Have you ever heard the name of Lytro? This is a US based
company that's engaged in the light field photography. Its first product was a
rectangular camera that was released in 2012; the advantage of this camera was
that users can adjust the focus after the shooting.
The secret laid in the light field technology itself. Simply
put, the Lytro camera sensor not only captured the intensity of incoming light,
but also the direction where the beam moved. This technique was so phenomenal,
the originator, Ren Ng, won the title of best thesis in computer science from
Stanford University.
Last year, Lytro launched Lytro Illum, which was basically a
light field camera, but with the complete features ala DSLR camera. After
releasing the Lytro Illum, Lytro didn't seem too aggressive in creating new
innovations, but apparently the company was composing the best formula to
welcome the latest trend in the photography and videography world, i.e. virtual
reality (VR).
Now, Lytro is ready to showcase its innovation in the field
of VR. This company introduces Lytro Immerge, the first VR camera that's
powered by light field technology. The way it works is very different than
other VR cameras or 360 degree cameras; here Lytro Immerge will capture
360-degree images directly, without relying on the stitching method at all.
Lytro Immerge is composed of a number of 'rings'. The rings
are claimed to package up to hundreds of image sensors; make Lytro Immerge able
to collect huge data. This camera will even be accompanied by a portable server
for storing a video that lasts about 1 hour - just imagine how much data that's
collected if one server can only store one hour of video.
The advantage of Lytro Immerge is the data will be collected
from any direction at any location and in the desired volume. In the end, the
virtual display can be produced from any point, overlooking anywhere and in any
viewing angle. Simply put, the immersive impression created will be equivalent
to a VR game.
If you're still confused on how the Lytro Immerge works, you
don't need to worry, because basically access to this camera will be completely
exclusive. Lytro plans to release a prototype in the first quarter of next
year, and the price offered is likely to reach hundreds of thousands dollars.
Therefore, it would make more sense if Lytro will only rent the Lytro Immerge
for a few thousand dollars per day.
However, as consumers we still get the benefit from the
presence of Lytro Immerge, where the VR video contents later will be growing
and of course with better quality.