Teradek Announces Sphere: Wireless 360º Video Monitoring and Streaming
By Jim Bask
APRIL 18, 2016 (LAS VEGAS) – Teradek today announced the release of Sphere, a revolutionary new product for the 360º-video production market. Sphere offers real-time monitoring and live streaming of panoramic video content-in high definition.
“What we’ve heard from 360º content creators is the need for an effective wireless monitoring solution and an ability to share content live with others around the world,” said Nicol Verheem, CEO of Creative Solutions. “Our answer is Sphere, the world’s smallest and most flexible system for wirelessly monitoring and live-streaming 360º video content.”
Sphere is a unique combination of hardware and software featuring a patent-pending video processing platform for iOS and OSX. By dynamically adjusting each camera’s white balance, tint, exposure and lens distortion in real-time, Sphere is able to display and stream a consistent panoramic video.
Sphere’s hardware interface features four HDMI inputs and a built-in H.264 encoder that can encode up to 10Mbps, providing a realistic 360º-video experience. When connected via Ethernet to a wireless access point, Sphere streams in real-time to Apple laptops and iOS devices where users can record or view the live 4K (4x1080p) content in 3 different ways:
Perspective Mode — Maneuver your iOS device in any direction to explore your 360º-video content as it is being shot. As you move your iOS device, the camera feed moves with it, showing you footage from any angle in which you point your tablet or smartphone.
Panoramic Mode — Pan and zoom across all 4 video feeds stitched together into a panorama.
Headset Mode — Experience your live 360º content as it was intended for your audience.
For remote viewing, the Sphere app can be used to live stream to any compatible 360º online video platform, including Wowza and YouTube.
Sphere is on display at the NAB show, April 18 – 21, at booth C6025. Sphere will ship for $3000 in June 2016. You can watch Sphere stream Teradek’s NAB Live Show on YouTube with the free NAB VR application for iOS devices or by visiting www.NABLiveShow.com.