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'Aftermath' is a 360-degree walkthrough of the Camp Fire devastation
Camp Fire, the tragedy that killed at least 85 victims and destroyed around 14,000 homes across Paradise, California, continues to torment as residents start returning to the ruin as of yesterday. News channels around the world have been offering a sober look at what little is left behind the walls of fire, but not long after disaster struck, former Lytro exec Steve Cooper already sensed the need to capture a proper first-hand account of this unprecedented catastrophic event. With help from his firefighter friend at the scene plus CAL FIRE's media team, the filmmaker eventually arrived in Paradise on November 13th -- day five of Camp Fire -- with his SUV and 360 camera to commence his two-day shoot. The result was the aptly named Aftermath, a seven-minute 8K 360 video documentary now available on YouTube.
USA Today takes you on a VR tour of Trump's proposed border wall
After a series of experiments with virtual reality, USA Today launched its full-fledged VR news show last year. "VRtually There" (as it's known) followed in the footsteps of similar segments from The New York Times and ABC News. Since then, the media outlet's immersive broadcasts have covered everything from extreme sports to marine life. It even hosted a VR livestream of Donald Trump's inauguration. The 45th President of the United States also happens to be the catalyst for its latest (and arguably most ambitious) experience. The Wall: Unknown Stories, Unintended Consequences uses Trump's campaign promise to build a border wall as its launchpad for an in-depth exploration of its possible ramifications.
This is the GoPro Fusion: the company's all-in-one VR camera
GoPro surprised everybody when it teased its "Fusion" 360-degree action camera back in April. Mostly because GoPro rarely teases anything (Karma, perhaps being the exception), preferring to show up out of nowhere with a glossy release video and launch event. The half-reveal didn't tell us much, just that there was a camera coming in the fall, it had a resolution of 5.2K, a feature called "OverCapture" that would allow you to "punch out" a regular video from the spherical capture and well, that was kinda it.
With live 360 video Facebook should focus on cameras not content
360 cameras exist. YouTube already supports livestreaming in the immersive format. Yesterday Facebook finally opened up its popular Live service to 360 videos too. But not for everyone. Right now it's just select pages, with National Geographic kicking things off today. Officially, then, 360 livestreaming is going mainstream. But if the new world of live, spherical video is to succeed, livestreaming needs to get easier, with a home on a major social network. YouTube has already made headway in this space, but, much like how video streaming didn't gain traction with the broader public until Meerkat and Periscope (and then Facebook) piped it direct into your friends' feeds, 360 needs the immediacy of social to succeed. To do that, it needs hardware that's easy to use and a seamless app experience.
GoPro announces VR video app and livestreaming tools
It's been a busy few days for GoPro. The firm officially took the wraps off its six-camera Omni VR rig last week, snagged one of Apple's top designers, and partnered with over 100 companies with its new developer program. Today, the company revealed it's launching a channel for 360-degree/virtual reality videos called "GoPro VR," along with a version of its HEROCast wireless streaming tool for VR (called LiveVR). We also learned how much that Omni rig will set you back: $5,000 for a bundle with everything you need (six cameras, Kolor software, smart remote, cables, memory cards, etc.). If you already have enough GoPros in your kitbag, you can buy the rig on its own for $1,500, with pre-orders opening tomorrow.
NASA's Curiosity offers another 360-degree peek at Mars
Less than two weeks ago NASA posted a 360-degree video on Facebook that showed the perspective of its Curiosity rover on Mars. It was an exhilarating view, but the way it had been created -- by stitching together lots of different photographs -- meant the final video offered a strange, fishbowl-like picture. Thankfully, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has uploaded a replacement to YouTube which is lightyears better than the original. While it's still a static shot -- so more of a panorama than a true 360-degree video -- it's another mesmerizing look at the Red Planet. The component images were captured by Curiosity on December 18, 2015 using the Mast Camera rig, otherwise known as Mastcam, which sits on top of the robot's vertical arm. In the video you can see the Namib Dune, which forms part of the Bagnold Dunes dotted along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. NASA notes that, after analysing images taken from orbit, scientists believe the dunes can move as much as one meter during a normal Earth year. A portion of Mount Sharp can be seen on the horizon and of course, Curiosity itself is visible down below on the surface. You can watch the video in your browser and click around to change the perspective, but for an immersive experience we recommend using the YouTube app on your phone or a Google Cardboard -- with the gyroscope sensor you can look around naturally, which is always pretty fun.
Google's interactive 'Spotlight Stories' come to YouTube
Google's Spotlight Stories started life as a partnership with Motorola. The made-for-mobile 360-degree videos let viewers dive into animated worlds created by engineers and movie makers. The latest film, "Special Delivery," arrives just in time for the holidays and was created by Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame). Unlike most VR video, Spotlight Stories use the sensors in your phone for a more interactive experience. Look away from the main character and the main story pauses, while you unlock mini stories that only play when you focus on them. Previous shows required a special app to view them, but Special Delivery is launching on directly on YouTube -- as the ubiquitous video site bolsters its VR library.
