Live Camera 2.0 · On-set live monitor
URSA Cine Immersive,
live in Vision Pro.
An on-set live monitor for immersive cameras, in the headset. Wire the camera straight into your Mac: one SDI cable for the picture, through a Blackmagic UltraStudio, and one Ethernet cable for control. Spatial Film AirStream, our free Mac app, sends the live picture to Spatial Film on Apple Vision Pro. You see your Apple Immersive Video shot in 3D 180 while you shoot it. You don't need OBS, NDI or an STMap.
The problem
Immersive film is shot blind.
Every monitor on an immersive 180 set shows two fisheye circles on a flat rectangle. The camera touchscreen shows them. The monitors at video village show them. Everyone squints at warped circles and imagines what the audience will feel.
Scale, depth, headroom, how close is too close: the audience's view of all of it exists only after the footage comes back from post. So you block a scene, guess, and find out tomorrow.
The one person who must see the shot the way the audience will, can't.
Live Camera puts the director inside the shot while the scene is still lit. The live feed leaves the camera and wraps around your head, in stereo, on an Apple Vision Pro. It is on-set monitoring the way the audience will see the shot.
Two cables into the Mac. One wireless link to the headset.
Live Camera 2.0 wires the camera straight into your Mac. One SDI cable carries the picture, through a Blackmagic UltraStudio. One Ethernet cable carries camera control. The only wireless link in the whole chain is the Mac to the headset, so the camera never joins the venue Wi-Fi, and there is no router to set up for the camera.
Click Start Live in AirStream and put on your headset. Spatial Film finds your Mac by itself, and you see your Apple Immersive Video shot live, in 3D 180. It is a lot faster than NDI.
Solid lines are cables. The dashed line is Wi-Fi, the only wireless link, and the Mac and the Vision Pro share that one network. Prefer a router for the camera? Plug its Ethernet into the router instead. That still works.
See it work
What you can do
Watch live
Put on the headset for a live preview of the camera feed: your Apple Immersive Video shot, in 3D 180. The camera's own lens profile (its ILPD) comes with the stream, so there is no STMap to import.
Control the camera
REC, ISO, shutter, white balance, ND and False Color, from the Camera window on your Mac or from the headset. In the headset, Camera Controls start locked, so a stray pinch never changes a setting mid take.
Review a take
Tap Play Last Take and the take plays back from the camera, one eye, in 2D. Turn on Record for Stereo Replay in AirStream, and the headset replays every take in full 3D. Stereo Replay is a review copy. Your master is still the BRAW on the camera.
What you need
- Camera
- Blackmagic URSA Cine ImmersiveTested on camera firmware 10.0.1.
- Capture device
- Blackmagic UltraStudioOr another DeckLink device. Tested with the UltraStudio Mini Replay 12G. Install the free Desktop Video driver from blackmagicdesign.com.
- Mac
- Apple silicon, macOS 15 or laterRunning Spatial Film AirStream 1.2. AirStream is free.
- Headset
- Apple Vision ProWith Spatial Film 9.8 or later. Live Camera needs no subscription.
You also need a 12G-SDI cable for the picture and an Ethernet cable for camera control. Any USB-C or Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter works on the Mac, or its own Ethernet port. The Mac and the Vision Pro share one Wi-Fi network.
Camera to headset in four steps.
Install Desktop Video
AirStream talks to the UltraStudio through Blackmagic's own driver. Download the free Desktop Video from blackmagicdesign.com, install it, and plug in the UltraStudio. Reopen AirStream, and the Live Camera card appears at the top of the window.
Cable the camera
Run a 12G-SDI cable from one of the camera's SDI outputs, SDI A or SDI B, to the UltraStudio. Set that output to show both eyes side by side. We tested SDI B. Plug the camera's Ethernet straight into the Mac. Any USB-C or Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter works, or the Mac's own Ethernet port.
Set it up once In Blackmagic Camera Setup, set the camera's network to automatic (DHCP) and turn on Web media manager. On the Mac, turn on Internet Sharing for that Ethernet adapter. Then restart the camera.
Prefer a router Putting everything on one router still works too. Plug the camera's Ethernet into the router instead of the Mac.
