Red Bull and Meta Launch “Touching the Sky,” a Groundbreaking 360° VR Documentary
[City, State] – [Date] – Red Bull and Meta have unveiled “Touching the Sky,” a new hour-long virtual reality documentary now available for free on Meta Quest TV. the film, wich immerses viewers in the world of professional paragliding, wingsuit flying, speed riding, and BASE jumping athletes, is being hailed as a meaningful advancement in 360° 3D video content.
While 360° and 180° video have been present in the VR landscape since the early 2010s, early implementations were often hampered by low resolution and bitrate. Apple’s recent push for high-quality 180° 3D video with the Apple Vision Pro has reignited industry interest, leading to partnerships like Meta’s with James Cameron and its outreach to studios such as Disney and A24.
However, the article notes that 360° video has been somewhat overshadowed by the focus on 180° content. The inherent challenges of 360° filming, including the need for more complex capture setups and a reduction in angular resolution compared to 180°, have made it a less practical format. Despite these drawbacks, 360° video offers a unique level of immersion that 180° cannot replicate, providing a true sense of “being there” rather than just viewing a large window into another habitat.
“Touching the Sky” is presented as a testament to the potential of 360° 3D video. The documentary, produced by veteran mountain sports photographer Jonathan Griffith, reportedly took three years to complete, with two years dedicated to preproduction and one year to filming. This extensive preproduction phase involved the growth of custom capture rigs,a tandem paraglider,and a specialized drone setup to achieve the immersive footage.
the film’s immersive nature is so pronounced that it recommends viewers watch it from a swivel chair, a suggestion that the article emphasizes is practically a requirement due to the shifting angles of the subjects between scenes. Viewers are advised to manually set the video quality to “Best” within the Meta Quest TV app to ensure the highest possible viewing experience.
“Touching the Sky” is exclusively accessible on Meta Quest TV, available on Horizon OS headsets including the Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 2.
