Could DIRECTV offer VR content?

It seems like all of a sudden everyone is talking about VR again. VR headsets have been around since the late 1980s, but back then the technology was far too crude to really work well. Today’s devices are still far from perfect, but they offer HD resolution and fast processors that give users a much better experience.

VR has been talked about for decades as a way to improve productivity, help people experience things in new ways, and even collaborate. Meta (the company formerly known as Facebook) has shown prototypes of Zoom-like experiences that use VR. I’m not personally excited about that. I guess I’m one of those who would rather cut down on the teleconferencing apps rather than upgrade them. Then again, there may be no choice.

DIRECTV in VR?

Don’t laugh. People have actually brought this up to me. After all, DIRECTV has been at the forefront of new technologies before. Adding VR wouldn’t really be out of their wheelhouse, would it?

It seems to me that if you did see a VR experience from DIRECTV, it would be part of the DIRECTV Stream service, not part of the satellite service. VR headsets can already stream, so that’s one problem dealt with. In order for DIRECTV satellite content to be delivered to VR headsets, there would have to be some sort of functionality to connect them to the dish. That’s not likely to happen.

Of course, as we saw with 3D and 4K, the real question is whether or not there is any content. There’s a fair amount of VR video out there on YouTube and other sources, but not really enough to build a whole streaming service on. And that’s the other thing — that content’s already out there. In order for DIRECTV to offer any value, it would need to give customers something they couldn’t get anywhere else.

In the past, the company might have ventured into creating its own VR content, as they did with 3D and 4K. But I don’t see a lot of that happening now. DIRECTV’s just a different company than they were a decade ago, literally.

Is this something that would interest you?

I see a lot of uses for VR and augmented reality. I have a headset myself and I find that it’s a lot of fun. I’m not sure I’d want to wear it 8 hours a day for work, that’s for sure. And as far as watching movies on it in VR, I’m not sure I’d really jump into it either.

But I’m more interested in your opinions. How invested are you in today’s VR tech? Is it a novelty for you? Do you want more content? Or are you one of those folks who just aren’t interested? Leave a comment below, and let’s get the conversation started? Who knows, the folks at DIRECTV might just be listening to what you have to say.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.