Apple TV+ shows may have been filmed for Apple Vision Pro all along

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in Apple Vision Pro

A new image said to be from behind the scenes of an undisclosed Apple TV+ show purportedly shows a VR camera rig used to film the show for the Apple Vision Pro headset.

This might be the camera used for Apple Vision Pro Apple TV+ content
This might be the camera used for Apple Vision Pro Apple TV+ content



The camera shown in a Tweet by David Altizer on Twitter isn't immediately identifiable. Allegedly, it has been in use to shoot "180 [degree] VR" for Apple TV+. If true, this would make it widely compatible with how Apple Vision Pro presents VR experiences.

Most VR camera rigs that we've seen and have experience with have protruding optics for myriad reasons. It's unclear if the two lenses on the camera shown are retracted, or the rig is used as-is.

RUMOR: Apple has been shooting all their AppleTV+ shows in 180 VR.

Leaked photo of the 180-camera rig on set. pic.twitter.com/JKZ8mKizSR

-- David Altizer (@dvdaltizer)



Given that we already know that the technologies for Apple Vision Pro have been in development for eight years, the claim makes some level of sense. Cameras capable of shooting 3D and VR content for modern televisions and later VR headsets have been widely available since 2010.

The Apple TV+ service debuted on November 1, 2019. It seems reasonable that the company was forward-thinking in media it produced.

However, VR thrown into the mix adds to the cost, complexity, and production time of media. And, this discounts the willingness of a producer and director to shoot in 3D or VR.

It seems less likely that content Apple purchased for Apple TV+ would have been shot with the technology shown. And, Apple hasn't yet been clear about best practices for media intended for the headset, or how it should be captured by the film industry.

At present, there's no way to verify the provenance of the images. Also not verifiable is if the image was actually shot on an Apple-funded set.

The Apple Vision Pro headset debuted at the 2023 WWDC, taking up nearly half of the keynote presentation. As of yet, there's no firm ship date for the unit, beyond "early 2024."

Apple Vision Pro is expected to launch exclusively in the US to start. Expansion to other countries will come as the years wear on.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    slow n easyslow n easy Posts: 400member
    That’s what I would be using it for. TV shows and movies.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 15
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    I doubt it.  Putting weird cameras on set for hundreds of people to see?  Not a great way to keep a secret, and not a peep was heard.  Maybe recently, but I'd be very surprised if it goes back more than a few months.  I doubt it would even benefit most shows.
    Graeme000watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 15
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,196member
    Wouldn’t be surprised to learn That’s a speaker. Not a camera. LOL

    The camera setup would more likely be IMAX with software determining which eye to place the higher percentage of content on depending on dominance (determined during an initial setup) - if Apple were shooting specifically for the Vision at all. It’s funny how much some people want VR to be more than it is. 

    IMAX digital like RED MONSTRO, RED Digital Cinema or Sony Venice pretty much covers the bases. 

    I doubt they’d shoot 360 degrees due to the set and crew showing up in the dim and losing directorial focus. 
    edited July 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 15
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    There’s something weird about this photo. Specifically with the two cases. Does anybody else see that?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    ransonranson Posts: 91member
    AppleInsider's "Unlikely" rating for this rumor is spot-on.  If this were true, Apple certainly would have made it a major talking point as part of their big reveal last month, given the general lack of substance around Day 1 content and app offerings.
    williamlondonGraeme000watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    ailoopedailooped Posts: 36member
    Shooting high quality sterescopic 3d is quite complicated, and not something you can just slap a camera on set for without it being obvious. It affects everything from staging scenes and audio etcetc. 

    More likely R&D/testing for their 3D camera. Orelse capturing depth for vfx.


    edited July 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    ailoopedailooped Posts: 36member
    I wouldn’t be surprised if Ai can solve the sterescopic pair for any film tbh.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    unclemickunclemick Posts: 3member
    I think this is actually what the article implies but not for a full feature or episode. Likely for Apple productions to shoot BTS video. This rig would be perfect for putting Vision Pro users "on set" to see takes of their favorite Apple produced TV shows. I think they will shoot several scenes like this for each episode giving significant value add for investing in the Vision Pro. In the future, they may improve upon the camera tech to actually shoot an immersive episode, but in true Apple fashion, this is a baby step in the technology, but a huge leap in differentiating Apple content from Netflix or Prime. When released, it will be yet another unique Marketing bullet that others will have difficulty replicating or competing with.
    gregoriusmwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    ackpfftackpfft Posts: 39member

    Monarch: Legacy of Monsters coming to Apple Vision Pro. Based on conversations this week with people familiar with its production, I can confirm that the upcoming @Monsterverse series has been shooting in Apple’s Spatial Video format….

