For Apple Immersive Video: Blackmagic's 3D camera costs 30,000 US dollars
The range of immersive videos for the Vision Pro has so far been meagre and comes solely from Apple. A first professional camera system is set to change this.
(Image: Blackmagic Design)
The first commercial camera system specifically for Apple's "Immersive Video" format is just around the corner: Blackmagic Design plans to deliver the first units of the new "URSA Cine Immersive" to customers from spring 2025. The camera can now be pre-ordered for 30,000 US dollars, as the manufacturer announced on Tuesday night. With two lens systems and two sensors, the device is designed to record stereoscopic 3D videos – with a resolution of 8160 x 7200 pixels per eye and a frame rate of 90fps.
A storage module with 8 TByte is integrated, which should provide space for around 2 hours of 3D material recorded in Blackmagic RAW. WLAN, 10G Ethernet, 12G SDI, USB-C and XLR are also on board as interfaces.
Post-production in DaVinci Resolve Studio
Filmmakers can then cut and edit the image material in "Apple Immersive Video" format in DaVinci Resolve Studio. According to Blackmagic, this is an "end-to-end workflow" for the production of immersive videos. It remains to be seen how such films will ultimately be published and distributed. "URSA Cine Immersive" was originally due to be launched in 2024.
Videos by heise
Immersive videos are stereoscopic 180-degree videos shot in 8K. So far, such videos shot in Apple's format are only available on the Vision Pro in the pre-installed TV app; all content comes from Apple itself.
Tiny range of "Apple Immersive Videos"
Almost a year after the US launch of the Vision Pro, the range of such videos is still tiny. Apple is experimenting with various formats and genres, from documentaries and music videos to a first mini feature film set in a submarine. The focus is also on sport. So far, however, there have only been individual, late clips of soccer (MLS), American football and basketball events.
180-degree and 360-degree videos are also available in other apps, but their quality is often a far cry from immersive video and sometimes simply doesn't look good. Streaming services such as Disney+ offer individual classic 3D movies, but not as 180-degree videos and in very variable quality. Spatial videos, which can be recorded with newer iPhones or now also with a Canon camera, appear spatial, but usually only offer a low resolution: iPhones currently only support this in 1080p.
(lbe)
