360-degree
Latest
D-Link brings AI-powered person detection to its home security cameras
Ahead of CES, D-Link is bringing new features to its home security cameras. Today, the company announced that its devices can now detect people and breaking glass. The added capabilities are powered by AI that runs on the edge, and D-Link says it's able to provide faster, more accurate results than it would with cloud-powered AI.
Bjork's VR album is finally ready
It only took four-plus years, but Bjork's VR 'album' is finally ready. The Icelandic artist is releasing the complete version of Vulnicura VR through Steam on September 6th, giving PC owners a single place to experience 360-degree visuals available in the digital museum collection and beyond. This includes seven of the tracks from the album (including "Stonemilker," "Lionsong" and "Black Lake") with a 360-degree score composed by Stephen Malinowski.
Apple Final Cut Pro X is ready to edit VR video
Apple isn't just making the iMac Pro available to order -- it's also updating the creative software you'll likely run on that iMac. A new upgrade to Final Cut Pro X adds support for both newer video technology and some key color editing tools. Most notably, the editing tool now handles VR video -- you can edit 360-degree footage at high resolutions (8K "and beyond"), complete with motion graphics. And if you need to see how your work looks, you can preview it in real-time on an HTC Vive or other compatible headsets.
Essential Phone sends 360-degree live video to Facebook and YouTube
Essential has been racing to improve the (frankly lackluster) camera software on its phone ever since launch, and now those upgrades are showering affection on the handset's signature 360 Camera attachment. Andy Rubin's outfit is delivering an update that adds streaming live 360-degree video to both Facebook Live and YouTube Live. In other words, that add-on just became much more useful -- you can broadcast your adventures in a VR-friendly format just by clipping a camera to your phone.
Facebook will use AI to help correct skewed 360-degree photos
Ever since Facebook added 360-degree photos to your news feed last year, more and more images of this type have appeared. You can even take and share these full-circle images right from your mobile device, as well, making them even more ubiquitous. Finding them is even easier with Facebook's Gear VR app, too. As reported by VentureBeat, the social network is now using deep neural networks to analyze 360-degree photos to fix the image orientation for a better viewing experience, especially in VR.
Samsung hints that another 360-degree camera is in the works
The Gear 360 camera only reached shelves a few months ago, but that might not stop Samsung from readying a quick follow-up. The tech giant has quietly applied for a trademark on "360 Round," hinting at the possibility of another VR camera in the works. There aren't any obvious clues about the hardware's features, but its familiar-sounding RM-R260 model number (the 360 is the RM-R210) suggests that it's very much a sibling to the Gear 360. The "Round" badging also hints it might be a more compact, strictly spherical device versus the Gear 360's eyestalk shape, but it's hard to say for sure.
Google is making 360-degree cameras Street View-ready
It can be a pain to upload your own Street View photos even if you have a 360-degree camera. You may have to stop to take photos every few feet, and then there's the question of getting the spherical shots from your camera to the internet. Google thinks it can help. It's working with hardware partners on "Street View ready" standards that will certify 360-degree cameras based on how easily you can post shots. Street View mobile ready devices let you post directly from an app, with no PC required; auto ready cameras, meanwhile, are designed for capturing high-accuracy shots from your car. VR ready cameras collect the geometry you need for (what else?) virtual reality and connected 360-degree shots, while workflow ready cameras come with publishing tools that upload directly to Street View. In at least some cases, uploading is just a matter of recording some footage (even on the move) and loading an app.
Samsung's Gear VR browser gets improved WebVR content support
One of the best reasons to (still) consider a Galaxy S7 smartphone is the Gear VR headset support, and with Google's Daydream a looming rival, Samsung wants to keep things that way. As such, Samsung recently updated its Internet for Gear VR browser used inside the virtual reality headset. The biggest change is support for WebVR 1.0, the first iteration of the experimental VR internet browser standard developed by Google and Mozilla. The feature makes it easier to view 3D images and streaming VR content on the device.
Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 360-degree video
Let's be honest: no matter how much you like watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it loses a lot of its thunder if you aren't in New York City to witness it first-hand. However, you might get a better feel for it with the 2016 event. Macy's, NBCUniversal and our corporate overlords at Verizon are planning to livestream the parade in 360 degrees as soon as it kicks off on November 24th at 9AM Eastern. If you have a browser or device that can handle 360-degree YouTube video, you too can watch the floats and marching bands almost as if you were streetside. There will be numerous 360-degree cameras placed at "strategic points" on the route to add a dash of variety. No, this won't help you skip the less-than-enthralling segments, but those so-so moments will at least will be more immersive than ever before.
Sony Pictures will stream live VR with Nokia's Ozo camera
Nokia made some great smartphone cameras back in the day, but we certainly didn't expect that to lead to the Ozo, a $45,000, 360-degree 3D virtual reality camera. Now, the Finnish company will provide expertise and Ozo cameras to Sony Pictures, which will use them to create VR content. The studio will also take advantage of the Ozo Live VR broadcast capability "to transport fans to Sony Pictures events that they couldn't otherwise attend," the company wrote.
