Users of Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) will be able to watch videos with a panoramic 360-degree angle on the News Feed page or mobile devices, the social networking leader announced Wednesday.
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Support for the iOS platform will comply with within the coming months, the corporate stated. Recorded content can be shared on dedicated portals like Ricoh’s theta360.com, but platforms such as YouTube’s dedicated 360 video channel and the new Google Street View app offer spherical videographers the potential for bigger viewing audiences.
Facebook has partnered with several online publishers to be the first to upload 360-degree video.
Want to take a look at how 360-degree videos look in the Star Wars universe?
Facebook is showcasing a new immersive video format that allows viewers to change their viewpoint while watching. The social giant foresees expanding the feature to all user-shared video, although today capturing 360-degree video requires a specialized camera array. “Along with updates from your friends and family, you will also be able to discover wonderful new content on Facebook from media companies, organizations, and individual creators”, they shared on their blog. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was especially upbeat about the technology’s potential during Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference in March. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life.
Maher Saba, engineering director of video at Facebook, said: “Our goal at Facebook is to connect you with the people and things that matter, every single day”. The video symbolizes a compelling way for company to bring consumers into new experiences and worlds like never before.
Remember that one time that Facebook bought Oculus, maker of the Rift virtual reality headset?
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“Often the problem with virtual reality…is you don’t have the content when the hardware arrives”, Enderle said.
