Disney puts down $65m in jaunt virtual reality bet
Entertainment group Disney is putting its muscle behind virtual reality by investing $65m in California based Jaunt, a start-up specialising in creating content for the new medium.
The latest sum takes Jaunt’s fundraising total to $100m as it seeks to upscale its ‘cinematic VR’ output to cater for the expected demand for non-gaming virtual reality content.
This includes production of high end cameras and lenses costing tens of thousands of dollars but which are capable of capturing video in 360 degrees. In addition Jaunt also produces its own custom software which can combine multiple camera feeds into a single file, ready to be viewed via a VR headset or smartphone.
Jens Christensen, CEO and cofounder of Jaunt commented: “If you look at the history of Disney, beginning with cartoons, they’ve always been at the forefront of technology,” Christensen said. “They’ve always tried to make the experience more powerful and more immersive. They view VR as the next step in entertainment.”
Recent collaborations have seen jaunt pair up with ABC News to produce a VR tour of Damascus, Syria.