Google announces a new line of cameras for 180 degree 3D video
Google’s Daydream VR division and YouTube have teamed up to announced VR180, a new more limited VR format for videos. VR180 videos are meant to be easier to create and easier to watch in high definition. Google will be launching a new line of VR180 cameras as well.
As you probably guessed from the name, VR180 videos are only 180-degrees. Most of the action will be right in front of you, but you can also glance to the sides. VR180 videos will appear like traditional flat videos outside of VR, but if you have a headset you’ll be able to watch them in 3D.
There are many advantages to shooting in 180-degrees instead of the full 360-degrees. You don’t need an obnoxious camera rig or expensive software to stitch the video together. People often complain about video quality in 360-degree videos It’s much easier to stream high-quality 180-degree video.
Google is working with Lenovo, LG, and Yi to create VR180 cameras. The first is scheduled to launch this winter and should cost about the same as a point-and-shoot camera. It’s about the size of a regular camera, but it has two lenses side-by-side. What do you think of VR180? Are you more likely to watch these videos in VR?