Behind the One-of-a-Kind Camera Made for the Sphere | WSJ Tech Behind 

Wow that spacewalk film is something I'd actually go to see, what a beautiful idea

A 2.3 *billion* dollar venue. That's like a small country's GDP. Amazing that this kind of investment power and will to develop and create tech exists.

Amazing that there was so much airspace between the LEDS yet it looks like a continuous image.

Woah, love how they want to send this to space rather than just do it in CG! I would go to Vegas just to see that.

I've been in such (much smaller) sphere cinema in Poland, where it was simply inflated hemisphere and the video was projected on it. Still it was impressive.

TL;DR - It's a 16k camera with a massive fisheye lens. They use VR to help simulate what it'll look like in production.

This reminds me so much of the iMax Dome Theatre in Toronto Science Centre. Just 30 years more advanced and using LEDs instead of projectors. The Science Centres giant circular screen was one of the coolest theatres I've been to, this much be even crazier.

I love that fulldome content is getting the love it deserves.

Saw "Postcard.." last week. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Totally worth the price. Incredible technology and visually stunning.

I would love to see some sort of ground-level macro shot with this camera. Like the feeling of being a bug in a blade of grass.

Dude this thing is so impressive and technologically advanced!!

If Christopher Nolan isn't drooling at the thought of making a film for the Sphere...

WOW! This feels like a time traveler from the future, giving us a glimpse of futuristic cinema experience.

This is incredible because it represents the beginning of new era. Can't wait to see it in person

Im glad they worked so hard on this, it really has upped the bar

The sphere should digitize the 15/70 Oppenheimer film print in 30k res. because they can show the full detail of the film print on the screen without projecting it. Digitize the frames in 30k res. Instead of 18 - 20k to futureproof the digitization effort.

That vr set up to see how it would look and it’s live is crazzzzy

Me and Hubby just got back from Vegas visiting the Sphere....Great experience....go if you can!!!! You will not be disappointed!!!!

Great job done!!!!

Thank you for making the video.

Amazing camera technology.

Shout out to the Omni theater at Boston Museum of science! Wasn't as big as this larry but was fun, I got memories back at least 30 years. The intro before the showing was great, voiced by the legendary Leonard Nimoy who "grew up a few blocks from here." Hahahaha, close your eyes and turn your head yo. Where the musical stairs at?!?!?!?!

Wow. The Sphere is awesome.

I should note that this isn't new, Vancouver, BC had a system called the 'Omnimax' back in the mid 2000's that I went to view a nature movie in. Spectacular, but this Sphere takes it to a whole new level.

Surreal that such a place exists

Unreal.

Super awesome, even the aliens go 😱

incredible

this is just amazing! Like WOW!!! 😀👍👍👍👍👍👍

I would really love to experience the spehere. Sadly Las Vegas is a long way away from the northern Europe.

Great engineering here

I was in Las Vegas in August and The Sphere is weird as $π!+.

Incredible explanation! Thanks! I still have questions about how the outside of the sphere works? Are these the same LED panels that are inside? How does it work in case of rain, lightning and dust and dirt that accumulate over time? Hugs from Brazil!

5:17 lol good vid

So cool.

Watching adult movie in this will be something tho 😂😂😂

Brilliant

we arw watching the birth of a new movie medium! i’m very excited to get something this cool while i’m alive, I missed out on Polyvision, Cinemascope, Cinerama, etc.

this makes me want to go to las vegas

10 Reds strapped together is just a flex of money 😂

this documentary is really amazing, it answers all the questions inside my head about how the viral "sphere" works

Apple Vision Pro should support these formats on AppleTV+.

What kind of system do they use to output 16K video on a screen that massive That must be a very good system

so you’re not gonna tell us the sensor size, lens focal length, aperture, or effective field of view? thanks!

The lens reminds me of the ultra rare Nikon Fisheye. Very cool

How many rackmount LED display drivers are being used and what is the expected lifespan of the different components in the system?

How long does the leds last before decaying. And does the uneven heating, uv explosure makes one localized area dimmer than others. Additionally, how often does the sphere need to be washed and dedust

I love the sectional view ~30 seconds in, I think that's the first thing I've seen (having not actually been inside it yet) that really conveys the size of the thing on the inside. It's a bit TARDIS-y

I personally think this is the future of cinema

impressive

What about the screen on the outer side of Sphere, are those separate screens or are the pixels have both front and back sides?

