360 rumors

Felix and Paul Studios are raising the ante with an underwater 360 video based on Cirque du Soleil's "O." Felix and Paul Studios have been creating 360 videos that have been featured for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR .  They've been commissioned to create several 360 videos for Cirque du Soleil, such as Ka: the Battle Within , Zarkana , and Inside the Box of Kurios . Their newest 360 video for the Cirque du Soleil is a technical tour de force.  Entitled "Dreams of O," it is based on Cirque du Soleil's water-themed show "O," and includes underwater sequences. Besides requiring a 360 camera rig that can be used underwater, the video also created challenges for lighting and color. Dreams of O is available as a free download for Samsung Gear VR on the Oculus Store .

MySight360, a 4k lifelogging camera with impressive image stabilization , has been successfully funded, and its crowdfunding campaign is concluding in a couple of days.  Here are some updates since I originally posted about MySight360. First, here is a new video showing that MySight360's image stabilization will always keep the recorded video horizontal, even if the camera itself changes direction. Second, there's a new video showing how the MySight360 is used with its app. Third, MySight360 reached its stretch goal, so they are making a waterproof case available for an additional $50.  The case is expected to be rated to 10 meters. MySight360's campaign ends on January 19.   You can still contribute $189 toward a MySight360 (versus the retail price of $299) .   As with any crowdfunding campaign, pls. be aware it's not the same as preorder - most crowdfunding projects get delayed and some are discontinued.  Fortunately, MySight360 has a working demo and seems to be clo

The Polaroid R360 is a fully spherical 360 camera that is being crowdfunded at 699 yuan (around US$100). Here are the key specifications: - two 210-degree fisheye lenses - f/2.4 aperture - photo resolution: 3040 x 1520 - video resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 30fps - realtime stitching - uses Micro SD memory cards up to 128GB The Polaroid R360 is being crowdfunded at a price of 699 yuan (around US$100) for the camera by itself or 749 yuan (around $108.50) for a camera with a case .  As with any crowdfunding case, it's not a preorder and you are not guaranteed to receive the camera. I don't know if they plan to release the camera in other countries.

Muvee just launched a 360 video stitcher for the Mac, which can stitch Samsung Gear 360 videos and trim videos losslessly, and will add video editing features in the future. The  Samsung Gear 360  is currently the most affordable 4k 360 camera (until the TwoEyes VR camera is released).  However, its photos and videos must be stitched on a compatible phone (Samsung S6 series, S7 series, or Note 5) or on a PC with the included software.  Now, Muvee has made a stitching software for Mac users.  The software is available for a free 15-day demo (with watermark).  If you like it, you can buy the software for $49.95. Users will get a free update that will add video editing features such as - adjusting the exposure of either lens (I hope they include color adjustment), - a storyboard to put multiple 360 photos together into a slideshow - adding music. I don't know yet the software can stitch Gear 360 photos and whether it will be able to put multiple 360 videos together. The software is

Nolo VR (hands-on here) is a peripheral for mobile VR headsets that adds positional tracking.  They just posted a new video showing the system being used to run NVidia Funhouse, a Steam VR game for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift . Here's the video: In contrast to my hands-on experience at CES (where there was a lot of radio interference), the video appears to show only a little lag, if any.  Nolo VR said they used a Samsung S6 and Samsung Gear VR for the demo.

720VV's O3 is a 360 camera with near-4k resolution and livestreaming. Here are the key specifications: - three lenses - 1/2.3 inch sensors - video resolution:  3500 x 1750 @ 25 fps - livestream or realtime stitching resolution: 2560 x 1280 @ 25 fps - mic jack input - AC adapter available - 3 hours battery life - 380g The manufacturer posted this computer generated picture to illustrate its size: There are sample videos here .  The field of view is not exactly fully spherical because of the large nadir.  I  estimate  around 330 degrees FOV.  The stitching looks very good, although the dynamic range looks quite limited. It appears that the O3 will retail for 7,000 yuan (around US$1,015).  The O3 is being offered on a Chinese crowdfunding site, for 5,000 yuan (around US$725) with an early bird price of 4,000 yuan (around US$580) .   Update :  the price in the US will be $699 .  According to 720VV's representative, they will be shipping to the crowdfunding customers 30 days after t

TwoEyes VR is now live on Kickstarter .  The good news is that it's really $199 for the Super Early Bird ($219 to $239 for others).  The not-so-good news is that the shipping is $50.   Ouch.  Nonetheless, even with the $50 shipping, it is currently both the most affordable 3D 360 camera and for backers up to $219, the most affordable 4k 360 camera.  The next cheapest 4k 360 camera is the Samsung Gear 360 at $275 ( reviewed here ). The release date is planned for August 2017 .  The caveat is that it's a crowdfunding project which are usually delayed and moreover, it could fail completely and in the worst case scenario means that you might lose the money you paid. Some updates: - I asked TwoEyesTech about the flickering in their sample video and their Director of Business Operations said the flickering is from the artificial lights used in the room and not the optics or sensor of their camera. - TwoEyes uploaded some new photos, including photos that show their camera being us

