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Following a beta launch exclusively for HTC’s VIVE Focus standalone VR headset back in January, Visbit’s 8K 3D Premium Playback service has now officially launched on more platforms with new beta features and playback improvements. The service effectively acts as a playback and access control platform for VR content. It’s primarily billed for private use by businesses, with Vistbit customers paying a monthly subscription to store, stream, share and experience media at up to 8K resolution. With the latest update, the primary functionality of the service is now available across many more devices, including more obscure ones such as the ODG R-9 VR smartglasses shown off at CES back in 2017. For starters, all headsets integrated with HTC’s Viveport are now supported, expanding usability all of the company’s VIVE-branded VR equipment. Samsung’s Gear VR and Oculus headsets can also be used as well as Lenovo’s Mirage Solo and Xiaomi’s Mi-branded offering.
In addition to paving the way for more potential users to experience its service, the company also improved its rendering process and added at least one new feature as a beta. After optimizing the video rendering pipeline through the removal of “Eyebuffer,” image sharpness on the end-user side of things is now 10-percent better. With regard to the new feature, ‘Synchronized Playback Control’ now allows business customers paying for a top-tier package to, as the name implies, synchronize playback over multiple VR headsets. That enables a more theater-like VR experience, according to the company, and there’s even a new app that can be used to control all of that with no input needed from connected headsets. While licensing only goes up to 20 headsets before a custom plan needs to be discussed with Visbit, the system can support hundreds of headsets playing the same content simultaneously. However, for the time being, the app is only available on iPad and there’s no mention of when or if it will launch for Android.
Of course, the service isn’t necessarily cheap, owing to the fact that it’s intended for playback from a VR business to a customer. Bearing that in mind, Visbit is offering a free two-month trial for new subscribers who register before September 14 in conjunction with the launch out of beta and onto new headsets. After that period is up, pricing starts at $69 per month with three headset licenses – which are transferable. That also includes 2TB of storage and 10 minutes of transcoding at 8K or 50 minutes of transcoding at 4K. Those figures all go up for the middle plan, which starts at $199 per month and includes ten headset licenses, 5TB of storage, and 30 minutes or 150 minutes of transcoding, depending on the resolution. Visbit customers get custom branding at that level and above as well. Finally, at $399 per month, up to 20 headsets and 10TB of storage are available while transcoding is bumped to 60 minutes or 300 minutes. Theater Manager Beta for Synchronized Playback Control features is also included at that level and at custom scale levels.
