• WEEKLY PODCAST
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • OPINION
  • CONTACT

Ritchie's Room

Technology, Gadgets and Product Reviews

You are here: Home / Opinion / Are 360 Videos Good Virtual Reality Experiences?

Are 360 Videos Good Virtual Reality Experiences?

April 8, 2016 By Ritchie

 

As a consumer of virtual reality hardware and software, I’ve been blown away with the variety and depth of the VR content that I’ve been able to either purchase or try out over the last year. It’s very easy to become a little jaded after experiencing professional content of computer generated and video-based producers. As a content producer, and one with a distinctively modest budget, this year presents the very difficult task of choosing which consumer-grade 360 camera to invest in.

Trawling through reviews and commentary in this area inevitably leads to rich discussions over what constitutes good 360 video content. Narrowing that even further to the type that can be pleasantly viewed in VR (through Google Cardboard, Gear VR etc) attracts even more comments. For some, anything less than 4K resolution, 3D stereoscopic 360 x 360 resolution is the minimum requirement. And although I understand this purist view, the gasps and wonderment I still see on people’s faces when they first hold up a Google Cardboard to their face regardless of the quality of the content says to me that for many – indeed the mainstream – consumer, there is far more flexibility and latitude given to the types of content they will accept onto their eyes.

I’m comparing this to the much earlier adopter segment that has been living many hours a week in a VR environment and holds a much stronger benchmark for any content worth their while. And as the writer and presenter on this website, there’s no way I’m going to be able to justify the massive expense of a Nokia Ozo or GoPro Jump rig right now, or if ever. (update: GoPro just announced their “Omni” 6 camera rig with no indicative pricing but should be a much more affordable option – circa $3-4K I expect).

Like many of my readers, I’m here because VR, and many other aspects of consumer technology, are a burning passion for me and it’s great to share what I can create, relate and review in the written word and on video.

Right now I’m eager to see what the LG 360 and Samsung Gear 360 cameras can provide in terms of auto stitched, medium resolution, two dimensional, full spherical video content is concerned. This could indeed be the year that mainstream consumers start sharing their own VR-ready experiences on Youtube and Facebook. Affordable hardware combined with a ready-made audience on various video platforms could be the great democratizer of VR content.

I’ll continue to seek out and provide information on various 360 cameras. It will be interesting to see what type of content (video/images), in what format (3D/2D), at what resolution (2K/3K/4K) and in what wrapping (180 vs 360, or half wrap around vs full wrap around) will be the most shared and most successful. After all, most of my friends that have seen my new videos on Youtube can’t be bothered or can’t even get the full resolution available. But, they’re still interested in what I’m showing them.

I’m sure there will be more to this particular topic in many different areas. Entertainment, education, health and enterprise segments all have their own possible uses for VR content. The methods and platforms that ultimately become the default destinations for 360 and passive VR content will open a window into our own quality expectations. So to answer my own question in the title of this article of whether 360 videos make good VR content, it depends on both the viewer and the creator. I will certainly be watching this shifting landscape very closely over the next few months.

Until next time!

 

Related

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: 360 video, gear vr, lg 360 cam, virtual reality, vr

Subscribe

Become part of the family.

Become part of the family.

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

Welcome to the club!

Powered by Rapidology

On Radio

Click on the 2UE button above and on the next page click on the "Listen Live" button to hear Ritchie live in the studio online from anywhere in the world. The show is on at 5pm Sunday afternoons Australian Eastern Standard Time. So remember to convert for your local area.

Live Periscope Broadcasts

@ritchiesroom

Facebook

Facebook

YouTube Channel

My Most Viewed Videos Ever

Galaxy S3 (S Voice) vs iPhone 4S (Siri)
Galaxy S3 (S Voice) vs iPhone 4S (Siri)
Google Nexus 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0 Tablet
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime
SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab 7.7 - The Best 7 Inch Android Tablet
Gear VR Oculus Cinema - How to Watch Your Own Movies
Tethering Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 to your Android phone
Watching Movies On The Samsung Gear VR
new iPad (iPad 3) A5X CPU vs ASUS Transformer Prime Tegra 3 CPU
By PoseLab
Show more videos»

Google +

Other Articles You Might Like

Live on 2UE Talking Lifestyle, November 27th 2016

I was live in studio on 2UE earlier today with my cohost Clinton Maynard, and this week we chatted … [Read More...]

Live on 2UE Talking Lifestyle, 20th November, 2016

I was live in studio on 2UE earlier today with my cohost Clinton Maynard, and this week we chatted … [Read More...]

Live on 2UE Talking Lifestyle, 13th November 2016

I was live in studio on 2UE earlier today with my cohost Clinton Maynard, and this week we chatted … [Read More...]

Live on 2UE Talking Lifestyle, 6th November 2016

I was live in studio in Melbourne in the lovely 3AW studios earlier today while my cohost Clinton … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Live on 2GB, August 20th
  • Live on 2GB, August 12th
  • Live on 2GB, July 22nd
  • Live on 2GB, July 16th
  • Live on 2GB, July 2nd

Archives

About Us

Ritchie's Room is a dedicated gadgets, technology and consumer electronics blog. Week in and week out we will keep you up to date with the latest product … [Read More]

Tags

Acer Android Android Honeycomb Android Tablets Apple Asus Transformer Asus Transformer Prime Australia Bing Lee Consumer Electronics Show Facebook Galaxy Tab 7.7 Google HDMI Intel Intel Corporation IPad iPad 2 iPhone MicroSD Microsoft Music PC Hardware Personal computer product reviews Radio Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Smartphone Smartphones Software tablet Tablet computer Tablet PC Tablets talkback listeners Technology Ultrabook Ultrabooks Universal Serial Bus Video virtual reality wearables YouTube

Search Bar

Copyright © 2023 · Ritchies Room the Place for Technology, Gadgets and Product Reviews