Back in May, Google revealed Jump — an open-source platform that lets content creators easily capture immersive 360-degree video. A Google Jump camera consists of 16 cameras in a circular array, and the first manufacturer to create a camera to Google’s Jump specifications was GoPro, though we only saw a prototype at the time.
Now, we know a bit more about that camera. It’ll be called the GoPro Odyssey, and it’s an array of 16 GoPro Hero4 Black cameras. The rig is capable of capturing 8K spherical video at 30 frames per second. It will be available in November for the price of $15,000.
The rig is 11.6 inches in diameter and 2.6 inches tall, and it’ll weigh 14.5 pounds. Besides the rig itself and the 16 Hero4 Black cameras that come with it, buyers will get the necessary cables and accessories, a case, and 16 microSD memory cards for storing content.
Accessories aside, the Odyssey is not cheap, especially if you consider that one Hero4 Black camera costs $500, meaning you could buy 16 of them for nearly half the Odyssey’s price. However, GoPro claims the Odyssey is “designed to withstand the rigors of professional use,” which ideally means it should be sturdier than anything you can concoct at home.
To take advantage of the Odyssey’s capabilities, content creators will use Google’s Jump video assembler, which will turn 16 video clips into one stereoscopic video. Jump support will be coming to YouTube “soon,” according to Google.
Only select content partners will be able to get the Odyssey; if you’re interested, you’ll need to apply at GoPro’s website.