Just when you thought you were full up on awesome… Edwin Rogers comes and thwacks you in the head.
Really, that’s what it felt like.
Rogers presented at the NY Video Meetup that we host at AOL - and you could feel the room take a collective breath.
Rogers began with the simple promise that the time for Virtual Reality video had arrived, and his company VRvideo.co had figured out how to do it.
Edwin Rodgers / VRvideo.co | Photo by: Steven Rosenbaum @Waaywire
As he explained - and then demonstrated to a rapt audience, video can now be shot in 360 degrees using a ball made up of six GoPro cameras. The sphere is held together with a simple plastic housing, and is about the size of a small cantaloupe. The VR recorder is mounted on a monopod and the photographer holds it above their head and walks into the environment you want to record.
Immediately ideas for how to use this tech spring to mind. News events, sports, music - anything were feeling like you’re inside the story would be amazing.
Edwin Rogers / VRvideo.co | Photo by: Steven Rosenbaum @Waaywire
As Rogers explained it, there are three ways to view 360 video. The first is on a desktop, where you can pan left right, up and down with your mouse. But then, the second is video the video on a iPhone where you can move the phone, and the video changes it’s perspective as the phone is moved left right/ up down. Finally - and most surprisingly - Rogers brought out a Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus headset - and invited someone from the audience up to try it on. The audience member was blown away - that you could move your head and experience a concert from the audience or the stages pov.
Edwin Rogers / VRvideo.co Demo's video in Samsung Gear by Oculus| Photo by: Steven Rosenbaum... [+]
But then Rogers went further - explaining that YouTube allowed you to host and stream 360 video. And that the software for creating the 360 video was available on line today. It’s called Kolor, and you can find it at Kolor.com. And then… he said that the rig that holds the 360 camera’s together is also printed in 3d and you can purchase it online.
Which is to say - VR video is plug and play ready, downloadable and shootable. And easy enough that anyone who wants to buy 6 GoPro’s can be in the game.
I guess everyone knew 360 video would arrive someday… just didn’t think it would be TODAY.
Check out a few VR videos here, here, and here. You’ll be struck by just how far we’ve come, and how fast the future is arriving at our doorstep. Can anyone say 360 video mounted on a drone? How cool would that be? wh
Watch them here, here, and here (move your mouse over the video while it's playing)
