Narrowing the path of Virtual Reality The VR Expert Series with Tim Woensdregt ( Relativity VR – VR and Live events )
In our Virtual Reality Expert Series we bring you in this sixth episode the expert view by Tim Woensdregt, Co-Founder of Relativity VR .
Relativity VR is a US based full-service Virtual Reality consulting and production agency, with extended experience in VR live event productions.
Tim decided a few years ago that effort invested without creativity, inspiration, or drive is effort wasted, so he became part of major ground-breaking, world-first productions in the area of Virtual Reality, inspiring work in Engineering, and has found joy in supporting Educational efforts.
Co-Founding Relativity VR , together with his business partner, Kelly Snowden, and growing through strategic partnerships and under clear directive, Relativity VR became a strong name in the VR production agency landscape.
As getting insights from VR experts within specific sector is essential, we asked Tim for his view on the VR Future, especially in the live event domain, and this after the interview with Torsten Hoffman, Co-Founder of the Virtual Reality Content Group, Pieter Van Leugenhagen, Co-Founder of Yondr, Kim Schaefer, Managing partner at Reality Matters Hugo King-Fretts from Tui and Laura Hall from the VR/AR Association. All one by one experts in the fast growing VR world.
Marc : Tell us more about your company and how the company entered the VR market
Tim : Hi Marc, thanks for reaching out! Relativity VR was conceived as a production studio focused on VR projects in late 2015. Relativity VR's Co-founder, Kelly Snowden and myself spoke about bringing a high-end live VR service to market in the US, as well as around the globe.
Being a male engineer myself, having a bright female production director as a counterpart has offered a unique perspective and influence on Relativity's proposed trajectory. I've always been interested in anything tech and got wind of VR a few years earlier. The more time I spent working and playing in the field, the more I became convinced VR was the next leap in media distribution.
Since opening our doors we have been focused largely on live - due to market demands and our unique skills in that field, but we've also had some fun in non-live scenarios. If a large resort chain offers you a large budget and a nice room to come create a fun VR experience, you do not decline ;)
Marc : What best VR business cases for live events could you see in the last years ?
Tim : VR puts you in a front-row, VIP experience and immerses the viewer to a depth no other medium has been able to achieve. This makes VR excellently suited to put you on stage with your favourite artist, in the middle of a panel with folks you enjoy hearing talk, and - best of all - provides a glimpse into the most inaccessible experiences in the world.
Many great public events have been live-streamed in VR these past few years, from Fashion Week shows to major political events. Any brand looking to gain a competitive edge needs to be thinking about implementing this tech.
Marc : What added value does VR give for the live event market ?
Tim : There is a finite number of tickets available for event organizers to sell, simply limited by real-world constraints. Think number of seats, space, geographical location etc. VR provides a way for consumers to experience the event as if they were there, from the comfort of their couch regardless of the availability of tickets.
This gives those who can't travel to the event a chance to experience it, which is good for the consumer. Additionally, it gives the organizers a way to monetize additional "seats" for their events or just reach a larger audience and create more brand awareness.
For the consumer, even those with VIP access, this is a way to experience events in a way previously impossible. How often do you get to spend time standing next to an important figure as he or she addresses a crowd or performs, in real time?
Marc : Many VR applications are only 360° . The future of VR requires interaction while users are wearing their glasses. How do you see this work in the live event world ?
Tim : As far as true interactivity goes, Relativity VR provides the opportunity for user-directed streams. Typically we provide one or more live-mixed streams, as well as individual cams. We have experimented with live injection of interactive purchasing systems and have seen enthusiastic feedback from clients and beta-level consumers alike.
The live component adds complexity to these interactive systems; however, they are far from impossible to pull off. Needless to say, we will be offering more of this in the future.
Marc : The market is critical that VR could have the same hype as 3D TV , that never really work. Why is VR different and why do you think it will be there to stay ?
Tim : Simply put: VR is the next evolution of consuming media. VR offers a much larger payoff for the same inconvenience that typically exists in 3D TV, namely the use of glasses. VR, when done well (and RVR does it very well!) truly transports you. It puts you in places even the most fortunate viewers can't reach. In this way 3D TV is simply gimmicky, whereas VR is truly trans-formative.