Here's a simple technique: if you add a 360 photo at the end of your 360 video, your viewers will be able to look around and enjoy your 360 photo after watching your video. I used this technique in a video I took yesterday.   My family and I went skiing, and I took some photos and videos with the Nikon Keymission 360 (reviewed here) .  Here's the video I took: BTW, one part of the video looks a little bit "foggy" -- that's because my Keymission lens got scratched and I haven't bought a replacement lens yet.  I should have bought a lens cap ! My face looks a little foggy because my Keymission lens got scratched. Anyway, I edited the video using Cyberlink ActionDirector (the free 360 video editor included with the Samsung Gear 360 ), but the same can be done with many other 360 video editors including Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 Ultra , which has the same 360 video editing capabilities as ActionDirector. In the storyboard, I added the 360 video of us on the lift

I took a photo with a Nikon Keymission 360 ( reviewed here ) and it would have looked good except that my face is "foggy."  It's not because of a problem with the Keymission, but because I scuffed my lens and I haven't bought a replacement lens for it yet. Here is the 360 photo: I took other photos and they have the same issue .  Here is the scuff on the lens protector : As I posted previously, scratches affect 360 cameras more seriously than non-360 cameras because of 360 cameras' very short focal length.  The good thing about the Keymission is that I only have to get a replacement lens protector rather than replace the whole camera. Anyway I found a third party lens cap for the Keymission .  The set includes a cover for the regular lens protector and the underwater lens protector . I would definitely recommend getting one if you have the Keymission because the replacement lens protectors are $40 each for a single lens protector (not a pair) besides the inc

On Friday January 20, the United States will inaugurate its 45th President, Donald Trump.  USA Today Network will be recording and livestreaming the inauguration in 360. The camera that USA Today will be using is a  Nikon Keymission 360 (review and related posts here) , a camera that is actionproof (waterproof, freezeproof, shockproof) and currently the only 4k consumer camera that stitches videos automatically in-camera, making it useful for journalists who need a quick turnaround time. The Keymission is also  the 360 camera used by the Associated Press . The Keymission doesn't have livestreaming capabilities so USA Today will be using a modified version of the Keymission. Thank you very much to Jim Jensen (moderator of Google's Photo Sphere Community ) for bringing this to my attention!

With most 360 sharing platforms, you can share only photos or videos.   Visualpathy is one of the few platforms where you can share both photos and videos.  Uploaded photos and videos can be shared via app, URL, or embedded to your webpage. Check it out!

A couple of weeks ago, Twitter and Periscope had their first  360 livestreaming .  Right now, only select accounts are being allowed to livestream, but Twitter and Periscope are gradually rolling out the feature.   HOW TO DO A 360 LIVESTREAM ON TWITTER AND PERISCOPE  First, you need a compatible camera.  The only camera officially supported right now is the Insta360 Nano (reviewed here) , although there will be support for Insta360 Air (hands-on here) and Giroptic iO (hands-on here) as well when they are released.   If you do have a compatible camera, you'll need a Periscope or Twitter account.  (If you already have a Twitter account, that will work as a Periscope account).   You can then get on the Periscope waitlist here .  According to some Insta360 Nano users, the wait time is only about a week! I've requested to be on the waitlist and will let you guys know as soon as I get approval. Update : I got approval, I've tried the live stream, and here is a tutorial .

Hi everyone.  Many of you have been making comments on the blog, and I really appreciate it!  I apologize if I haven't responded to your comments.  Strangely, for some reason I am no longer receiving comment notifications on most of them.  I have around 1,000 posts now and obviously I can't check each one for comments. I will switch back from Google+ to the Blogger comments, which I'm hoping will fix comment notification.  Unfortunately, I think this will also make comments disappear, and for that I sincerely apologize.  Thank you for your understanding and continued support.  Please continue to like, comment on, and share my posts, which helps more people know about our site, which has grown very quickly thanks to you. And pls. note you can always contact me via the 360 Rumors Facebook page (click on the Send Message button). UPDATE : The new (old) comment system working!  I can see all the comments and respond to them.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Mark your calendars: TwoEyesVR (hands-on here) will launch on Kickstarter on January 16 .  I'm still not sure about the exact price.  The reps said would be $399, but the Kickstarter draft preview still seems to show an early bird price of just $199 (???).  Even at $399, it would be the most affordable 3D 360 camera by a significant margin.  If it really is available at $199, it would not only be the cheapest 3D 360 camera but the lowest cost 4k-capable 360 camera.

