
SoftBank Streams in 4K VR with Blackmagic Design's ATEM Constellation 8K
Brie Clayton April 27, 2023
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that SoftBank Corporation has built a streaming workflow around ATEM Constellation 8K live production switchers and Teranex Mini converters for 4K VR live streaming via its VR streaming service VR SQUARE.
SoftBank Corporation, a major Japanese telecommunications company, offers the VR SQUARE application, which gives customers the ability to have a variety of VR experiences. With VR SQUARE, viewers can enjoy VR content, such as live concert videos and original content from popular idols, as well as theater performances, sports and other content in a variety of genres, all via smartphones.
SoftBank's VR service, VR SQUARE, was started with the concept of creating a service suitable for the 5G era of high capacity communications, said Eiji Koyama, Service Planning Department of SoftBank.
SoftBank is collaborating with other companies as a technology partner to install VR streaming systems at theaters and other venues where various live performances are held. To create VR images, cameras and switchers are used for the right and left eyes, and images from both eyes are stitched together. SoftBank installed ATEM Constellation 8Ks for switching, Teranex Mini HDMI to Optical 12G for converting HDMI camera output to optical fiber and Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G for converting optical fiber to SDI to send camera feeds to the switchers.
We have permanent installations of this system at the AKB48 Theater in Akihabara and the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka. When AKB48, the idol group, holds a large scale concert at a bigger venue, we bring the portable version of this system and operate it there, Koyama explained.
Koyama continued: At permanent venues, we make it easy for on site staff to operate the system. We set up cameras and send camera feeds to the ATEM switcher with the right eye and left eye synchronized, then the images are stitched with the ATEM switcher and sent to the server. This can then be viewed in VR by using the dedicated VR SQUARE app.
Kazuo Igarashi, manager of the Content Promotion Section of SoftBank's Service Planning Department, said, When we started this VR streaming project, we used to set up portable tables and have about 10 staff members for the operation. However, the process of setting up and taking down the equipment each time was time consuming and made it difficult to conduct multiple streaming jobs. We needed to make the system more compact, and that's how we came up with our current style.
Igarashi continued: For 4K VR streaming, we needed a switcher that could handle 8K and had enough inputs and outputs. Plus, we needed to make the whole system compact, so we wanted something that fit in a 19 inch rack that allowed us to operate it via software, not the big control panel. The ATEM Constellation 8K met these requirements, and its affordability was also a big advantage.
April 28, 2023Virtual Production on Feature Film Molli and Max in the Future Powered by Blackmagic DesignBlackmagic Design today announced that Brooklyn, NY based production house The Family used
April 28, 2023Domestika Creates Online Training Content with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K ProBlackmagic Design today announced that online training provider Domestika is creating original
SoftBank also appreciates the stability the ATEM Constellation 8K brings, which allows VR SQUARE to handle a large amount of VR streaming with hundreds of events each year. For example, The AKB48 Theater, where the system is permanently installed, hosts many performances by the idol group AKB48 each month, and VR SQUARE handles more than 250 other performances annually, including concerts at large concert halls, such as Nippon Budokan.
We do a lot of streaming every year, and the ATEM switcher has been trouble free and very stable, said Koyama. We operate a combination of remote and on site operations for VR streaming. At the AKB48 Theater, the cameras are already installed permanently on the stage, so on site operations are minimized. Once the system is turned on at the venue before the live stream, our operator remotely checks the video on the server. The operator then remotely controls the start and end of the live stream.
In VR streaming, all cameras are installed in fixed positions, and the camerawork and switching required for conventional streaming are replaced with the viewer's perspective, allowing them to make the operation more automatic. Igarashi stated: As the cameras are positioned much closer to the performers than the audience seats, you can feel more immersed. It's also possible to watch the concert focusing on your favorite member of the group, so our customers feel high satisfaction.
