When the Nokia Ozo launched late last year, it was clear that the virtual reality camera didn’t have everything figured out. The key, according to Nokia’s Head of Presence Capture Guido Voltolina, was just getting the camera out there. Since then the team at Ozo has been consistently upgrading the feature set of the camera through firmware and software updates, and now the $45,000 stereoscopic camera is becoming one of the go-to all-in-one solutions for VR filmmakers.
Today, Nokia is finally bringing a beta of its Ozo Creator software to Windows PCs. The company also announced that they’ve cut the stitching time needed in post by 25 percent on Mac and 50 percent on PC (running the recommended specs) since the software’s last update in June.
Windows-based PCs have become the standard for VR headsets given the graphics card restraints of even Apple’s high-end Mac Pro, but Macs have still been where a lot of the studio content has been created given their popularity among the creative community.
“Unfortunately the Apple platform hasn’t been involved with the newest HMDs, and so for us it became a must to bring the Ozo Creator platform to Windows,” Voltolina said.
In addition to the software changes coming to Ozo Creator, there are a couple of firmware updates coming to the camera that lend it some new utility. The new Assisted Exposure Mode lets users enable the camera to adjust exposure automatically depending on lighting changes within the space. The new firmware update also brings improvements to the accuracy of the camera’s white balance selection.
Nokia realizes that the capture technology needed for VR is changing rapidly, but it hopes that through staying proactive in software/firmware updates, it can keep the Ozo camera operating competitively as the go-to option for filmmakers seeking a standalone solution.