AMD builds Radeon BB360 camera system for virtual reality

AMD has developed a system with 24 cameras to record high-quality virtual reality images. The company uses the system, the associated Loom software and new Vega GPUs for an Indian film.

The camera system is called BB360 and consists of 24 cameras, but this number can be scaled up to 32. AMD has been working on the system for six months. The company does not provide details about the cameras used, but the image that has been published shows that the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera is being used. That is a compact camera with a micro four thirds sensor, which can film in RAW format. Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 fisheye lenses are mounted on the cameras.

The system works with AMD’s Loom software to link the images from the different devices. The Micro Cinema Cameras film with a resolution of up to 1920×1080 pixels. Since the total system contains 24 to 32 cameras, a much higher resolution is possible. However, AMD does not disclose the maximum output after stitching the images.

Loom is open source software that AMD will make available to companies working with VR video at the end of this year. AMD has been focusing on the VR production market for some time, including the Radeon Pro Duo video card, which has two Fiji GPUs. Processing the images from the BB360 requires a lot of computing power. “The system needs our next-generation GPU that hasn’t been released yet,” Raja Koduri, chief architect at AMD, told Hindu Business Line. Koduri is probably referring to the Vega generation, which will appear in the first half of 2017.

Nevertheless, the system also seems to be able to handle the current video cards, because a first production with the camera has already been completed: a behind-the-scenes look at the recordings of the Indian film Baahubali: the conclusion. Next year, before the film’s premiere, a second production, The Sword of Baahubali, will follow, featuring VR scenes from that film.

There are several manufacturers that focus on high-end camera systems for VR, such as Jaunt with its Neo and Nokia with its OZO. There are also many initiatives based on compact video cameras, such as Google’s Jump, which uses sixteen GoPros. In addition, Lytro is working on the Immerge platform. This makes it possible to create images in which users can change their position to a limited extent afterwards in virtual reality.