VR startup Jaunt secures US$65m to develop immersive technology
by Tom Anstey | 23 Sep 2015
A startup virtual reality company in California’s Silicon Valley has secured US$65m (€58m, £42m) from a number of global companies including Disney as media and entertainments companies start to invest in new forms of immersive technology.
Other investors in the Jaunt, which has total capital of around US$100m (€89.3m, £64.6m) include companies such as Sky, German media conglomerates Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 Media, government investment firm China Media Capital and Evolution Media Partners.
Jaunt offers a different kind of virtual reality to other companies, creating and distributing live-action VR content, differing from the computer-generated content filling the market right now. Using a spherical 24-lens camera, Jaunt takes footage shot from each lens and puts it all together into one single image creating a high-definition representation of the real world. The technology offers the potential to completely immerse users into movies or even put them into a live sporting event using a VR headset.
With the attractions industry already starting to get on-board with VR, the media now seems to be taking the next steps, with hopes that the medium can be the next major outlet, joining the likes of television, radio and cinema in the mainstream.
Disney is already looking into its own “virtual reality cave”, a VR attraction which would not require a headset to use and that could be enjoyed by multiple people. Speaking last year, chief executive Robert Iger said: “one of the most exciting developments I see on the horizon is technology that will immerse us into entertaining worlds.”
According to Jaunt CEO Jens Christensen the company’s success will hinge on mobile, with the cinematic style needing to translate to the devices such as the upcoming Samsung Gear VR and existing Google Cardboard.
The Jaunt app, which is available for free download on the iPhone and Android marketplaces, offers several sample videos, which can be viewed using Google Cardboard or Oculus Rift.
The technology can also blend real life with 3D technology as seen in Jaunt's Earth Encounter Credit: Jaunt
ABC News recently released a report shot in Damascus, Syria using the new technology Credit: Jaunt
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A startup virtual reality company in California’s Silicon Valley has secured US$65m (€58m, £42m) from a number of global companies including Disney as media and entertainments companies start to invest in new forms of immersive technology. Other investors in the Jaunt, which has total capital of around US$100m (€89.3m, £64.6m) include companies such as Sky, German media conglomerates Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 Media, government investment firm China Media Capital and
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