Smart Screen
Vast Media Smart Screen Round-Up: VR in Space, Netflix and Google Home
Story Highlights
Here’s a run-down of recent second screen-related entertainment items, via Berlin-based research and consulting company Vast Media.
• National Geographic’s new, ten-part docu-series “One Strange Rock” debuted in late March, but this month the network released a virtual reality first to accompany the series: a VR experience created using footage from the International Space Station, available on the PlayStation VR and Google Daydream platforms.
The footage was captured by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli using a Vuze VR camera, and focuses on the space station, with a narrator walking viewers through the experiences of living in space.
The series itself is hosted by actor Will Smith, and focuses on the experiences of eight astronauts and their views of Earth.
• To promote its April 13 release of the “Lost in Space” series, Netflix partnered with Google Home to launch an interactive audio game on the system’s smart speakers. Using voice commands, Google Home users are tasked with helping the Robinson family survive after their crash-landing, and help them free their spaceship, the Jupiter.
The Google Home game was narrated by original cast members and features a branching storyline.
• For the third season of its drama series “Billions,” Showtime released a Facebook Messenger chatbot, one that offered users the ability to delve deeper into the show’s past and current seasons, including 360-degree tours of the locations from the show. Character info, recent plot developments and a “Billions” quiz were also included.
• For the release of its animated series “Final Space,” TBS released a dedicated augmented reality app that places characters from the show in any environment, and allowed users to create their own “Final Space” scenes. Available for the iPhone 6S, the app allowed users to share their scenes across social media.
