How BBC is Creating Interactive VR Stories
Using interactive 360º video and spatial audio tools, the BBC has launched Planet Earth II VR and The Lion Whisperer, with more to come
The BBC has launched the new BBC Taster VR app, available for free on Android and iOS. This new virtual reality app includes content from BBC Three and Planet Earth II, with more from across the BBC universe coming soon. The content contains both ambisonic audio and interactive, gaze-controlled experiences. The app is part of BBC’s plan to put the BBC’s early and experimental ideas right into the hands of its audiences, and will feature a range of content designed to push the limits of VR on mobile
VR Hotspots
To make their 360º video projects interactive, the BBC used eevo’s technology to create hotspots within their experiences. Viewers can watch astonishing content such as Planet Earth II, in which they can guide themselves to six different locations by looking at one of the hotspots, all while listening to David Attenborough’s voice. To create the content, the BBC used its in-house production team to create 3D 360º videos in locations across the globe. They then uploaded their content to eevo’s online content management system (CMS), where it can be accessed by the composer, seen below.
eevo’s composer lets content owners such as the BBC create connections between either 360º video or immersive audio files, then add hotspots to determine where a viewer should look in order to play the selected file. The gif above shows the 360º video for the menu of Planet Earth II VR connecting to the six locations to which a viewer can travel. The gif below shows a screen record of adding VR hotspots for each connection in the 360 video menu.
This final gif below shows the user experience on a mobile phone for someone panning their phone in mono mode.
In VR Ratings
The BBC is also using eevo’s interactivity system to ask its viewers how they felt about their VR experience, using a 1–5 star rating. To do this, it placed hotspots on five stars on both sides of the 360º degree scene with which viewers can engage. Note that any structure built on the composer such as this can be copied from one piece of content to another to save time. The image’s below show the composer session for the rating system, along with placing hotspots in the 360 video. A viewer can look at a star rating to select it, and by doing so, a new 360 video plays that has their selected rating highlighted. When a viewer holds their focus on that star, it will then send them to a confirmation / thank you page. If the viewer doesn’t want to confirm the rating, they can look at a differnt start to change their selection.
VR Analytics
Andy Conroy, controller of BBC Research & Development, understands that eevo’s focus on interactivity is matched by its focus on analytics, as the BBC team is using eevo’s technology to learn important information about their viewers and content. As Conroy notes, “BBC Taster VR … gives audiences cutting-edge mobile VR experiences from the BBC and, crucially, gives our editorial and technical teams even greater insight.” Using eevo’s VR analytics suite, for example, these teams can see if their users are following the storyline as intended by using heat maps, seen below.
The BBC is learning important info about their content, such as views per piece, along with views per node. This view count per node is how they are calculating the number of times someone selects a 1–5 in their in VR ratings. They are also finding useful info on the types of phones being used, and the locations they originate from.
The BBC has a lot of interactive content coming down the pipeline that continues to make use of eevo’s interactive toolset. If you wish to create content like the BBC does today, eevo’s online tools are available to use now. You can sign up here to start now. To watch BBC’s interactive VR content, check out the links below.
Download The App
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bbc-taster-vr/id1242457448?mt=8\
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.bbcvr&hl=en
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