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The Discovery Channel is shooting VR TV shows

We’ve been banging on about “virtual reality” for a while now, and the question we’ve always bumped our heads against is “What else are we going to be watching on these VR headsets aside from really cool tech demos and maybe a few games?”. Well, now we have an answer: Discovery Channel shows.

The Discovery Channel has launched its VR arm, descriptively called Discovery VR, which will be in charge of creating TV shows using cutting-edge virtual reality and 360-degree cameras. It even has shows ready to go right now, viewable through the official Discovery VR website, including several that star the guys from Mythbusters and a whole lot of sharks.

Also on the bill are spinoffs of popular shows Gold Rush and Survivorman as well as inserts on freeboarding and surfing and even tours of California’s Half Moon Bay and Muir Woods. You know, the kind of things that look great from unusual perspectives.

The Verge says these shows are “shorts”, meaning they’re not the usual full-length episodes that Discovery puts out via its more traditional methods, but it’s a great start nonetheless for this very young medium.

The 360-degree videos can be watched right now via the web, and a more immersive virtual reality experience can be had through the Discovery VR app for iOS and Android, which works with Google Cardboard and Samsung’s Gear VR technology.

There is no support for the Oculus Rift VR headset just yet, however, but it will come when the headset becomes available to the public, which happens in Q1 2016.

In the meantime, you can also check out YouTube’s 360-degree video channel and imagine watching the videos there with a VR helmet strapped to your head, making you feel like you’re physically perched on the camera’s vantage point.

If that doesn’t sound awesome, we can’t be friends. Sorry. Me, I can’t frickin’ wait for my VR headset, and news like this makes me very happy.

Good job, Discovery.

[Source – The Verge]

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