Black Mirror: Erster Trailer zur neuen Staffel online

Die Serie Black Mirror geht in die nächste Runde: Die vierte Staffel wird wie die dritte von Netflix produziert und soll im Dezember beim Streaming-Dienst erscheinen. Erneut stehen sechs in sich abgeschlossene Episoden auf dem Programm, die sich rund um das Thema Technik und die sozialen Folgen drehen. Netflix veröffentlichte zudem einige Details zu den neuen Folgen.

Black Mirror Vierte Staffel

Black Mirror: Erster Trailer und Regisseure der vierten Staffel

Die ersten beiden Staffeln von Black Mirror stammen noch von Charlie Brooker, die erste Folge erschien im Februar 2012. Die britische Miniserie brachte es insgesamt auf zwölf reguläre Folgen und ein besonders sehenswertes Weihnachts-Special. Die britische Produktion setzte teilweise mit bitterbösem Sarkasmus auffällige Akzente, der in den späteren von Netflix produzierten US-Folgen etwas an Biss verlor.

Trotzdem bleibt Black Mirror ein Pflichtprogramm für alle, die sich für die möglichen gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen von Social Media, AR und anderen technischen Erfindungen interessiert. Gerade für AR- und VR-Freaks absolut sehenswert ist die zweite Folge der ersten Staffel, Das Leben als Spiel. Die Serie dürfte zumindest indirekt technische Entwicklungen beeinflußen. Am Wochenende hat Netflix einen ersten Blick auf die vierte Staffel freigegeben, die Ende des Jahres auf dem Streaming-Dienst erscheinen soll. Der Trailer macht zumindest uns den Mund wässrig und verrät ein bisschen mehr darüber, was einen erwarten könnte.

Regisseure: Von Doctor Who bis Game of Thrones

Die erste Episode nennt sich Arkangel, Regie führte Jodie Forster, die bei Das Schweigen der Lämmer noch vor der Kamera stand. Bei Black Museum gab die Regieanweisungen Colm McCarthy, der beispielsweise Episoden für Sherlock und Doctor Who gedreht hat. Für Crocodile übernahm John Hillcoat die Federführung. Der Regisseur bringt vor allem viel Erfahrung aus dem Musik-Video-Bereich mit. Tim Van Patten ist für die Folge Hang the DJ zuständig und ist im Serienfach zu Hause. Auf sein Konto gehen Episoden für Game of Thrones und The Sopranos.

David Slade, dessen Metalhead eine Hommage an den Cyberpunk-Klassiker Tetsuo – The Iron Man sein könnte, drehte etliche Musik-Videos. Aber beispielsweise auch die ersten drei Episoden von American Gods. Die ersten Szenen von USS Callister orientieren sich deutlich an Star Trek. An die Folge legte Black-Mirror-Mastermind Charlie Brooker höchstselbst Hand an. Regie führte Toby Haynes, der ebenfalls bei Doctor Who und Sherlock hinter der Kamera stand (oder saß). Als Black-Mirror-Fan darf man sich also schon mal vorfreuen. Der Winter kann kommen!

(Quelle: The Verge)

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Study Shows That Netflix Is Most Used VR App

Some analysts have claimed that virtual reality (VR) will change the way we use technology. Meanwhile, Netflix has already transformed the way we consume TV and film, and though some would argue it might not be for the better, its impact is undeniable. The impact on VR is likewise impressive, according to a new report.

The VR/AR Insights Consortium, a group that comprises representatives from the likes of Turner, Warner Bros, and the VR Society have released a report in conjunction with Magid the sheds light on consumer use of VR and its various applications. The study was based on results gathered from 2,000 U.S-based consumers. Its headline statistic showed that 22% of VR users have used Netflix VR at some point, compared with the next most popular app, Minecraft VR at 20%.

Other data gathered by the report indicated that one-third of US adults have tried a VR device at some point, of which which, 23% have used a mobile VR device such as a Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream. Comparatively, 16% had used a console VR device – which basically means the PlayStation VR, while 8% had used a PC VR system.

50% of users who had tried a VR system reported it as a positive experience, with most ‘loving’ the experience, while 90% reported ‘liking’ the experience when using a console VR or high-end PC VR headset. 86% of people who had used a console or PC VR headset would recommend the experience to others.

For mobile VR, 85% said they ‘liked’ the experience, and 84% said they would recommend the experience to others. 55% of respondents said they believed that VR would change the way people watch TV shows and movies.

VRFocus will continue to report on developments within the VR industry.

George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence and Matt Damon jostle for Oscar advantage in Venice line-up

Damon stars in two of the Lido’s big films, Downsizing and Suburbicon, while Lawrence steps into horror movie territory with Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!

