During an online WWDC session for developers, Apple made an exciting announcement about its upcoming Vision Pro mixed reality headset. The tech giant revealed that the headset will feature displays with a refresh rate of 90Hz, providing users with quicker responsiveness and smoother motion. This is a significant upgrade from the 60Hz displays typically found in Apple’s devices, except for select “pro” models.
The Vision Pro screens also have the ability to automatically switch to a refresh rate of 96Hz, which is specifically optimized for playing videos that run at 24 frames per second, such as most movies. This ensures a consistent and seamless viewing experience. Additionally, the headset supports both standard and high dynamic range (HDR) content, further enhancing the visual quality.
The WWDC session video delves into the topic of 3D video support, explaining how content providers can utilize stereoscopic video, where the frames for the left and right eye are merged rather than having separate views for each eye. This aligns with the 3D movie experience in theaters, where removing the provided 3D glasses reveals a slightly distorted 2D image.
Another intriguing aspect is that videos can be encoded using either MP4 or HEVC, with HEVC being the default codec used for video recording on iPhones. Specifically for the Vision Pro headset, 3D videos can be recorded in multiview HEVC format to ensure proper support for stereoscopic frames.
These exciting features showcased by Apple in the WWDC session hint at the immersive and technologically advanced experience that awaits users of the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. With its high refresh rate displays, seamless video playback, and support for 3D content, Apple is set to offer a truly unique and captivating mixed reality experience.
