FIVARS Spatialized Events is a unique, custom-built WebXR online festival experience for the spherical, dome, and projection-mapped content extending the JanusXR open-source framework. It was first built and launched in autumn 2020 to ensure that a global audience, and those without the ability to travel, or otherwise attend in-person could still enjoy the year’s best new spherical and projected content natively in the browser, on mobile, tablet, desktop or VR headset.
Furthermore pieces that may be challenging to exhibit due to venue size, or the practicality or syncing multiple projectors could be accommodated via custom build theater for multi screen simultaneous synced playback.
Feature 1: Enhanced VR and Mobile Experience
- Introduced dynamic VR support for an immersive user experience.
- Optimized for mobile devices, ensuring smooth viewing on smartphones and tablets.
- Designed from the ground up with accessibility features like spatial-audio support, visual waypoints, and screen reader compatibility.
Feature 2: Advanced Realtime Playback
- Enabled realtime playback of stereoscopic 5.7k content (browser limit), dynamically adjusting for various framerates and sizes or via manual dropdown menu control.
- Supported AmbiX audio formats (ambi 1 and 2) for immersive sound.
Feature 3: Dome Shows and Project Mapped Cinema
- Developed features for 5K full dome shows and projection mapping for unique cinematic experiences.
Feature 4: Efficient Transcoding and Backend Processing
- Built a custom transcoding pipeline and backend system for efficient video handling.
- Integrated drag-and-drop playlist functionality in the admin platform for 3D video kiosks.
Feature 5: Customizable Video Playback Options
- Provided a dropdown menu for selecting frame sizes and data rates, tailoring to user preferences and network conditions.
Feature 6: Platform Features
- Offered an online festival experience in WebXR, eliminating the need for additional software. Utilized a mix of JanusXR, ThreeJS, CSS, JS, and HTML.
- Integrated Eventbrite for ticket sales and user registration.
- Incorporated Ready Player Me avatar support, video webcam, VOIP, and text chat capabilities.
Feature 7: Synchronized Multi-Screen Playback
- Achieved synchronization for 4-screen displays at 1080p resolution.
- Implemented a Barco Escape three-screen theater experience with 7.1 surround sound, setting a new industry standard for online festivals.
Hear more about the development process at these podcast episodes:
#957: How FIVARS Festival is Using WebXR to Deliver 360 Video
#1009: Curating Immersive Stories & Building WebXR Events with FIVARS Founder Keram Malicki-Sánchez
Dr. VR Episode 7 – FIVARS, XR Festivals and the state of VR in the cultural Sphere