Renowned in recent years as a key launchpad for heavyweight Oscar contenders, the 74th Venice film festival has unveiled a lineup heavy on potential award-season frontrunners, as films start to jockey for position in earnest.

Alexander Payne, Darren Aronofsky and George Clooney are some of the big-name directors whose films will receive world premieres in competition at the festival, along with indie favourites such as Andrew Haigh, Abdellatif Kechiche and Hirokazu Koreeda, and even Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

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SDCC 2017: Stranger Things’ VR Experience Is A Whole Other Level On HTC Vive

SDCC 2017: Stranger Things’ VR Experience Is A Whole Other Level On HTC Vive

Stranger Things was one of last year’s best new shows on Netflix or otherwise. It captured a unique sense of nostalgia for the 80s as well as channeling a unique and fresh take on sci-fi, thriller, and suspense genres, all with an ensemble cast of standout child actors.

At San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) this week we got the chance to stop by the Netflix interactive loft at the Hilton Gaslamp and see elaborate displays for Marvel’s Defenders, the upcoming Netflix-only film Bright, and of course Stranger Things. With Season 2 of Stranger Things poised to release this October, excitement is understandably high. In fact, the experience we saw was nominated for an Emmy this year in the Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program category.

In the video above you can see a passive 360 version of the VR experience. The quality is lower, you can’t move around or interact with anything, and it’s a noticeably inferior tier of content. But at SDCC we got the chance to try out the fully roomscale Vive version of it and came away very impressed.

After talking with CBS Digital, the creators of the Stranger Things VR experience, it was clear that they designed different versions on purpose. This 360 video was the most accessible and the Vive version was a step above that. In fact, SDCC this week is the first time the Vive edition of it has been available to the general public.

Things start out in Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) living room as the lights around her are illuminating like they do in Season 1 of the show. All I had to do was follow their path with the flashlight and the experience automatically teleported me from the living room, to the kitchen, and eventually to the hallway. I noticed a tall, dark monster — just like the ones in the show — creeping along outside the house.

Eventually, in the hallway, the phone rings. I physically walk down the wall using the Vive’s roomscale tracking, pick up the phone, and hear a child’s voice on the other end. I’m assuming it was Will (Noah Schnapp) since that’s Joyce’s son in the show who is missing. He tells me to turn around.

I slowly look behind me and see the monster creeping towards me ever so slowly in the darkness. All the lights go out and then BOOM — it appears right in my face and screeches at me. The end.

It wasn’t very long but it was effective. While the content of the 360 version at the top of this article is similar, the Vive version was tremendously better. In the video embedded right above here you can even watch the cast of the show reacting to a more advanced version as well.

Going a step beyond even the Vive experience that we tried they have an even larger warehouse-scale version of it running at the CBS Digital offices that uses a wireless setup via backpack computers and OptiTrack sensors. Then even beyond that version they’ve created a high-scale edition that uses a live actor wearing a mo-cap suit that walks around the environment and becomes the monster in real-time, creating a terrifying, futuristic version of hide and seek.

Hopefully the Vive version gets released on Steam so that everyone with roomscale VR can try it at home. What do you think of how this sounds? Are you a big fan of the show? Let us know down in the comments below!

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Netflix’s HoloLens App Is Still On The Way

Netflix’s HoloLens App Is Still On The Way

TV and movie streaming service Netflix has already dipped its toes into the VR waters with apps on Gear VR and Google Daydream, but now the company behind it is looking towards mixed reality too.

As spotted by Variety, a recent job listing for a Windows Senior Software Engineer at Netflix confirms that the company is looking into a version of its app for Microsoft’s HoloLens.

“Our mission is to provide a great experience to all Windows app users in a variety of devices from desktop/laptop, to tablets and phones, as well as HoloLens and VR devices,” the listing reads. A company spokesperson also confirmed that “support in a basic way” was coming to the device. No date yet, however.

Whereas Netflix’s VR app seats users in a cozy virtual environment to watching content on an enormous screen, it’s likely that any HoloLens app would project a screen into the real world. We’ve seen this in past HoloLens presentations; users are able to essentially pin the screen to anywhere in their environment, resize it to their liking, and even have it follow them around as they walk. It might not be that all of those features are included in the HoloLens app, but it’s a good starting point.

If there’s an app coming to HoloLens, then there’s also a chance it will support the upcoming Windows 10 VR headsets too, though that’s not confirmed right now.

You may remember seeing Netflix in various marketing materials for HoloLens when it was first revealed in 2015, but we since haven’t seen any official support for the device despite being available to developers for over a year now.

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