BBC Shares VR, 360 Video Projects

The BBC has unveiled its first VR experiments, prior to their premiere at this year's Sheffield Doc Fest.

The projects include Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel, We Wait, Home – A VR Spacewalk and The Turning Forest. In addition, the BBC has also launched a special 360-video to provide viewers with a Queen's eye view of Trooping the Colour.

The above projects are the BBC's first experiments with true VR, with the organisation having published several pieces of 360-video already. Both are emerging media the BBC has said it needs to explore, in collaboration with the industry, to see how they could improve the ability to better inform, educate and entertain.

As to the difference between 360 video and VR, while there are variations, the main distinction is that true virtual reality worlds are interactive, in that they can react to some degree to what a user does, whether it is where they look, move their hands or even how fast their heart beats.

The VR and 360-videos are being made available to the public and industry via BBC Taster – the organisation's platform for experimental ideas.

Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel and We Wait will be available to download for Oculus Rift, while 'Trooping the Colour' (360-video) will be available to watch online. Home – A VR Spacewalk for HTC Vive and The Turning Forest for Oculus Rift will be made available soon.

Further information on each project, as well as more detail about VR and 360 video, can be viewed on the BBC blog courtesy of Andy Conroy, Controller of BBC Research & Development here.

Image: Home – A VR Spacewalk.

(JP/MH)