Dream Theater's music has always been considered ahead of the curve, and I firmly believe their marketing techniques are as well.
The band just launched a new iOS app, DreamTheater360° which features five songs from their recently released Live in Luna Park DVD, except they were each taped with six different 360° cameras. The band teamed up with Mativision, who provided the incredible cameras. The app allows you to play director controlling not only which camera you're viewing, but the angle of the camera as well.
Here's the official word from the press release:
The DreamTheater360° App in its first release will include five interactive songs filmed and produced using the Mativision technology, which virtually transports fans directly onto the Luna Park stage right next to the band members and completely immerses them in a unique experience that they can control in real time. Each fan can direct the show by manipulating Mativision’s multi-camera iOS player, and enjoy the concert in any way they want. They can seamlessly choose to switch from among six different cameras while also being able to rotate camera angles by taping and dragging, or by using the device’s built-in gyroscope. Fans can even zoom in and out or simply switch to “auto pilot” mode and enjoy the show without interaction.
This is as close to being there as you can get, without worrying about an annoying crowd surfer or stage diver kicking you in the head. Although, I don't think that's really an issue at Dream Theater shows.
Here is the demo:
I was able to sample the goods thanks to a promo code provided by the band's publicist and the functionality is certainly there. You can seamlessly swipe and change cameras without any buffering. My one complaint is the video is a bit compressed, if you're a quality nerd. It's especially bothersome when there is heavy strobes, resulting in much compress, otherwise its' awesome.
The app is available for $9.99 in the App Store.