Think of it this way: First we had Radio and it was pretty swell; you could hear folks talk without having to be in the same room as them. Then, TV came out and that was groovy; you could now see the folks who were talking to you.
After that, the model of one-to-many information distribution hasn't changed much, even with the advent of the Internet. 3D television had the disadvantage that it required glasses (which is where the initial comparison to VR comes in), but it did not provide a large enough benefit to offset that inconvenience: you were still watching the same exact stream of information.
Marc : Is VR going to play an important role in the future of live events ?
Tim : I'd say it already plays an important role in many cases. From experience: Relativity live-streamed one of the largest European VR specific conferences last year and nearly doubled the attending numbers by providing a way to view the conference remotely in VR and 360 video.
In the future, I believe live VR will play an even larger role, as it opens up any real-time event to a larger audience. Add to that the fact that technology has accelerated tremendously over the last few years and you have a recipe for true value and progress in the VR field. Hardware will continue to improve, driven by Moore's law (until at least 2020), as will broadcasting technologies.
Clever encoding algorithms will ensure more quality for the same bandwidth cost, providing an ever-better experience for the end-user. Demand will continue to rise as adoption and quality soars. And as always, consumer demand drives brand support for the technology, making high-end content more widely available.
Marc : Do you see Live events also a role for AR , Holographic or even moving with services into event world ?
Tim : AR and holographic tech are currently used AT live events. Think of the resurrection of long-gone rappers for the entertainment value at concerts. I imagine we'll see AR, MR, and holographic technology used to display live events in consumers' living rooms.
In a much different market segment, we're already seeing live imagery overlaid on patients during surgery. This is live AR being utilized for the advancement of medicine. I predict it will not be long before AR and holographic technology is accepted as a mainstay in modern society's fabric of technology.
Marc : When you look at the global event brands , who is leading the VR activities in the VR Live event activities ?
Tim : A few names come out the clear leaders in live VR currently. In 2015 and 2016, Samsung put on a great number of live VR events. YouTube used Coachella 2016 as a proving ground for its live360 platform, then only capable of 1440p60. They have since pushed that to 4k60, which is a rather grand accomplishment in its own right.
A few visionary companies have utilized VR in their marketing and PR campaigns. Some brands that come to mind Coca-Cola, Absolut Vodka, and Banana Republic, who recently live-broadcasted a pop-up event from their SoHo store in NYC in 360. We hope to see more from them and other brands in the near future.
Marc : How do you see the future of live events going to ?
Tim : From my previous answers it should be clear that we here at Relativity VR are optimistic about the future of live events and VR. I'm not blind to the roadblocks and obstacles in VR's way; however, adoption rates look promising, as does consumer and brand feedback thus far. I'm not fearful of VR being a hype alone.
We have seen solid proof of serious staying power across a good number of markets and around the globe, as well as a staggering acceleration in hardware and software for VR.
Marc : Do you have exciting news about your company and 2017 ?
Tim : 2016 was the year Relativity VR made a name for itself as a high-quality live VR provider. 2017 will be the year we aim to dominate that market. Without giving too much away, I'll mention we are strengthening our ties and contracts in Europe, Latin-America, and Asia, as well as maintaining a healthy relationship with the market in North America.
We've been asked to advise major TV shows on VR, as well as provide live VR for a number of broadcast partners. We also have a vested interest in refining our technical approach to providing extremely high-end quality, unmatched by most live VR pipelines, by utilizing new and existing workflows and hardware in unison.
I'd like to thank you once again for reaching out and taking the time to have this dialogue. I look forward to seeing where we all are in a year's time."
Marc : Thank you for your views on this exciting VR market Tim. We encourage readers to reach out to Tim and his team and learn more on how VR brings live events in another dimension .
Are you interested to learn more about Tim, Live events, VR and Relativity VR?
Contact Tim at [email protected]
Marc Van Steyvoort
About
Tim Woensdregt
VR Entrepreneur & Expert
Linkedin : https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/tim-woensdregt-22005285/
eMail : [email protected]
Marc Van Steyvoort
Content and Media entrepreneur and writer
Linkedin : https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/youngdiamonds/
eMail : [email protected]
March 23, 2017, All rights reserved ?