Can VR live broadcast become the next slogan for social platforms?

Since the beginning of this year, the VR heat has soared. From the acquisition of Oculus by Facebook to the launch of Daydream VR by Google, major Internet giants have laid out the VR market and tried to get a piece of it to stir up the VR market.

Of course, there is also a live broadcast that is as hot as VR. The competition on the mobile live broadcast platform is even more intense, and the amount of money is not reduced. The live broadcast made the "net red economy" quickly blush, and the "net red" that became famous through live broadcast was not a minority. Obviously, the live broadcast also became the chase direction of capital.

Recently, the pepper live broadcast will combine VR and live broadcast, launching the first VR live zone. However, while VR technology is still in its infancy, can VR+ live broadcasts sparkle new sparks and stand out in the competitive Red Sea? Performance may be worth waiting to see.

Live broadcast by VR or will stand out for a long time

The mobile broadcast industry has only just begun to emerge. There is still a large market waiting to be tapped in this area. Faced with the ever-changing needs of users, it is necessary to innovate constantly to attract users to stop for a long time and increase the number of sticky users. However, due to the similarity of the live broadcast platform, the user's choice and interactive channels are relatively simple, and there is an urgent need for new technologies to cut into the market, and VR live broadcast came into being.

Relevant information shows that there are already 116 live broadcast apps that have been online. The competition of major live broadcast platforms is fierce. How to improve the mobile live broadcast into new competition points through new perspectives. The mobile live broadcast platform brings VR technology to live broadcast, breaking the limitation of mobile phone screen space and distance, such as “face-to-face” immersive, increasing the fun of live broadcast, raising the threshold of live broadcast, and perhaps attracting more users. field.

VR live advantage

HTC has predicted that by 2020, total sales of VR devices and software will surpass smartphones. At present, it is still unclear whether it can be surpassed, but VR technology has indeed brought a differentiated competitive advantage to mobile live broadcasts, mainly in the following two aspects.

First, new technologies have seized market opportunities. Innovation is the productivity of technology. When other mobile live broadcast platforms are still in the video and picture stage, the platform that leads VR technology into the live broadcast will seize the market opportunity. The VR technology panoramic HD live broadcast experience provides users with a new interactive experience. In addition, the VR technology application market is broad, and the combination with the live broadcast can bring huge economic benefits.

Second, new technologies improve user experience and increase user stickiness. Constantly improving the user experience is the key to product pursuit. At present, the entertainment tools are varied, and it is only necessary to keep the users new. VR technology can not only provide users with simulated real-life scenes, but also satisfy the “freshness” that users try, and the interactive experience with net red and stars, which is highly favored by fans.

Difficulties in VR live broadcast

Of course, due to the limitations of VR technology and the beginning of mobile live broadcast, to achieve VR live broadcast, there are still many barriers in development and implementation.

At present, the basic process of VR live broadcast is: panoramic camera + splicing and compositing server + code upload + on-demand machine room distribution + user viewing. The VR experience is a 360-degree transmission. Some people have calculated it. It is calculated by 1080p and 20 multi-megabytes. The unit user cost is 10 times of the cost of today's TV users and 100 times the cost of mobile phone users. The huge consumption of bandwidth and computing resources has become one of the barriers currently faced.

In addition, if you want to directly experience VR live broadcast, you need the host computer to open the live broadcast, link the computer through the VR camera, fans also need to wear VR glasses, which will increase the cost of VR live broadcast, reducing the convenience.

However, in the case of live broadcast and VR have been pushed to the wave, I believe that the live broadcast of VR will be a long-term success, becoming an innovative economy of technology and content.

VR live or become the next outlet for social platforms

At present, the scale and usage rate of domestic social networking sites continue to decline. On the one hand, it is a challenge from competitors, social applications are updated rapidly, and users of some social networking sites are diverted; on the other hand, social networking sites themselves are due to slow innovation. The deviation of the operation center has failed to meet the core needs of social users, and the location of some social networking sites has been limited, resulting in the loss of users. Therefore, the birth of the innovative VR live social platform is just right.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg once claimed that the future of virtual reality will be the "most social platform", the integration of VR and live broadcast can highlight the charm of VR on social platforms, VR live or become the next channel of social platforms.

With the rise of Weibo and WeChat on social platforms, social platforms that can compete with them have not emerged for a long time, until the emergence of mobile live broadcasts and seamless integration with VR technology.

In fact, there are precedents for VR live broadcasts abroad. VR live broadcast is not only a platform for network red and stars to interact with fans, but also provides simulation scenarios for some large-scale events or meetings.

For example, the foreign VR live role model NextVR. According to public information, NextVR was founded in 2009, is a technology company, engaged in shooting and live live or on-demand virtual reality content experience. From rock concerts to sporting events to fashion shows, and all the high-quality video broadcasts that give viewers a real-life experience.

In November 2015, NextVR received $30.5 million in Series A investment. In February 2016, it signed a five-year live broadcast agreement with Fox Sports, which once again set off a wave of VR live broadcasts. From the first VR live broadcast in early 2015 to the US presidential debate and the NBA season kickoff, NextVR has become the leader in the VR live broadcast industry.

With the gradual application of domestic VR technology in the field of live broadcasting, the mobile live broadcast platform will introduce different advanced technologies in the future, and recombine resources at different levels to bring more users to tourism, food, stars, events and other fields. The intuitive and more direct look and feel brings unlimited business opportunities and possibilities to the mobile broadcast industry.