Click Start Live in AirStream
Keep the Mac on the same Wi-Fi network as your Vision Pro. AirStream shows your capture device by name and finds the camera by itself. Click Start Live. The card says Live, waiting for a headset.
If macOS asks When macOS asks whether the app may find devices on your local network, click Allow. In macOS settings and prompts, AirStream appears as Spatial Film.
Open Live Camera on Vision Pro
In Spatial Film, open Live Camera and pick the URSA Cine Immersive tab. Your Mac shows up under Live Feed by itself, and Lens Calibration says Ready. Tap Watch Live in Immersive.
Canon and RED rigs connect over NDI.
The NDI path is still in the app. Send the camera's video output onto your set network as NDI, and Live Camera remaps it into 3D 180 with a lens map you import once. Every camera tab keeps its own lens map and its own LUT, so switching cameras between setups is one tap.
Canon EOS VR
R5C and R5 Mark II dual fisheye, finally previewed as 3D 180.
- Import the Canon STMap once. Download ours or build your own in DaVinci Resolve; the app remembers it.
- Canon Log 3 and Log 2 built in. A LOG feed is graded live on the headset, so you judge the real image.
- Full 4K at 60 fps. 4096×2160 at 60 fps, HDMI out to 4K60 NDI in, with a network fallback for when set Wi‑Fi misbehaves.
RED
V-Raptor rigs use the same one-time import.
- Same STMap flow. Import the V-Raptor map, or any DaVinci float EXR for the lens you actually shoot.
- Any .cube LUT. Bring the show LUT from your colorist and see dailies color, live.
- Full 4K at 60 fps. 4096×2160 at 60 fps, 12G‑SDI out to 4K60 NDI in. NDI is the same standard that live sports and concert broadcasts run on.
True 3D 180
Left and right eye, remapped per eye on the headset's GPU, with 3D depth you can tune to the rig's interaxial.
Lens maps (STMap)
Canon R5C, R5 Mark II and RED V-Raptor maps import once and stay in the library. Or export your own float EXR from DaVinci Resolve for any fisheye lens.
Live color
Canon Log 3 and Canon Log 2 conversions ship in the app. Import any standard .cube to see the show LUT live. The grade applies to the flat preview and the immersive view alike.
Any NDI source
The camera tabs are presets. Anything that speaks Full NDI can be received, and an already-equirect 180 feed displays correctly with no lens map at all.
The NDI path, in three steps.
Put the feed on the network as NDI
Camera SDI or HDMI into a capture device, then free OBS Studio (or any hardware NDI encoder) sends it to your set network. Wire the sender with Ethernet, because a full-quality 4K NDI feed wants a wired sender, and keep the Vision Pro on 5 GHz or 6 GHz Wi‑Fi on the same network. The headset itself stays wireless, so the director or the client can walk the set with the shot wrapped around them.
Why NDI Vision Pro has no HDMI input. NDI turns your set network into the cable. It runs on gear you already know, and the same feed can reach the monitors at video village at the same time.
Open Live Camera and pick your rig
Your NDI source appears by name; tap it, and the flat preview starts. Pick the camera tab. Canon and RED remember the STMap you imported. Shooting LOG? Pick the built-in Canon Log 3 or Log 2 LUT, or import the show LUT as a .cube.
Step inside the shot
Tap Watch Live in Immersive. The headset's GPU remaps the fisheye feed through the lens map into true 3D 180 around you, graded, with adjustable 3D depth. Frame, block, light, and judge depth while the scene is still lit.
Need your crew? You never take the headset off. One tap drops you into Vision Pro's passthrough, and the real set is right there. Give the note to your DP, talk to your talent, then one tap back into the 4K camera view.
The safety net Set Wi‑Fi is rough. When the feed drops, Live Camera reconnects by itself.
Track Record
It comes from our own sets.
The STMap live-preview workflow inside this app came from our own sets. The tutorial that documents it is on Hugh's channel, and broadcast companies and other live-camera apps have built on it.
Live Camera is that same workflow, on Apple Vision Pro. It monitors immersive 180 productions for Hollywood studios, broadcasters and live concerts. We can't name names.
Questions
Asked on every set so far.
Can you monitor the URSA Cine Immersive live on Apple Vision Pro?