That lens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want that fisheye, looks like a gigantic Century Optics .3x lense

Why no one ever told me Darren Aronofski looks so much like Steve Jobs? Like it’s uncanny.

They oughta make those handrails out of Plexi clear material, probably not code tho ..

Back in the 80s we had the Planetarium

You are being watched; WORLD 🗺.

I challenge you to make a probe lens with a wide angle to show an ants POV 🤩

Here's a question. Is the angle so wide that if two of the cameras were placed side by side in the same orientation, would they be able to see each other? Because there's a type of 3D glasses that use LCD shutters, and they can work on any screen with a high enough frame rate.

The real question is how they seemingly solved the physical problem of lens distortions on such short notice.

so its just like a very large fisheye lens

"this is how a camera with a flat lens and small sensor looks" They really should have had their photog proof read this script...

"We are not outside" "yeah I know😒"

This looks sooooooo cool this is the only reason why I would want to go to America lol

Christopher Nolan should see this and make movies with this camera!! Imagine watching Oppenheimer in sphere

2:06 WHAT THIS IS INSANE

Great. Now just imagine. ... Avengers endgame in the screen. 🔥🔥

The Franklin Institute did this years ago spherical screen vibrating seats immersive yeah

❤

Did bro just say “the circle fits in the square perfectly”? 😂

People hate the sphere I cannot understand why…they complain “wahhh it’s just a screen”, willfully ignorant, this is an amazing technological marvel. The ILLUSION of BEING THERE(wherever the shot being shown is) is crazy

WSJ 😃

That's right, it fits in the square hole.

❤❤❤

Why did they have to explain pixels to us?

are the same LEDs in the inside of the sphere the ones we see on the outside?m Or is that a complete different setup ?

and here you all are, thinking you can see a 100 megapixel photo on your 1000 $ cellphone xD

I want to play Cyberpunk on that thing.

16K times 16K is 256 Megapixel.

That lens was made for skateboarding if anything

A space walk that is actually realistic keywords "actually realistic" meaning it's not realistic but it will seem like it.

My friend living in las vegas says he hates this thing its like giving him freaks 😂

They "one upped" Dubai !

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:32 The *Sphere in Las Vegas features the world's largest high-definition screen at 160,000 square feet, designed for immersive experiences.* 01:01 To *shoot exclusive content for The Sphere, a unique big sky camera system was created, overcoming challenges of combining views from 11 cameras.* 01:58 The *big sky camera uses a giant fisheye lens for a super-wide angle and a larger sensor to capture more light and detail, crucial for the massive screen.* 03:26 Testing *involves using a VR headset to ensure a natural view, and a quarter-sized prototype dome for a preview of how footage will look on The Sphere.* 04:22 The *Sphere's 16K by 16K resolution screen is created by 170 million LEDs, providing an immersive experience with vibrant visuals and sound.* 05:22 The *$2.3 billion venue includes physical effects like temperature changes and vibrating seats, emphasizing the importance of careful shooting with the high-definition camera.* 06:44 Future *plans include taking the big sky camera system to the International Space Station for realistic spacewalk experiences, exploring scientific uses of the technology.*

It would be cool to point the fisheye camera at the night sky while the ISS passes, and maybe catch a meteor

I'm honestly surprised it's pixel density is that bad. Only 16k pixels by 16k pixels in such an enormous theater is really tiny. And then she said your iPhone has 2k by 1k and it fits in your hand. So just 16 iPhone stacked side by side would have more pixels than that the biggest screen in the world

Is it still mp4?

just use a insta 360 to record the footage lol obviously i am joking but i'd love to see how an insta360 footage looks in that sphere

imagine this tech being cheap in the future and people will go see movies in mini version of the ball. Even better, an experience like this in your living room. Now i'd save my money from today for that to be in my house. well i need to save money to buy a house all well though.

Must need dome like set-up to edit ....😂

4:17 Imagine that led with mniled or microLED instead of normal led. will be 12K or 60K hahaha

dont show this camera to Nolan 😂

Nikon 6mm f/2.8

Okay, but I want to know how they are able to record 18k footage.

What about the exterior? I know it's not as high res, it doesn't have wind, smells and sound coming at you through the image, but it still looks super cool. Is it just like a better version of the large video panel systems they have at sporting arenas? But on a sphere? It's really more of a 12,480-sided thing. I assume. Like there are flat panels everywhere, but they're small.

1:38 is ellora caves from india

Can I Skydive with this Camera?

The Spear?

2:27 Why hiding the logo ? We all know it's a SONY Camera

Amazing what money can do.