Nokia announced Ozo, a virtual reality (VR) camera ball designed and built for professional content creators. This is the first in a planned portfolio of digital media products from Nokia Technologies, the company's advanced technology and licensing business. Ozo has eight synchronised global shutter sensors for capturing stereoscopic 3D video and eight integrated microphones for spatial audio. Software built for Ozo enables real-time 3D viewing, with a playback platform that removes the need to pre-assemble a panoramic image.
Ozo's filmed content can be published for commercially available VR viewing hardware such as head mounted displays (HMDs), with immersive, full 360-degree imaging and spatially accurate original sound. Ozo also integrates into existing professional workflows and works with third-party tools.
Created at the company's R&D facilities in Tampere, Finland, Ozo made its first appearance at an industry event in Los Angeles attended by representatives from major studios, production houses and media and technology companies. Nokia will conduct final testing and refinements to Ozo in partnership with industry professionals, in advance of the product's commercial release. Final pricing and full technical specifications will be announced at a future date, with shipments anticipated in Q4. Ozo will be manufactured in Finland.
US-based VR production company Jaunt announced a commitment to support Ozo, both by offering the camera for use in Jaunt Studios and by supporting content produced with Ozo through its post-production services. Jaunt is a developer of hardware, software, tools, and applications to enable the creation of cinematic VR.