Facebook open sources its 360-degree video camera
Facebook said from the start that it would open source its Surround 360 camera this summer, and it's following through on that promise. You can now visit GitHub to learn how to build the camera, install its software and (naturally) tweak both the hardware and software to meet your needs. Just keep in mind that this isn't exactly a homebrew project -- you'll need about $30,000 in parts to build the official version. It's more for video pros that want to produce 360-degree content without having to turn to pricier, pre-packaged offerings like Nokia's Ozo. Still, it's worth exploring the source if you want to either see how Facebook's VR cam works or design a lower-cost alternative.
Getty launches VR group with 12,000 stock images
Getty Images, responsible for many of the stock photos you see on the web, has launched a VR division called Getty Images Virtual Reality Group. The company is betting big that virtual reality via headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive is the future of media, and not a passing fad. The company already has 12,000 360-degree images, but will boost that number considerably at the 2016 Rio Olympics. As the official photo agency, Getty will equip each of its photographers with a 360-degree camera to supplement their regular still cameras.
Double Robotics turns its telepresence robot into a VR rig
There's one big problem with trying to capture virtual reality video while moving... those pesky humans. Even if you have stabilizing gear, the person carrying the camera will still limit what and how you shoot. Double Robotics has a simple answer to that, though: its newly-launched 360 Camera Dolly robot transforms the company's telepresence bot into a remotely controlled, silent VR camera rig. If you want to record a cinematic tracking shot or college campus tour, you don't need any people or noisy equipment on the scene.
Facebook shows its first video from its 360-degree camera rig
Facebook was quick to talk about being at the forefront of 360-degree video when it unveiled its Surround 360 rig, but how good is that massive 14-camera array, really? As of today, you can find out for yourself. Mark Zuckerberg has posted the social network's first video shot and produced with the Surround 360, and it's a good hint as to what you can expect from virtual reality movies. The 3.5-minute short is more of a tech demo than a creative work (you sit in New York City's Grand Central Terminal as visitors walk by), but it showcases both the seamless nature of the video the potential of the format. It feels more like you're there, not just peeping through a lens.
Google takes you on a 360-degree tour of the Sydney Opera House
It's never been easier to visit historic places around the world, at least virtually. And now, thanks to a partnership with Google's Cultural Institute, the Sydney Opera House is letting people take a 360-degree video tour of its iconic arts center. The experience, which is roughly nine minutes long, features a performance from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and views of different areas around the location. It's perfect for those of you who haven't been to the Sydney Opera House, especially if you're hoping to go one day.
YouTube now streams 360-degree live video
You no longer have to watch canned footage if you want to enjoy YouTube's support for 360-degree video. YouTube is rolling out live 360-degree streaming, giving you a chance to watch that concert, surgery or special event as if you were there. It'll get its first big use with "select" performances at Coachella this coming weekend, but we'd expect it to take off anywhere that VR-like video works.
Facebook announces its 360-degree camera
At its annual F8 developer conference, Facebook introduced its latest piece of hardware: the Facebook Surround 360 camera. The device will capture footage then render it online via web-based software created especially for it. Facebook won't be selling it; instead the designs for the array will be available on GitHub later this summer.
Intel buys a 360-degree sports video replay specialist
Intel is already into camera technology with RealSense, but it just took a big leap into sports entertainment by acquiring Replay Technologies. That's the company behind the crazy 360-degree freeD video used during the slam-dunk competition at this year's NBA All-Star games (see the video, below). The system can freeze action from any angle then rotate all around it, much like the bullet-time effect used in the Matrix. Intel's grand idea is to it to create "a new category for sports entertainment that we call immersive sports, which is attracting the attention of leagues, venues, broadcasters and fans," according to its blog.
You can get up close and personal with the titanosaur in VR
The massive dinosaur class known as titanosaurs got a lot of attention last month when a 122-foot skeleton was added to the fossil exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History. If you can't get to New York City and see it for yourself, the BBC has put together the next-best thing: a 360-degree VR video showing off the biggest dinosaur ever. Hosted by David Attenborough, the famed writer and broadcaster who has produced a huge number of BBC documentary series, the video gets you up close and personal with a CGI recreation of the titanosaur that was created by scanning the bones of the very dinosaur currently on display in NYC.
Nikon reveals its own VR-ready action camera
Nikon isn't exactly quick to jump on the latest trends, as it still lacks a mirrorless camera with a truly large sensor. However, it just filled a giant hole in its lineup by launching its first action camera: meet the KeyMission 360. As the name implies, the tiny, cube-like cam is designed from the start for 360-degree images and virtual reality. It's also toughened up like many of the incumbent offerings, with drop-proofing to 6.6 feet and waterproofing to depths of 100 feet.
