Google Jump makes GoPro Shares Jump

The virtual reality future is going to need a ton of GoPro cameras. Google unveiled at the Google I/O a camera mount for virtual reality video capture called the Google Jump. This mount accommodates 16 GoPro Hero4 cameras. GoPro shares jumped almost 7% yesterday.

Google unveiled at the Google I/O 2015 conference yesterday Google Jump. This camera mount for Virtual Reality video capture is using 16 GoPro Hero4 cameras. The Google Jump rig consists of 16 camera modules in a circular array. The size of the rig and the arrangement of the cameras are optimized to work with the Jump assembler. 

Advanced computer vision and whole lot of computing power to transform 16 pieces of video into stereoscopic VR video. Jump assembles 360 videos that allow viewers to experience a scene in every direction. Perfect stereo ensures that near things look near, far things look far. Assembled 3D videos are super high resolution and offer the equivalent of five 4k TVs playing at once. 

Google Jump videos are coming to YouTube soon, letting users experience immersive video from your smartphone with Google Cardboard Goggles.

Earlier this week GoPro itself also unveiled a VR camera mount. The sphere shaped rig holds six GoPro cameras to create a fully immersive videos where viewers can look in any direction including up and down. Google Jump is not supporting this.

The GoPro VR mount will come on the market in the second half of 2015. 

Virtual Reality could be a major growth factor for GoPro and investors have realized this yesterday when Google unveiled the Jump. Shares of GoPro (NASDAQ: GPRO) jumped almost 7%. If Google Jump catches on, VR video creators have to buy 16 GoPro cameras to get started. An action Youtube movie star today only needs one camera.