A couple of months ago, I posted about the Detu Sphere S , a higher resolution version of the Sphere 800 .  The Detu Sphere S is now available from an Amazon reseller, at $160 plus shipping .  Interestingly, it seems that Sphere S is one of the few 360 cameras that may be able to handle night sky photography. Here's a recap of the Sphere S specs: - 12mp sensor - field of view: 236 degrees - aperture: f/2.0 - 1/2.3 inch 12mp backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor by Sony - photo resolution: 4000 x 3000 - video resolution: 2880 x 2160 @ 24 fps; 2560 x 1440 @ 30 fps - weight: 77 grams - dimensions: 50×50×43mm The Sphere S can export its video in equirectangular mp4 for viewing on a VR headset, although the resolution of 2880 x 2160 is not the standard 2:1, which makes me wonder if the video will appear distorted. One of the interesting features of the Sphere S is that it has a manual exposure mode, with a shutter speed that can be as slow as 24 seconds .  This would be useful for nigh

Liiv360 is a hemispherical 360 camera with 4k video and can be used underwater up to 100 feet deep, with its waterproof housing. Here are the key specs: - V3+ Sony IMX179 sensor - Video resolution: up to 3840 x 2160 @30fps - Photo resolution: up to 16mp Functions include: - time lapse - loop recording - slow motion (720p @ 120fps) The Liiv360 comes with several mounting options included, and includes a waterproof housing with a depth of up to 100 feet. I didn't see anything that indicates a function for exporting the video to equirectangular mp4 format, so I don't expect you'll be easily able to view the video in VR / gyroscopic view. Liiv360 is now available from B&H Photo for $220.50 in black .  Other colors are available by special order.

I had the chance to try the Immersive Robotics (IMR) wireless adapter which enables you to use the HTC Vive wirelessly. IMR's Mach 2K system consists of two primary components: a transceiver attached to the PC and a transceiver with external battery pack, attached to the headset. On the headset side, the transceiver is worn on a belt which will also carry an external battery pack.  The headset is connected to the transceiver the same way as it would be connected to the Vive link box, with inputs for HDMI, USB, and power.  It's plug and play and doesn't require installing any drivers.  I asked if it was compatible with the Rift as well and they said they haven't tested it, although they think it would probably be. IMR claims that their system can support 4k per eye and can be used by 16 people in the same space.  The key to IMR's system is compression -- they compress up to 95% of the data.  Besides the key issue of latency, IMR's method raises a question about w

Apparently, YouTube supports 8k 360-degree videos. Someone uploaded the Insta360 Pro sample videos to YouTube and they were saved as 8k!  I'm not sure how long they'll stay there because it's a violation of Insta360's copyright but anyhow I'm glad YouTube enables sharing of 8k 360 videos. BTW, even my VR-ready PC with a GTX 1060 6GB had a hard time playing the video at 8k. RELATED POSTS Sample photos and videos from Insta360 Pro

IdealoEye presented three 360 cameras and two VR headsets at CES 2017. IDEALOEYE C2 The C2 is Idealoeye's entry-level 360 camera with two lenses, with a new design that looks strikingly different from any other 360 camera (in fact, I initially thought it was just a non-360 camera), and a mode dial on the side.  It can record fully spherical 360 video at 4096 x 2048 @ 30fps , slightly higher than most other consumer 360 cameras (which are usually 3840 x 1920).  The C2 can also livestream in 360 at 4k via RTMP, with 30mbps bitrate. One unusual feature is that it is equipped with a fan for dissipating heat .  I believe the unusual design actually functions as a radiator that further assists heat management.  Idealoeye claims that it can operate for 1.5 hours. The C2 also has two (?) 3.5mm stereo microphone input jacks.  Having even one mic input jack is a rare feature in consumer 360 cameras.  I don't know if it mixes the audio from two microphones or what. IDEALOEYE C4 The C4 is

Detu, makers of the F4 camera and the  Sphere 800 hemispherical 360 camera , launched the Detu Twin at CES 2017.  They also hinted at two new 360 cameras. DETU TWIN Final versions of the Detu Twin were available to demo at CES.  The final version looks a little wider than the prototype version I posted about way back in May .   Here it is next to the Theta (any resemblance is coincidental, I'm sure). Here are the final specs: - two 200-degree lenses, fully spherical field of view. - two 4mp "low-illuminated" (BSI?) sensors - f/2 aperture - photo resolution: 8mp - video resolution: 3k @ 30fps (3040 x 1520) - live preview - 360 livestreaming up to 3k resolution - uses removable Micro SD card - 120mm x 46mm x 24mm, 82 grams. Photos are stitched "instantly."  I believe videos are as well, but I haven't confirmed this. Although I was able to use the camera to take photos and videos, I could not actually see the photos and videos themselves.  However, there are no