Audio fidelity and delivery for live event broadcasts gets a boost with the introduction of Audiophile Series, raising the bar for what fans can expect from an immersive live stream.
Immersive streaming is being there. That’s the mantra for Supersphere, a team of creative and engineering talent that brings decades of production experience and expertise in camera technology, immersive audio, broadcast integration, live streaming, and beyond to facilitate all aspects of production from concept through delivery – helping elevate clients to more forward-thinking methods of storytelling and customer engagement.
It’s all about sound. The company says to clients: “Build the live-streaming world of your dreams. Shoot 360º, 180º, 4K, or HD. Any camera, any combination needed to deliver an immersive performance unlike any other.” With Geometry Independence, Supersphere presents a new model for live streaming, based on technology that allows geometry to freely mix and match. Equirectangular 360º and 180º. Mesh. Fisheye. Rectilinear. Monoscopic. Stereoscopic. HD and 4K pan and scan from within a 360º image. 4K windows placed within 360º or 180º. Add realtime Unity environments to a video stream and position video images within the environment.
50 hours marathon at SXSW 2019
Supersphere made it to NAB 2018, to debut its immersive live streaming flypacks designed to take the complexity out of immersive live production. The new 12G glass-to-glass flypacks are optimized for live VR/360° streaming. Also in 2018 the company showed at the E3 conference and Oculus Connect (OC5) its immersive, customizable live streaming solutions for esports. At OC5 Supersphere produced 180° live streams of key event highlights for Oculus’ social app Venues, including Venues’ first-ever immersive esports tournaments, so anyone could join the fun of Oculus Connect and watch with other fans from anywhere in the world.
At SXSW 2019 Supersphere accepted a challenge: live stream musicians playing at the global stage of the festival. Working with Mohawk Austin family and the legendary SXSW crew, Superpshere manage to share “more music to more people online than any other team before”. Four days. 14 hours per day. 94 bands. 50 hours. At the end, they say, “we were tired, proud, and ready to keep going…”
End-to-end ambisonic audio
Well, it happens now, as the company announces the launch of its new Audiophile Series, marking a new level of audio fidelity and delivery for live event broadcasts. Available on Oculus Venues, the series marks the first time that live VR/360° broadcasts will offer end-to-end natively mixed ambisonic audio for primary delivery, enhancing the level of event experiences so that fans worldwide can feel even closer to the show.
“We’re thrilled to launch the Audiophile Series and bring an unmatched level of fidelity and audio quality to the world of live performance in VR and 360°,” shared Lucas Wilson, Founder and Executive Producer at Supersphere. “Since our work with Paul McCartney and Geoff Emerick years ago, we have always valued the power of live experiences and worked to deliver the highest quality productions to truly transport fans. Now with end-to-end live streaming of ambisonic audio, we are raising the bar for what fans can expect from an immersive live stream.”
Immersive live streaming
The Audiophile Series will kick off in New Orleans in May with three shows: The Revivalists (at the Fillmore on May 2), Preservation Hall’s 14th annual Midnight Preserves show (May 3), and Galactic (at Tipitina’s on May 4). Supersphere is 
“Ambisonic primary delivery helps complete the VR/360° production package,” said TNDV owner Nic Dugger. “Along with the audio engineering team from TNDV, Supersphere has built a sonic experience with a selection of upcoming performances from historic venues that transport listeners into the middle of the audience, from the comfort of their own home.”
Supersphere has continually broken new ground in immersive live streaming, covering concerts, esports tournaments, sporting events, and more with custom end-to-end workflows. The company has been a trusted production partner of Oculus since the launch of Venues, and partnered with Oculus at last year’s OC5 Conference – as mentioned above – to live stream the keynotes and additional content in Venues. For this year’s F8 Conference on April 30, Supersphere will broadcast keynote speeches to Venues in native stereo.