RYOT Announces Opening of Innovative Entertainment Studio in Los Angeles

RYOT is a noted immersive media company and visual effects studio which has announced that it is working with Verizon to launch a new innovative entertainment studio which will be engaging in development of new content creation which leverages Verizon’s new 5G technology.

The new studio builds on the previous success of the 5G lab in New York City, and forms part of Verizon’s expansion of its 5G labs program. The studio will be involved in post-production, graphics, audio and finishing along with developing applications and effects fr virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).

The new studio will be located at Verizon’s Playa Vista California campus and is scheduled to open in Autumn of 2018. The studio space will host state-of-the-art motion capture solutions, including Vicon and Cubic Motion which will be utilised for a range of applications, including traditionl film, CGI effects, VR, AR and MR as well as scientific research.

The RYOT Verizon Los Angeles Lab will be focussing specifically on immersive experiences such as AR and holograms, experiementing with cutting-edge formats that will be able to take advantage of the high speeds offered by 5G as well as the low latency the technology is capable of. The studio will be engaged in pushing 5G and seeing what can be down to allow audiences to immerse themselves in entertainment experiences.

“RYOT’s cutting-edge Innovation Studio will revolutionize the way content is created and lead the way on future formats, including Verizon’s 5G technology, immersing audiences and allowing them to experience entertainment in a completely new way,” said Bryn Mooser, Founder and CEO at RYOT. “We couldn’t be more excited to offer innovators the technology that will transform the future of entertainment.”

Further information on RYOT and its new studio can be found on the RYOT website. For future coverage of new developments in the VR industry, keep checking back with VRFocus.

TIME Release Augmented Reality Issue with RYOT Lab

Reading magazines on your tablet is one thing the digital age has brought us, but now print has found a way to win us back, and TIME is moving into the future. In TIMEs latest issue, you can use a smartphone app to turn the pages into an augmented reality (AR) feast for the eyes.

It’s a world away from the paper pages we know today, and an interesting way to make print relevant again, in a world where most people read news and articles on their smartphones.

Interestingly, the issue is guest edited by none other than Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame. Gates narrates a cover feature telling readers about an Ethiopian boy, Mohamad Nasir, whom Gates met in 2012. It’s a celebratory story about the reduction in child mortality rates in Ethiopia and throughout the world.

Gates says; “Child mortality is a a good measure for overall well-being; it’s also a leading indicator of progress. What is more fundamental than keeping children alive so they can thrive and build the future?”

The AR features of the magazine are powered by RYOT Lab, whom we’ve seen previously taking their virtual reality (VR) shorts to Sundance, and have also released a comprehensive app for Windows Mixed Reality.

RYOT Lab logoNot content to stop there, the next issue of TIME on January 15th will sport yet more AR features, with an infographic created by Bono. Yes, the U2 Bono. He’s quite rightly highlighting the gender gap in education, and is inspired by drawings created by Bono himself.

Bono hopes to give us a look into a world where men and women truly have equal education, and understand the struggles we currently face in that area. Learn more with the video below.

It’s fascinating that TIME are moving into AR compatibility, though the question is whether this is a passing fancy to celebrate the new year, or if this is a way for them to revolutionise print magazines again and make them relevant in a new age.

For all of the latest in AR and VR, and whether we’ll see more of that in print magazine, keep reading VRFocus.

RYOT Studios Reveal Consumer Infographic

As we come towards the end of another year we can easily say that 2017 has been quite the year in terms of activity and announcements. And that’s not just for virtual reality (VR) but certainly for augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) as well, with each form of immersive technology receiving significant additions that changed the landscape.

For AR it would be extremely hard to argue against the reveal of both ARKit and ARCore (and more specifically the former) being one of the most significant announcements throughout the whole of 2017. Whilst MR’s role in the conversation that is immersive technologies has been helped massively by the role out of the Windows Mixed Reality range of head mounted displays (HMDs).

RYOT_vr HeaderSince the year is winding down we’re naturally more inclined to look back as well as forward; so a number of outlets are beginning to roll out their end of year analyses and market predictions for 2018 but beyond to 2022 and 2024

The latest of these is an infographic released by RYOT Studios which charts not just new AR and VR but 360 video as well.

