8i
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2014
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 3
About 8i
8i is an entertainment and spatial-computing technology company focused on capturing, reconstructing and streaming photorealistic volumetric video—often described as holograms. Founded in Wellington in 2014, the company develops systems that turn multi-angle recordings of real people into animated 3D media for virtual, augmented and mixed-reality experiences.
Its end-to-end offering spans capture stages, multi-camera recording, computer-vision and machine-learning reconstruction, mesh compression, content packaging, and delivery to browsers, mobile devices and VR/MR headsets. 8i’s work emphasizes human performance rather than avatar-only experiences, supporting recorded and live volumetric media across WebAR, WebXR and other immersive formats.
Capture, transformation and delivery
- Volumetric capture: Full-service performance recording using synchronized camera arrays, lighting and capture hardware.
- 3D reconstruction: Conversion of multi-angle video into animated 3D meshes with synchronized textures and audio.
- Streaming technology: Adaptive delivery for on-demand and live holographic content, including browser-based experiences that do not require a custom application.
- Enterprise solutions: Interactive simulation and training applications for medical, defense and industrial contexts.
The company has productized its technology as integrated hardware-software systems, including ASPX Pro 4K stages, while pursuing neural codecs and low-latency streaming for volumetric media. Its capabilities serve entertainment, broadcasting, retail and fashion activations as well as healthcare education, military medical training and telecommunications-led immersive services.
8i’s projects include the #100humans volumetric showcase at Sundance’s New Frontier exhibition; Buzz Aldrin: Cycling Pathways to Mars; the Holo mobile AR application; a VR hairstyling tutorial for L’Oréal Matrix Academy; Volkswagen’s VR auto-show experience; and a Four-Dimensional Tactical Combat Casualty Care training suite developed with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center. In 2021, 8i and 8th Wall demonstrated a live WebAR hologram interview streamed from 8i’s Venice capture stage to standard smartphone browsers.
Today, 8i operates as an independent, globally distributed volumetric-video studio with production, research, engineering and technical-development operations in the United States, New Zealand and Vietnam.
More about 8i
Key initiatives include the Four-Dimensional Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training suite that blends VR and volumetric AR scenarios for military medical personnel, featuring 'Crawl, Walk, Run' scenarios for training and interactive battlefield scenarios for testing retention under pressure. The company has also developed a volumetric AR training scenario and has ambitious plans for a holographic communications unit using shipping containers and low orbit satellites for real-time 3D medical diagnosis and communication.
8i's volumetric video technology allows recording of real training that can be played back at any time on any immersive media device including AR and VR headsets, increasing replicability of training courses and limiting the need for live instructors. The company has been in production since 2014 and has captured performances over a wide range of action, costumes, and props.
Their reconstruction and codec algorithms produce final assets at bit rates ranging from 5-60 Mbps. The company is backed by innovators in technology and media, though specific partner names are not publicly listed. CEO Hayes Mackaman has been working for over a decade in the digital communications space with deep understanding of how volumetric video can be applied to training, entertainment, and medicine.
Notable credits
7 creditsOffices
Current and former locations of 8i
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
HeadquartersUS headquarters and production capture facility; commonly listed broadly as Los Angeles.
- Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand
Wellington office
Core research, technical development and support facility.
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
Chicago office
Engineering and operations hub supporting web and streaming infrastructure development.
- Bellevue, Washington, United States
Bellevue office
Former officeOpened 2016 · Closed 2018
Compression and streaming research lab led by Dr. Philip A. Chou.
- Culver City, California, United States
8i Labs
Former officeOpened 2015 · Closed 2017
Original 8i Labs showcase studio and beta capture facility with a volumetric stage.
- San Francisco, California, United States
San Francisco office
Former officeOpened 2014 · Closed 2016
Early corporate and communications outpost at the Upload VR collective space.
Open roles
Find your next role at 8i