Blowtorch & Full Walrus to Live-Stream in ‘Virtual Reality’ Dec. 6
Press Release by Big Heavy World. Photo by James Lockridge.
New technology available to the community thanks to local collaboration.
A collaboration of two tech-heavy local organizations has brought a new resource to Burlington’s arts community: Live streaming of ‘virtual reality’ video. The technology is used to send a live stream of 360-degree video — a video feed that viewers can view as though they are inside a room, able to rotate and look in every direction.
The equipment was purchased by Burlington Telecom for community use, an acquisition proposed and encouraged by Big Heavy World. “Emerging technologies are an especially useful platform for promoting Vermont-made music,” said James Lockridge, Executive Director of Big Heavy World, “This will bring entirely new audiences to the music of Vermont, and to Burlington as an innovative tech community.”
The equipment used to live-stream 3D video uses an array of several cameras and an attached computer that stitches the images from each camera together, then encodes the stitched content in real-time for streaming. The stream can be sent to popular sites like Facebook or YouTube, and can be viewed on a normal computer screen or with a virtual reality headset.
On Wednesday, December 6, Big Heavy World will host its weekly local music radio show “Rocket Shop’ from the stage of co-presenter Arts Riot on Pine Street in Burlington, featuring the bands Full Walrus and Blowtorch. The free all-ages concert will be streamed in 360-degree video through the Big Heavy World YouTube page, broadcast live on 105.9FM The Radiator, recorded for television broadcast by media partner RETN, streamed with normal video through Facebook, and recorded for a future live album. Doors open at 7:15pm; music and streaming begins at 7:45pm. Arts Riot is located at 400 Pine Street in Burlington and is wheelchair accessible. More information about the concert can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/371417126650087/ and the Big Heavy World Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/bigheavyworld/
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2189116087 size=large bgcol=333333 linkcol=0f91ff tracklist=false artwork=small]
“Our fiber gigabit infrastructure makes Burlington one of the most connected cities in the country. As a community, we have barely begun to scratch the surface in terms of exploring it’s capabilities.” said Abbie Tykocki, Director of Marketing & PR at Burlington Telecom, “Community partnerships that allow us to showcase both Burlington and the power of ultra-high speed symmetrical broadband work to bring that narrative forward while helping local organizations reach their full potential. Big Heavy World has been a longtime advocate for the potential of the network as a tool for civic engagement. Their work embraces the value of leveraging Vermont artistry to promote Burlington as a vibrant and innovative community.”
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2431950162 size=large bgcol=333333 linkcol=0f91ff tracklist=false artwork=small track=3131189849]
The event will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of 105.9FM The Radiator, the community radio station co-founded and operated by Big Heavy World. ‘Rocket Shop’ is supported in part by the BCA Community Fund.
About Big Heavy World: Big Heavy World is an independent nonprofit music development office working to archive and promote the original music of Vermont. Its volunteers publish information about Vermont’s music industry, archive thousands of Vermont-made recordings and photographs, and operate 105.9FM, a radio station highlighting the region’s creative community. bigheavyworld.com
About Burlington Telecom: Burlington Telecom’s mission is to provide every customer with an exceptional service experience that you can only expect to receive from a local business, while providing you with access to the benefits of the most advanced fiber optic network in the US. For more information about Burlington Telecom services, visit www.burlingtontelecom.com or call (802) 540-0007.
Contact: James Lockridge, jim@bigheavyworld.com, (802) 865-1140 or Abbie Tykocki, atykocki@burlingtontelecom.com, (802) 540-0948.
