You can now watch 360-degree videos on YouTube
PUBLISHED ONMarch 16, 2015 9:29 AMBySteven Sin
SINGAPORE - YouTube announced on Friday (March 13) that users can upload 360-degree videos and watch these videos on the YouTube app for Android and on the Chrome browser.
Users of the app can "see all the different angles while the video plays" by moving the phone or tablet around. On Chrome, users can drag the point of view around with the mouse.
You can check out some 360-degree videos that YouTube highlighted in its statement here and here, and even go along for a ride in a Formula One race car on a track in Norway (it's a 2012 video, but - still - no less awesome).
Admittedly, most of the videos aren't super hi-res or clear, but the feature can be very liberating - for example, in the aforementioned ride in an F1 racing car, you can look around.
YouTube has a playlist for 360-degree videos.
For people with 360-degree video cameras, there're some technical steps (here and here) that you need to follow to make your video uploads show up correctly in YouTube.
In case you haven't been paying attention, the 360-degree feature works only on the YouTube app on Android and in Chrome. So if you're not experiencing the awesomeness in the videos, check your device or browser.
YouTube said that they are working to bring this to iOS and other devices, so iPhone users will have to wait a bit more.
While 360-degree videos are not exactly new, YouTube supporting the technology may boost adoption of 360-degree video cameras.
sinsh@sph.com.sg