week.

1080 Ti Supercharges VR

VR requires meaty graphics processing power to run well, and Nvidia continues to push the boundaries with its latest GeForce GTX GPU release, the 1080 Ti. This is said to be around 35% faster than last year’s 1080, in many ways coming close to or surpassing the company’s top of the range Titan X Pascal GPU too. It’s shipping this month for $699 for all VR enthusiasts that want to push their VR experiences that bit further.

Rift’s 2017 Line-Up

Last year at GDC Oculus revealed much of its line-up for the imminent launch of the Rift. One year on and it’s ready to debut its bigger, better 2017 line-up, fueled by the recently-released Touch controllers. We’d seen games like Arktika.1 before, but new titles like From Other Suns and The Mage’s Tale are truly looking like the next generation of VR content.

Vive’s Peripheral Prices Are $99.99

HTC introduced its new add-on Trackers and an integrated audio strap for the Vive at CES in January, and it kicked off GDC with the announcement that both will be available for $99.99 each in the coming months. The Tracker will roll out to developers first and we saw plenty of great examples of what they’ll do with it at the show. This is something to be excited about.

Khronos’ OpenXR Sets VR/AR Standards

If we’re not careful, fragmentation could become a major issue for the VR industry, with so many devices already out there drastically different in features, power, and more. Khronos wants to combat that with OpenXR, a standard framework for VR software that will help you develop across multiple headsets and input devices. This could be crucial for social VR and bringing apps to as many platforms as possible.

New Gear VR, New Controller

With Google Daydream launching with motion controls last year, Samsung and Oculus’ Gear VR needs to play a bit of catch up. Fortunately the pair are doing just that; a new Gear VR was announced at Samsung’s MWC press conference last weekend, and will likely be fully unveiled when the company reveals its new S8 smartphone later this year. It’s got a controller very similar to a Daydream remote, which we can’t wait to get hands-on with.

Hands-On With the Microsoft Windows Holographic VR Headset

One of the biggest question marks heading into GDC was Microsoft. We knew it was going to announce when its dev kits for its VR headsets for Windows Holographic would start shipping at the show, we just didn’t know what that kit would look like. Well we got hands-on with it and it has potential. With consumer devices set to launch this year and Project Scorpio on the horizon, there’s a lot more to learn yet.

LG Looks Good With SteamVR Headset

We always knew there would be other SteamVR headsets beyond the HTC Vive, we just didn’t know what they’d be and when we’d see them. Turns out LG is the next company to partner up with Valve and it was at GDC with an early prototype of its headset, which doesn’t have a release date yet. We went hands-on with the device and were quite fond of it. We look forward to more details as the year progresses.

Robo Recall Ready

Epic Games’ Rift-exclusive Oculus Touch showcase, Robo Recall, was always pegged for an early 2017 release, but people were starting to get a little anxious it might not make that window. Well Epic had a perfect surprise for everyone on Wednesday when it actually released the shooter for free. If you’ve got Touch then be sure to go and grab it, it’s not one you should miss.

VR’s First Major Price Cut

Price cuts are a major part of driving adoption of any product, and a tactic we see used often in the console business. It looks like VR will be no different; Oculus this week announced that its Rift was dropping from $599 to $499, and Touch was dropping from $199 to $99. That’s both Rift and Touch for slightly less than the original price of just the headset itself. Game on.

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Hands-on: LG’s VR Headset Glimpses Higher Resolution and New Head-mount Options Coming to SteamVR

LG is the first company after HTC to follow the path laid out by Valve for headset makers to bring their wares to SteamVR. That path involves using SteamVR Tracking technology and OpenVR API to create a headset which can tap into the same Steam-powered content ecosystem as the Vive. LG’s step into VR represents more than just a new headset though, it represents new choices for consumers and new competition for HTC.

When Valve set out to create their VR ecosystem, they wanted to create a foundation that would let VR headset makers of any stripe deploy to that ecosystem. While Valve early on worked closely with HTC to manufacture the Vive headset under the HTC brand, it seems like Valve is increasingly ready to begin stepping back from such direct involvement in the Vive, and begin to let it exist as one SteamVR headset among several; a move that will see the headset makers compete among themselves to make the best headset that fits consumes’ wants and needs.

lg ez vr headset (1)Since the launch of the Vive, LG is the first company to follow the blueprints Valve laid out for any company to create a SteamVR compatible headset. The LG VR headset uses the Valve-invented SteamVR Tracking, and also uses the OpenVR API to make itself compatible with any content that’s been created for SteamVR.

LG is clear that the headset at this stage is a prototype, so expect to see some differences over time, likely including significant changes to the industrial design by the time the company reveals the consumer version of the headset. That said, here’s what we know about the LG VR headset prototype as it stands today:

LG VR Headset Specs:

  • Resolution: 1440×1280 per eye
  • Display Type: OLED, single panel
  • PPI: 540
  • Field of View: 110 degrees
  • Refresh Rate: 90Hz
  • Lens Type: Convex, non-Fresnel

Ergonomics & Design

From an external standpoint, the LG VR headset is something like a Vive mixed with PlayStation VR style ‘halo’ head-mount (which rests comfortably on your forehead), which also includes a very handy ‘flip-up’ functionality which we’d love to one day see on all VR headsets. When the visor is flipped down it can be slid into place closer to the eyes, allowing for a widely adjustable eye-relief.

The display enclosure is perhaps a bit less tall than the Vive’s, but seems a little longer as a result. At present prototype is not so much a step forward for VR ergonomics as much as it is a different (and arguably more comfortable) mounting option; weight and size wise, it’s doesn’t feel substantially different from the Vive. The LG VR headset prototype is for now relying on a separate pair of headphones, something we hope to see integrated by the time the consumer version rolls out.

lg ez vr headset (3)While the Vive is covered in little craters—at the base of which lay the SteamVR Tracking sensors—the LG VR headset’s sensors are flush to the rest of the external casing. This makes the product feel a touch more refined, though the sensor lenses still stand out as little shiny disks. On the front of the LG VR headset is a front-facing camera, though it is non-functional on the current prototypes.

A single cable extends from the LG VR headset which I was told was an HDMI connector, but a nearby headset under glass had a connection that looked an awful lot like USB-C, which would make more sense because HDMI alone can’t supply nearly the power necessary for a VR headset.

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