Press Release: November 14, 2016, Sunnyvale, U.S. – Nokia and Sony Pictures yesterday announced a new multi-year worldwide agreement whereby Sony Pictures will use Nokia OZO hardware and software tools to explore the creative potential of Virtual Reality production and distribution. The studio will also integrate the OZO Player SDK into Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Privilege Plus app, available through Google Play.
“VR is a fast growing medium that is rapidly changing how we communicate and bringing a deeper connection to how we experience content,” said Paul Melin, vice president of Digital Media at Nokia Technologies. “We’re thrilled to partner with Sony Pictures and its talented storytellers to apply our technology and create experiences only possible with OZO – like 3D 360 live VR broadcast.”
Nokia will collaborate with Sony Pictures and provide equipment and VR technology to support the creation of special VR content. Sony Pictures will also leverage OZO Live to transport fans to Sony Pictures events that they couldn’t otherwise attend. OZO Live allows content creators to produce fully immersive live experiences through 3D 360 degree video and audio playback technologies.
“Partnerships with cutting edge technology companies like Nokia are critical as we develop the market for VR experiences and build scale in our production and distribution efforts,” said Pete Wood, SVP, Digital Sales at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Scot Barbour, VP, Production Technology at Sony Pictures added,”Nokia’s OZO camera and its suite of professional tools are an excellent solution for content creators because they seamlessly integrate into established production processes and workflows, and enable the real time capture and broadcast of VR content.”
While the OZO solution offers many advantages for content creators, it also extends several benefits for playback. OZO Player SDK will be integrated into Sony’s Privilege Plus app, which will bring unique content straight to fans. The OZO Player SDK allows professionals to create amazing VR apps and experiences on any major platform. The SDK supports the creation of immersive apps with the highest quality playback of OZO content including 360 spatial audio, while also providing support for standard VR video and audio formats.
Our Thoughts on the OZO
We recently aquired an OZO here at AR/VR Magazine for some internal 360° video projects via our VR production company INSCALE, and we must say that, so far we are really pleased with the results. This is exciting news to hear that a large production company such as Sony Pictures is making steps to insure that this technology becomes a standard in the industry. We are looking forward to seeing how this partnership develops and will continue to experiment with the camera and let you know our thoughts.
Sean Earley is the Executive Editor of AR/VR Magazine & co-founder of RobotSpaceship Podcast Network. He is the Director of New Biz Development and Publishing at KEMWEB, a musician, producer & consultant. He loves guitars, VR and coffee.