We currently stream in 4K, but in the case of VR, what the viewer sees is only a portion of the 4K image, so streaming in even higher resolution, such as 8K, would be more suitable. We would like to continue developing our service for better quality, Koyama concluded.
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, video, and audio.
Enter your email address, and your first and last name below!
-- Sign up: * indicates required
Email Address *
Name
--
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Chyron unveils PRIME 5.3, the latest software release of the company's powerful engine for live production graphics. PRIME 5.3 delivers the first official i...
12/02/2026
The vendor's VP of Product Management explains how quality assurance, monito...
12/02/2026
LTN announces the appointment of three experienced executives to lead its new Technology organization: Michal Miskin-Amir as EVP and Head of Technology, Jonatha...
12/02/2026
Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malays...
12/02/2026
Grass Valley has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO's main broadcast studio at its Brussels headquarters. The proj...
12/02/2026
Canon U.S.A announces that the vast majority of broadcast lenses utilized on the NBC live broadcast for the Big Game between New England and Seattle on Sunday w...
12/02/2026
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and NBC Sports announce the entertainm...
12/02/2026
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announces that beIN MEDIA GROUP ( beIN ), the leading global sports, entertainment and media organisation, has secured...
12/02/2026
The Big 12 Conference and ASB GlassFloor introduces a full LED video sports floor that will debut at the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's and Women's Baske...
12/02/2026
ESPN announces Year of the Super Bowl, a sweeping 12-month, multi-platform cel...
12/02/2026
Continuing its commitment to serving the faith-based broadcast and live event community, mobile production company TNDV, a division of Live Media Group, will hi...
12/02/2026
The production team of the long-running German investigative series Achtung Abz...
12/02/2026
Vizrt announces the launch of four Campus Stadium Production Bundles, designed t...
12/02/2026
At NAB Show, LiveU will showcase its broadest IP-video EcoSystem to date, design...
12/02/2026
Welcome to the Sports Video Group's new interview series, Follow the Money, ...
12/02/2026
400 Gbps of bandwidth, layered redundancy, and mobile-first connectivity powered...
12/02/2026
Valentine's Day often comes with a soundtrack. In fact, Spotify data shows that more people used Blend, our shared playlist feature, on February 14, 2025, t...
12/02/2026
Some days you want your music to reflect a specific feeling, memory, or vibe that goes beyond a single artist or genre. You want to do more than listen. You wan...
12/02/2026
Our Medicine S2: Frontline Medicine Through A Blak Lens
12 February, 2026
Media releases
A Bigger, Bolder Second Series showcasing First Nations Frontline ...
12/02/2026
L3Harris' VAMPIRE system fires Thales Belgian-made 70 MM rocket from an FZ60...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
The production team of the long-running German investigative series Achtung Abzocke recently upgraded its cameras for the show's 12th season. The objectiv...
12/02/2026
Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...
12/02/2026
Vizrt, a leading viewer engagement platform and a trusted expert in live production technologies, today announces the launch of four Campus Stadium Production B...
12/02/2026
Strategic agreement to deliver S3 cloud storage in Switzerland with full data sovereignty and local control including at the level of individual cantons plu...
12/02/2026
Mad About Video is a leading specialist in video for live events and installations throughout Malta. In operation since 2011, it has evolved from a company focu...
12/02/2026
JAGGAER, a global leader in digital procurement and supplier collaboration solutions, today announced the successful delivery of a procurement digitalization pr...
12/02/2026
At NAB Show, LiveU will showcase its broadest IP-video EcoSystem to date, designed to help broadcasters and content creators embrace digital first operations, d...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/02/2026
The six-part crime drama, created by Claire Oakley and produced by Little Door P...
12/02/2026
Wuppertal February 12, 2026
Riedel Opens Kuala Lumpur Office to Strengthen Glo...
12/02/2026
Back to All News
Netflix unveils the trailer for That Night
Entertainment
12 February 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
WATCH THE TRAILER
DOWNLOA...