Nokia Announces 'OZO' Virtual Reality Camera

nokia ozo nature background Nokia is slowly getting back to the consumer space and after the Nokia N1, time is for Nokia OZO – the virtual reality camera for professionals. With OZO, Nokia takes the crown for bringing out the first ‘commercially available’ virtual reality (VR) camera which is designed and built for professional content creators. The project is handled by Nokia Technologies – the advanced tech and licensing division of Nokia.

Virtual Reality or VR is a growing tread and it was just yesterday when OnePlus launched the OnePlus 2 in VR directly from their office. Nokia has managed to jump into a section which is expected to grow big but has least competition right now and if Nokia manages to do it right, it will have the first-mover advantage and won’t take long for Nokia to have its name in the VR world.

“OZO aims to advance the next wave of innovation in VR by putting powerful tools in the hands of professionals who will create amazing experiences for people around the world. We expect that virtual reality experiences will soon radically enhance the way people communicate and connect to stories, entertainment, world events and each other. With OZO, we plan to be at the heart of this new world,” said Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia Technologies.

OZO is not yet final and Nokia is still working to improve it together with the help of some of the industry professionals to produce to a product that is outstanding and crafted to the needs of professional content creators.

How Nokia OZO Works

OZO captures stereoscopic 3D video through eight (8) synchronized global shutter sensors and spatial audio through eight (8) integrated microphones. Software built for OZO enables real-time 3D viewing, with an innovative playback solution that removes the need to pre-assemble a panoramic image - a time-consuming process with solutions currently in the marketplace.

OZO’s filmed content can be published for commercially available VR viewing hardware such as head mounted displays (HMDs), with immersive, full 360-degree imaging and spatially accurate original sound. OZO also integrates into existing professional workflows and works with third-party tools, dramatically simplifying content production at all stages.

Nokia OZO will be manufactured in Finland and is expected to be available for purchase in Q4 2015. However because Nokia is still working on the product, final specifications for Nokia OZO will be announced at a later date.