Top 5 in Tech: XGRIDS' PortalCam, Nano Banana Hacks, and the Future of AI Music

VP Land Staff

VP Land is a newsletter & YouTube channel covering the latest updates in creative technology for M&E professionals.

Here's a quick roundup of the most significant developments in media and entertainment technology this week:

🔘 XGRIDS Launches PortalCam, $5K Spatial Capture Camera

XGRIDS has unveiled PortalCam, a $5,000 handheld spatial camera built for indie filmmakers and creative pros. It combines four cameras with a LiDAR sensor capturing over 860,000 depth points per second, enabling precise 3D mapping. Using both photogrammetry and Gaussian Splatting, it processes walkthroughs into textured 3D models via XGRIDS’ LCC Studio software. This oepns up practical uses beyond VFX, including virtual location scouts and shot design. 

🍌 Nano Banana Tips & Tricks for Faster, Better Results

We pulled together the most useful Nano Banana insights—covering quick fixes, pro-level hacks, practical use cases, prompt best practices, and even a Photoshop plugin to slot Nano Banana into your existing workflow. Take a look and see how it can simplify your AI workflow while leveling up your results.

🎤 First AI Music Artist Lands Record Deal, Challenging Industry Norms

Oliver McCann, a visual designer with zero formal music training, just became the first AI music creator to land a record deal after his track Stone pulled in 3 million streams. The move is a big shift for the music world, sparking fresh debates around artistry, copyright, and how AI fits into the industry.

🌐 Tencent Drops HunyuanWorld-Voyager, Single-Image to 3D World Builder

Tencent launched HunyuanWorld-Voyager, an AI tool that turns a single photo into a fully explorable 3D scene you can drop straight into game engines or VR. Trained on 100,000+ video clips, it beats Runway’s Gen-3 in camera control and consistency, making it easier for small teams to build virtual worlds without heavy 3D modeling.

🏞️ Google Brings Unlimited Veo 3 Fast Generations

Google AI Ultra subscribers can now generate Veo 3 Fast videos without using credits—likely taking a cue from Freepik’s unlimited generations rollout last month. You can now tweak and experiment freely, only spending credits when you’re ready to lock in the final upload.

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