Israeli-based company HumanEyes is taking pre-orders for the Vuze virtual reality camera, which has a pre-release cost of $799 and begins shipping in October.
Capturing 3D stereoscopic video and using software to mix into YouTube-ready content has been out of reach for most people because $15,000 rigs like the GoPro Odyssey for Google Jump are prohibitively expensive.
The price of $799 is way cheaper than $15,000, which means more people can afford to generate content—which means more VR opium for the masses!
Since VR is a wide-open field now, in terms of original content, news of the Vuze may hit you in the right spot if you’ve been hankering for some 3D capture. It’s important to remember that Vuze is certainly not the only option for capturing VR video, but I’ll zoom in for a closer look.
What Does the Vuze Do, and How Does It Work?
The Vuze camera has eight full high-definition (FHD) cameras built in along the outer perimeter of the casing that records in H.264 video format. It is bundled with the Vuze App, which allows users to view, manage and remotely control media on the Vuze camera. Also packaged with the Vuze camera is a proprietary stitching software called Vuze Studio, which enables users to generate, edit and share virtual reality videos. And you get a smartphone VR headset as well, for viewing the VR content you’ve created.
This VR “kit,” as the company calls it, is part of its special pre-order package. Once it’s off the table, the price for the Vuze camera and the rest of the kit will rise to around $1,000.
To get the best results, the company recommends that objects around the camera should be about three to four feet away. The user may end up seeing some stitch lines embedded in closer objects that are captured. It’s best to keep the camera steady. Strong vibrations and shaking may damage the quality of stitching and the end experience.
Everything you capture with the Vuze is stored on an included 64 GB SD card, which yields about one hour of footage total. The workflow is like this: first import from the SD card on the Vuze and then on to the Vuze Studio software that you’ve installed on your computer. While the video is being imported, Vuze Studio stitches together footage from the eight FHD cameras and generates a stereoscopic 3D 360-degree video. The video processing rate is about one minute per hour
The price point comes way down with VR cameras like the Vuze, which is good if you’re for more VR video content—but then, of course, the quality comes down as well.
The Vuze and its kit may be the right choice if you’re looking to get started on VR and have some time and money to burn this coming fall. But Vuze will no doubt be in serious competition with other inexpensive VR cameras. Stay tuned.