Ever since Microsoft bought Nokia’s handset division in 2013, the Finnish companies has turned its attention to other departments. OZO, Nokia’s $60 virtual reality camera, which was announced back in July, is available for pre-order to companies working in the media and entertainment industry.
Most VR products are targeted directly at consumers, or at least what the recent flood of virtual reality helmets and treadmills suggests. Nokia has decided to take a different route, though, and created a professional VR camera, named OZO, that focuses on the most important part of this industry: the virtual reality content, without which all the helmets and accessories would be useless. This industry has just taken off, and its future looks more than promising, so companies who can afford investing in such equipment shouldn’t think twice before doing it.
“We’re thrilled to introduce OZO to the content creation world, and to define a completely new category of virtual reality capture and playback solutions,” explained Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia Technologies, back in July, when the company first announced the Ozo VR camera. “OZO aims to advance the next wave of innovation in VR by putting powerful tools in the hands of professionals who will create amazing experiences for people around the world. We expect that virtual reality experiences will soon radically enhance the way people communicate and connect to stories, entertainment, world events and each other. With OZO, we plan to be at the heart of this new world.”
“We’re at the dawn of an exciting new medium that will transform the way people connect to stories, events, and the world around them,” added Haidamus today, when the company has announced that it’s taking pre-orders for the product.. “OZO is a powerful tool designed for the professional creators who will answer the most exciting and intriguing questions about the possibilities for virtual reality.”
“Our mission has always been to provide filmmakers with tools and techniques that fuel their creative process, unlocking the true potential of their vision.” pointed out Cliff Plumer, President of Jaunt Studios. “Our partnership with Nokia is another big step for us to continue to provide our partners with the most cutting-edge technology to further cater to their creative needs. Jaunt will continue to work with its own line of cameras, as well as the best-of-breed that others have to offer, to ensure content creators have access to the best tool for the job.”
OZO is capable of recording 360 x 180-degree spherical video using eight 2K x 2K image sensors at 30 fps, along with 360 x 260 surround sound. It functions wirelessly, and can store both audio and video to a single file that’s stored on a 500GB SSD.
In case you own or work for a media or entertainment company who could use a professional VR camera, head over to OZO.nokia.com and pre-order the camera itself, along with the OZO digital cartridge (priced at $5,000) and the docking station (costing $1,500). Needless to say, such prices aren’t for everyone, but the return on investment should be immense on such innovative product, as VR content will sell like virtual pancakes in the near future.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about PowerUp FPV’s streaming camera that puts you in the cockpit, or MindLeap’s mind-controlled VR system.
