Microsoft's HoloLens b-roll video hints at potential uses of augmented reality

Mark Coppock

HoloLens

“B-roll” video is the supplementary footage that’s shot for a project and then later spliced into a final video production, often with voiceovers. Much b-roll footage is discarded, but all of it is shot for a reason–because the director thought that it captured something interesting that might contribute to the final piece. Microsoft released some b-roll video over at Channel 9 that provides some interesting hints into what the company envisions HoloLens to be capable of accomplishing.
Here’s Microsoft description of the footage (your speakers are fine–most of the video has no audio):

Intended for broadcast journalists, this broadcast-quality footage highlights Microsoft HoloLens. Microsoft HoloLens is the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, powered by Windows 10, enabling high-definition holograms to integrate with your world.


Intended for broadcast journalists, this broadcast-quality footage highlights Microsoft HoloLens. Microsoft HoloLens is the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, powered by Windows 10, enabling high-definition holograms to integrate with your world.
There’s nothing particularly new here, but you can see from the video that Microsoft sees many innovate uses for the technology. From medicine to architecture to engineering, HoloLens will likely see many fascinating applications over time.
Of particular interest, however, the video shows the actual field of view that HoloLens is capable of providing. Most Microsoft video to date has implied that a user is surrounded by an 180-degree field of view rather than a narrow box that moves with the user to show different parts of a scene.

HoloLens Exagerated Field of View
Here’s the kind of HoloLens depth of field that Microsoft typically shows.

HoloLens fied of view example
Here’s an example of a more realistic rendition of HoloLens depth of field.

Take a few minutes to check out the video. It’s a glimpse into the directions that Microsoft envisions HoloLens taking and at the very least of the videos that we might see the company produce one day soon.