3D Video and Holograms could be good for Virtual Reality Porn

Image credit: 8i Studios

If you haven’t heard, the company 8i is doing some amazing things with their new 3d filming techniques.  Because of their impressive techno-wizardry, 8i just secured major funding. After scoring a cool 27 million dollars (from investors such as Baidu, Verizon and Time Warner), 8i unveiled a new “holographic” application for Google’s Project Tango system. The new application was designed to bring “holograms” to the consumer market.

“Holograms” and Tango

I say “holograms,” because their application does not technically project holograms. Rather than projecting 3d models or videos into open space or even onto a mirror (like Holographic Tupac), their system creates holograms in augmented reality in a manner that is similar to the Microsoft Hololens. In contrast to Microsoft’s system which is headset-based, 8i’s system relies on a moving smartphone. Using Google’s project Tango system, applications create a window into an augmented holographic reality. Their system works well because it presents users with dynamic 3d videos that can be rotated and moved giving objects a sense of depth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj9RwWP61MY

8i CEO Steve Raymond believes that creating and viewing 3d videos that can appear to exist within 3d space is the future of video and smartphone technology. Supporting this position, Raymond says, “As consumers are augmenting, mixing and creating new content on their smartphones on a massive scale, mobile presents an unparalleled opportunity for distribution of holograms.”

The announcement of this funding is more important than the release of 8i’s Holo app which will be released later this year. Arguing that 8i’s focus is not solo “holograms,” Raymond said “Our investment into mobile AR in no way diminishes our excitement for the many use cases that are emerging for our holograms in high-end VR. What we are seeing are different kind of content creators embracing different forms of content for different consumption platforms.”

3d Video Content that is Amazing

Why is 8i getting such huge sums of investment for their tech? I think the investment fund is more related to 8i’s 3d video system rather than the Holo app itself. First shown in 2015 with Oculus Rift Beta kits, 8i’s 3d video capturing technology looks fantastic. It also looks like it would work perfectly for virtual reality porn videos. Calling their system “light field technology,” 8i captures 3d volumetric video content using arrays of video cameras. In practice, it seems like their technology works similarly to that of the Kinect. I have seen similar systems work using multiple Microsoft Kinects pointed a singular subject. That said, 8i’s approach produces much better results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QOJuFDiWZI

Their 3d videos appear to focus on a singular subject that appears in 3d. However, since the video was captured with multiple cameras positioned around the subject, users can move around and examine the 3d video as if they are looking at a real object or person. This is why their technology pairs well with mobile Google Tango system. Tango apps generally invite users to move their phone around while exploring computer generated 3d content that appears in their environment. Unlike the POV virtual reality porn videos produced today, if such as system was used to capture adult actresses, 3d holograms could be seamlessly viewed in virtual reality environments while allowing full user movement. It would make the most sense to integrate this approach with room-scale virtual reality simulations like those found on the HTC Vive. To see how it work and try it yourself, you can check out 8i’s demo software on Steam.