Shootings

By recording 360-degree videos at the “stern-TV”-studio, the RTL Media Group ran the first successful tests on the production of Virtual-Reality content. Supported by the OmniCam-360 from Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, recordings were made before and during the live show. The video panoramas can be seen on Virtual-Reality glasses. The spectators get the impression to be right at the TV-studio and to get a look around.
At the IFA 2016 (2.-7. September) which is held in Berlin, spectators can get an individual impression of the test results. At one of their convention booths at TecWhatch, the German TV Platform will initiate a VR-Showcase in which the content can be seen. The Virtual-Reality tests have been realized by CBC, a broadcasting and production center connected to the RTL Media Group and in cooperation with the German TV Platform. Also, the tests have been supported by Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute and also by the “stern TV”- production company i&u TV. In spring, the website of the RTL Media Group was relaunched, already utilizing the 360-degree video technology by Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute. Different parts of the Cologne-based broadcasting center can be discovered virtually on www.mediengruppe-rtl.de

Since March 2016, ARTE Concert is bringing the orchestra to your living room. The audience is able to experience Beethoven's Fifth from the standpoint of the orchestra, while sitting on its couch at home and with a spectacular, interactive 360 degree perspective. These panorama recordings are made possible by the OmniCam-360.Thanks to the recordings made wit the multi camera system developed at the Fraunhofer HHI, the viewing experience is very special. Not only can the users select from five different camera perspectives, they can also enjoy a spectacular 360 degree panorama view of the orchestra in UHD resolution.

In addition to the panorama view, this impressive concert experience also includes the sound. The viewer's perspective changes not just visually, but also audibly. The user hears the instruments closest to where he is virtually sitting more loudly. The concert was recorded with an eight-channel microphone array be the Fraunhofer HHI, in order to be able to reproduce this sound pattern as realistically as possible. So watch out for the fanfares of the trumpets in the 4th movement!

Since the OmniCam-technology was developed in 2009 it has been used in a number of different productions. In October 2015, the third generation of the OmniCam, the OmniCam-360, took flight again. During a helicopter flight over Los Angeles in California, a team of the Fraunhofer HHI was able to capture impressive panoramic shots. Thanks to the compact format and the low weight, the OmniCam-360 is versatile and can find use in the most diverse scenarios.
It can be expected that video-panoramas of this type will soon be indispensable for the growing VR-sector – a need which the OmniCam-technology is able to meet. The recordings were completed in cooperation with Indie Aerials/Group 3 Aviation Inc..

In October 2015 a team of the Fraunhofer HHI took the OmniCam-360 to Los Angeles, USA. There an advertising spot was recorded for a car manufacturer which made use not only of the technology of the OmniCam-360 but as part of which the features of the camera system were further expanded upon.
By attaching a supplementary camera on the housing of the OmniCam, it was possible during filming to generate spherical 360°-panoramas. In addition, the OmniCam-360 once again demonstrated its versatility. Mounted on a cam car it was possible to record, using the mirror-based multi-camera system, videos for a HD projection as well as material for applications in the VR-area. Furthermore, the 360°-film material can be reused in different presentation formats again and again. The value added by the OmniCam-360 and all complimenting technologies, such as the Real Time Stitching Engine, were able to shine in Los Angeles again as well. The project was completed in cooperation with Mackevision Medien Design GmbH and KUK Filmproduktion GmbH.

For the first time in the history of the OmniCam-360 the system was used for a “live on tape”-transmission. Occasion for this was the world premiere of the two sports cars “Mission E” and “911 Carrera” of the sports car manufacturer Porsche. The venue was the International Motor Show IAA and the event took place from September 17 to September 27, 2015 in Frankfurt (Main).
Under direction of Christian Weißig (Head of Capture & Display Systems Group at Fraunhofer HHI) 360°-panoramic shots of the world premiere were created and then published on the Porsche website in the Newsroom section. Specifically to this end, a panorama viewer was used which enabled those interested to capture the entire panorama online.
Thanks to the OmniCam-360 not only were the images of the exceptional sports cars able to impress as part of this project but it was also able to capture the atmosphere at the car show for which over 900,000 attendees were expected.

In the summer of 2015, pop titan Herbert Grönemeyer gave two concerts on the Waldbühne, one of the best known and history-charged event locations in Berlin. For one of the two performances, the musician allowed the HHI team to install the OmniCam-360 on stage. Thanks to the Real Time Stitching Engine (RTSE), the concert was broadcast live to a virtual-reality device. Musicians backstage were able to watch their colleagues perform on stage from an entirely new perspective. This is a trendsetting project, which keeps attracting new interest as the fascination with virtual reality technologies grows.