    Regarding 3D:
    It seems that Apple’s goal for spatial content is to have the same content be viewable as 2D and 3D from the same video file. This is done by encoding both frames of the 3D version into one frame, which is then split between the two “eyes” of the headset. When viewing this content in 2D, only one eye of frames is shown, making it seems like a 2D plane. By activating the second set of frames in the other eye of the headset, the content is then viewable in 3D

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,196member
    Japhey said:
    There’s something weird about this photo. Specifically with the two cases. Does anybody else see that?
    Typical travel cases for A/V equipment. Use them all the time. 
    edited July 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,744member
    Zooming into the picture the „lenses“ do not appear to be something spherical. Instead it looks like there is some structure reminding me of a speaker grill. Hm…

    Apart from that, for private use I would imagine watching movies/shows the number one, or at least one of the dominant, use case(s). And I cannot imagine that Apple is not already slowly ramping up a 3D library - in the end it looks like about a year before launch, and another one or more for the rest of the world.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,746member
    Apple can and should start doing what Peter Jackson has done, which is taking some interesting non-3D (even non-colour) material and converting them to VR.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYIeactlMWo 

    Just imagine being able to see things in VR like:
    • Secretariat winning the triple crown in 1973;
    • Michael Jordan's game 6 winner in 1998;
    • Watching the Patriots' huge comeback to win Super Bowl LI;
    • Watching the Hindenburg crash in 1937;
    • Watching Jesse Owens defy the Nazis in 1936 by winning gold medals;
    • The Japanese surrender ceremony in 1945; (and maybe the nuclear bombs dropping also)
    • Apollo 11 landing on the Moon in 1969;
    • Iwo Jima flag raising in 1945;
    • Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1985;
    • Battleship Arizona explosion in 1941;
    • World Trade Center attacks in 2001;
    • JFK assassination;
    • ABBA winning Eurovision in 1974;
    • Mount Vesuvius explosion;
    • The first climb of Mount Everest;
    • The Wright Brothers' first flight.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,274member
    Filming Apple TV+ content seems highly unlikely given the number of people on set.

    However there's a good possibility that Apple has been shooting its product launch and keynote videos with VR gear alongside normal cameras ever since the initial COVID-19 lockdown.

    Those sets are closed to all but small number of personnel. While it may be a while before Apple releases VR event footage, these recordings do provide an opportunity for Apple to shoot VR and normal footage side by side for internal company-confidential analysis. This would give Apple much needed experience to advise third-party content creators how best to shoot VR footage for the Vision Pro.

    Once the googles ship, Apple can experiment more publicly with VR/3D recording equipment on pre-recorded shows/movies as well as live content like MLB and MLS games. Not all of the footage would be released for public viewing.

    It's also possible that Apple has/will obtain VR/3D footage from its fleet of vehicles (Apple Maps, clandestine Apple Car prototypes, etc.). I'm sure some staff have been walking around Apple Park with VR/3D gear and backpacks for years.
    edited July 2023
  • Reply 14 of 15
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,478member
    Only time will tell, you could very easily film shows with the new cameras right alongside current technology. Tell everyone on set it’s IMAX or some other new camera tech, and no one would be any wiser most if not all would just go along with it. (in short, hidden in plain sight) only the Director and the camera people would know, under a nondisclosure contract, of course.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    thttht Posts: 5,761member
    The scuttlebutt during WWDC regarding how Apple filmed the 3D videos for the VP was that Apple had a custom 3D camera that they didn't want to talk about. Whether it is 3rd party camera or custom one, who knows. They need something better than what is in the VP.

    There is going to be an initial burst of 3D video from the VP. Apple surely wants those videos to turn out as well as possible, and this fancy 3D camera they have is probably their benchmark for VP 3D cameras being good enough. It is also likely the technology development vehicle for 3D cameras on VP2, VP3, etc.
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