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First Impressions: iPhone 15 Pro Spatial Videos on Vision Pro

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Starting with iOS 17.2, which is currently in beta and expected to be released in December, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can record spatial video with 3D depth for playback on Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset. When held in landscape orientation, the iPhone's main and ultra wide cameras combine to record 3D video.

Vision-Pro-Person.jpg

The feature can be toggled on in the Settings app under Camera → Formats, and when it is, an extra button to record spatial video appears in the Video section of the Camera app. Spatial videos are recorded in 1080p at 30 fps, and Apple says the iPhone needs to be in landscape orientation and stabilized for the best results. Apple says the toggle will be turned on automatically for future Vision Pro owners.

When played on the iPhone, spatial videos are regular 2D videos without any extra depth effect.

Vision-Pro-Spatial-Video.jpg

While the Vision Pro does not launch until "early 2024" in the U.S., Apple invited some members of the press to record their own spatial videos on the iPhone 15 Pro and watch them on the headset this week. Apple is still not allowing the press to share photos or videos of the Vision Pro, so there are only written impressions for now.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern, in her Tech Things newsletter:
At the demo, I recorded a sushi chef holding a piece of sushi. When I watched it back in the Vision Pro, the sushi and the chopsticks really looked 3-D. They were clearly in the foreground, hovering closer to me than the rest of the imagery. Of course the lighting was perfect when recording—we'll have to see how it does in imperfect conditions.

Apple showed me some other spatial videos. In one, a dad was telling his young kids a story in the back of an RV. It was so lifelike and cozy that it almost creeped me out. Why am I spying on this random family? That's obviously the big appeal here: spatial videos create intimacy in ways 2-D photos and videos don't.
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TheStreet's Jacob Krol:
Likely as Apple intended, capturing Spatial Video is simple and feels just as intuitive as shooting in another one of the modes on the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. You'll turn the phone into the landscape to unlock the recording mode, indicated by a headset icon, and see a level appear as you're filming.

Horizon view and level are important, as an ultra-shaky video can be more jarring when playing back on the Vision Pro. In my experience, I captured a professional sushi chef creating a few standard rolls and rice balls, as well as the chef holding up the end product. I gradually approached, placing the roll while it was suspended in the air via chopsticks by about a foot and a half way. The iPhone did an excellent job of switching focus while I was moving around the piece of sushi and capturing the chef in the background. You can also manually click to focus if you'd like.
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CNET's Scott Stein:
The videos look great and the 3D is compellingly realistic. They're also easy to record, and can save as videos that will play back in 2D in a normal video format. But ultimately this feature is made for a 2024 product that, at $3,500, it's safe to say most people won't buy anytime soon. Still, the experience is impressive.
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Stein noted that Apple's professional video editing app Final Cut Pro will be updated with spatial video editing support at some point next year.

Spatial video recording on iPhone 15 Pro models was added in the second beta of iOS 17.2 seeded to developers yesterday and to public beta testers today.

Article Link: First Impressions: iPhone 15 Pro Spatial Videos on Vision Pro
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/11/10/spatial-videos-on-vision-pro-first-impressions/
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on one hand i think this is super cool but that bit of the advert with the dad staring at the kids with the headset on was super creepy. we're heading to a Black Mirror future. well, we're already there in many ways but if VP is what makes headsets take off for the average person (once they aren't super expensive and easily accesible as a smartphone) then we'll all be walking about with headsets instead of staring down at phones. also AI is only going to speed things up.

the tech excites me but it makes me fear for the future of humanity.
 
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k1121j said:
It’s this the new 3D fad?
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3D has been a failure since the 1960's, but I think this is different. Specifically, the fact each eye gets a fully independent and partitioned signal and dynamic movement/head tracking should be something unique. There's still a chance it doesn't catch on, in which case the Vision Pro enables a 2D video viewing experience not bound to physical constraints. 55 inch TV's are common because that's about as big of a box one can fit into a car.
 
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krspkbl said:
on one hand i think this is super cool but that bit of the advert with the dad staring at the kids with the headset on was super creepy. we're heading to a Black Mirror future. well, we're already there in many ways but if VP is what makes headsets take off for the average person (once they aren't super expensive and easily accesible as a smartphone) then we'll all be walking about with headsets instead of staring down at phones. also AI is only going to speed things up.
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Yeah I agree, imagine one of your memories as a kid being your dad staring at you with a black mask and a wide grin… but I think they used the June keynote just to show off the Spatial Video, since most will just use an iPhone with those capabilities (which at the time of WWDC wasn’t out yet, hence why they showed it off on the headset)
 
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I like the idea of the VPro, as for the particular feature, don't know, I'm a still photography kind of guy ...
But I am looking forward trying a VPro out when they're gonna have demos in store next year ...
 
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swiftapplefan said:
Yeah I agree, imagine one of your memories as a kid being your dad staring at you with a black mask and a wide grin… but I think they used the June keynote just to show off the Spatial Video, since most will just use an iPhone with those capabilities (which at the time of WWDC wasn’t out yet, hence why they showed it off on the headset)
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true but what if apple intends to have Vision headsets replace iPhone about 10 years from now?

i think headsets could be the next smartphone. there is still a long way to go but in 5-10 years it's quite possible we'll see smartphones start to die off.
 
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Apple is leaving billions on the table by not releasing their own standalone 2D/3D video/still camera. They are also leaving out all of those professional creatives that they still seem very eager to engage with.
 
krspkbl said:
true but what if apple intends to have Vision headsets replace iPhone about 10 years from now?

i think headsets could be the next smartphone. there is still a long way to go but in 5-10 years it's quite possible we'll see smartphones start to die off.
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I agree, that’s where technology is headed. (In my opinion at least)
 
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krspkbl said:
true but what if apple intends to have Vision headsets replace iPhone about 10 years from now?

i think headsets could be the next smartphone. there is still a long way to go but in 5-10 years it's quite possible we'll see smartphones start to die off.
Click to expand...

I think they’d have to be fairly different as interactions or just going about your day in public would be nightmarish. Not looking forward to an even more isolated/anti social society not paying attention or recording at all times.
 
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I’m sure this will do well, however I’m noticing something here.

We’re approaching the technology that messes with perception of reality. This product, the Vision Pro, and Google’s weird camera AI that takes pictures of moments that never happened, doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Between the two, however, Google’s is MUCH more creepy.
 
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krspkbl said:
true but what if apple intends to have Vision headsets replace iPhone about 10 years from now?

i think headsets could be the next smartphone. there is still a long way to go but in 5-10 years it's quite possible we'll see smartphones start to die off.
Click to expand...
well, time will tell, but, I don't see myself wearing a headset at the beach, not now, and not in 10 years from now ...
I do think VPro has big potential, just not to replace smartphones ...
 
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How does this work? Does it record stereo vision using two different lenses on the iPhone 15? Or do some computations leveraging LIDAR? Or...?
 
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spaxxedout said:
3D has been a failure since the 1960's, but I think this is different. Specifically, the fact each eye gets a fully independent and partitioned signal and dynamic movement/head tracking should be something completely different. There's still a chance it doesn't catch on, in which case the Vision Pro enables a 2D video viewing experience not bound to physical constraints. 55 inch TV's are common because that's about as big of a box one can fit into a car.
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Good point. Guess we won’t know until we know.
 
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