Yes. Run the camera's SDI out into a Blackmagic UltraStudio or other DeckLink device on your Mac. Spatial Film AirStream, our free Mac app, sends the live picture to Spatial Film on Apple Vision Pro, so you see your Apple Immersive Video shot in 3D 180 while you shoot. The camera's own lens profile comes with the stream.
Is there an on-set monitor app for immersive cameras on Apple Vision Pro?
Yes. Live Camera in Spatial Film is an on-set live monitor for immersive cameras. It shows a live preview of the camera feed in the headset, in 3D 180. The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive connects through a Mac, and Canon and RED rigs connect over NDI.
Does Live Camera work with VR180 cameras?
Yes. VR180 rigs such as the Canon R5C and R5 Mark II with the dual fisheye lens, and the RED V-Raptor, connect over NDI and show in the headset in 3D 180. You import a lens map for your rig once.
Do I need OBS, NDI or an STMap for the URSA Cine Immersive?
No. The picture goes from the camera to your Mac over SDI, and AirStream sends it to the headset. The lens profile (ILPD) comes from the camera, so there is nothing to import.
Does the camera need to join the Wi-Fi?
No. The camera is wired straight into the Mac: one SDI cable for the picture and one Ethernet cable for control. The only wireless link is the Mac to the headset, so the Mac and the Vision Pro share one Wi-Fi network. It needs a one-time setup: set the camera's network to automatic, turn on Internet Sharing for that Ethernet adapter on the Mac, then restart the camera. Putting everything on one router still works too.
Which capture device do I need?
A Blackmagic UltraStudio or other DeckLink device, plus the free Desktop Video driver from blackmagicdesign.com. We tested with the UltraStudio Mini Replay 12G. The Mac needs Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later.
Can I control the camera from the headset?
Yes. REC, ISO, shutter, white balance, ND and False Color work from the headset and from the Camera window on your Mac. Camera Controls start locked in the headset each time you open the app. On the Mac, you can make every headset view only.
Can I review a take in 3D?
Yes, with Stereo Replay. Play Last Take plays the take back from the camera, and the camera sends one eye, so that playback is 2D. Turn on Record for Stereo Replay in AirStream, and the headset can replay every take in full 3D. It is a review copy of the live stream. Your master is still the BRAW on the camera.
Does it work with the Canon R5C dual fisheye?
Yes, R5C and R5 Mark II. The dual fisheye HDMI feed goes out over NDI, and the Canon tab remaps it with a Canon STMap you import once. Canon Log 3 and Log 2 LUTs are built in, so the LOG image looks right in the headset. RED V-Raptor rigs use the same import flow.
How much delay is there?
The Mac path for the URSA Cine Immersive is a lot faster than NDI. On either path, Live Camera is a monitor for framing, blocking, lighting and depth. It is not an operator's viewfinder.
Do I need a subscription?
No. Live Camera needs no subscription, and AirStream is free. The film catalog in the headset app is a separate paid membership. You don't need it for any of this.
AirStream does not show the Live Camera card. What is wrong?
Desktop Video is not installed, or AirStream was open while you installed it. Install the free Desktop Video driver from blackmagicdesign.com, restart the Mac if it asks, and reopen AirStream.
My Vision Pro does not see the Mac. What should I check?
Put the Mac and the Vision Pro on the same network. On the Mac, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and turn on Spatial Film. That is AirStream's name in macOS settings. On Vision Pro, turn on Local Network for Spatial Film in Settings. If the Mac still does not show up, open Connect by Address on the Live Feed card and type the Mac's IP address.
What do I need for the NDI path?
Your camera, an NDI sender, and a Vision Pro. The simplest sender is a laptop with a capture card running free OBS Studio; hardware NDI encoders work too. Bring a dedicated router, wire the sender with Ethernet, keep the headset on 5 GHz or 6 GHz.
My camera isn't on the list. Am I out?
Probably not. Any Full NDI source can be received. If your feed is already equirect 180, it displays correctly with no lens map. If it's fisheye, export an STMap for your lens from DaVinci Resolve and import it. The camera tabs are only presets.
The audience's seat, on set.
AirStream is free for Mac. Spatial Film is on the App Store, and Live Camera needs no subscription.