RYOT are another studio that have had a particularly busy year. Following their acquisition by AOL in April last year and subsequent move into providing content for The Huffington Post, RYOT announced the launch of RYOT Lab, a space to “provide creative, production, engineering, animation, and development support to brands in order to create immersive format branded content and experiences” providing “white label VR and AR production” for the company. RYOT also got heavily involved in MR following the launch of the aforementioned Windows Mixed Reality HMDs. Launching an app in October that contained more than 50 original experiences for MR users to enjoy.

According to the data compiled by RYOT Studio – and visible in the infographic below – 68% of consumers have watched videos featuring VR technology formatting at least once and 50% of consumers have experienced AR videos “at least once a week”. Likewise over half of those questioned by RYOT have engaged with a form of 360 degree video.

VRFocus will bring you more news on RYOT Studio’s activities as we get news on them.

 

The VR Job Hub: HTC, Sony, Oculus & More…

As we saw this week, in the technology industry things can change day by day. People leave, people join, studios wind down and close and existing companies get investment. It’s a ball that does not stop rolling and there are always opportunities for those new to virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) or already in the industry looking for something different.

Let’s see what the listings hold this week:

Location Company Role Link
Seattle, US HTC Performance Marketing Manager / Digital Advertising Manager Click Here to Apply
Slough, UK HTC Product Intern Click Here to Apply
Seattle, US HTC VR Intern Click Here to Apply
Seattle, US HTC User Experience Designer Click Here to Apply
San Mateo, US Sony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation Senior Staff Programmer – VR Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, US SPACES, inc. VR Lead Programmer Click Here to Apply
Chicago, US RYOT Studio Content Partnerships Manager Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, US Mindshow, Inc Community Manager for VR Content Creation Platform Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, US Mindshow, Inc Lead Unity Engineer / Virtual Reality Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, US Mindshow, Inc Unity Engineer / VR Platform Click Here to Apply
Menlo Park, US Oculus Front End Engineer, Oculus Click Here to Apply

 

You can check back at last week’s edition of the Job Hub for additional listings. If you’re an employer and are looking for someone to fill a VR or AR related gap on your workforce and would like your role to feature on next week’s VR Job Hub please send details of the role to either pgraham@vrfocus.com or keva@vrfocus.com.

Check back with VRFocus at the regular time of 3PM GMT every Sunday for the latest positions in this ever growing industry.

RYOT Lab Launched by AOL to Create AR/VR Branded Content

With the massive growth virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) has experienced it’s not just forward thinking tech companies and videogame developers looking to unlock its potential. Brands and advertisers want to do the same, so AOL and RYOT have launched RYOT Lab to aid in just that field.

Making the announcement, Zeda Stone, Chief Innovation Officer, RYOT and Creative Director, RYOT Lab wrote: “RYOT is announcing the creation of RYOT Lab, a dedicated team of artists, technologists, developers, and engineers that empowers brands and advertisers to tap into the storytelling power of immersive formats and interactive experiences using emerging technology.”

AOL RYOT Lab

RYOT Lab will be focused on companies who wish to utilise VR, 360-degree video, AR, volumetric capture (holograms) as well as physical activations and events, to put their message across. RYOT Lab has already launched AR campaigns with Elle, and Cosmopolitan, now for its official launch RYOT Lab has revealed a collaboration with with Time Inc for this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated.

When the next issue arrives readers will be able to use the LIFE VR app to bring specific pages from the magazine to life. Previously this has been done using QR codes, this time however special image recognition software will turn the page into AR content.

The experience has been created with help from Verizon Labs and its envrmnt platform. Verizon Labs built the 3D rendering engine to provide cutting edge experiences through its cellular network, delivered through mobile devices.

“RYOT Lab will provide creative, production, engineering, animation, and development support to brands in order to create immersive format branded content and experiences,” states Stone. “RYOT Lab sits within RYOT, along with RYOT Films, RYOT Originals, and RYOT Studios. RYOT Lab will provide white label VR and AR production for RYOT, while helping to lead technology development and experimentation across other AOL properties.”

RYOT will continue its immersive content development on comedy series Virtually Mike & Nora, and world news show, The Big Picture: News in Virtual Reality, for the Hulu VR app.

For the latest updates on AOL and RYOT Lab, keep reading VRFocus.