Pixvana, a company that “powers the future of XR storytelling and immersive media,” is open-sourcing its software development kit (SDK), allowing third-parties to incorporate Pixvana’s cloud-services and VR video streaming technology with their own publishing infrastructure to create branded VR video applications.
Pixvana SPIN Play SDK is an Apache 2.0 open-source-licensed library that developers can plug in to their own Unity application development environment – adding high-quality VR video playback, dynamic controls, and cross-platform support across all VR headsets running iOS. Pixvana’s cloud-based CMS supports advanced data flows for media companies and customizable metadata fields.
Users can upload from existing cloud storage and export to custom or public endpoints. The offering includes flexible media transport and optimized encoding. Output can be moved securely to streaming infrastructure and 16K resolution encoding delivers optimized resolution with Field of View Adaptive Streaming (FOVAS) and VR-native playback projections.
“Application builders needed a drag-and-drop solution to add 360-degree and 180-degree VR video to their Unity based applications for Virtual, Augmented, or Mixed Reality apps,” says Beverly Vessella, product manager at Pixvana. “By opening up our valuable, cloud-based VR plug-in to the community, we hope to accelerate the adoption and innovation of VR and AR applications.”
Earlier this year, CNN used SPIN Play SDK to deliver the CNNVR App for Oculus, providing access to breaking news and a selection of original stories produced in the immersive, 360-degree format. Using the Pixvana SDK, the app met “fast startup” requirements, immediately delivering content tuned for high quality within seconds of a viewer selecting any CNNVR video.
To download the SPIN Play SDK, please visit: https://pixvana.com/developers/ .