GoPro has been associated with 360 degree video for some time, having been used by many commercial video production companies and ‘prosumers’ for a number of years. Aside from a partnership with Google got the JUMP initiative however, the company has been mainly concerned with developing an improved pipeline for content creators. That all changes this month with the release of the GoPro Omni.
The GoPro Omni is a six-camera rig designed specifically for GoPro camera and associated with a proprietary content creation ecosystem. Built around the HERO4 Black model, the GoPro Omni includes a synchronisation mechanism that allows commands to be issued to all six cameras without the need for independent input. Changes in mode and capture can be input once and applied instantly to all six cameras.
Furthermore, the cameras can be synchronised to ‘pixel-level’, meaning that each camera will capture within exact alignment with one another. The GoPro Omni rig itself features an aluminium frame specifically draws heat away from the cameras for improved run time, while the flexibility of the design allows compatible with an external battery pack (included within the retail package).
Finally, the GoPro Omni software includes the recording of metadata onto each file and SD card allowing the user to simply plug the card into the SD card slot on their chosen editing platform and find the content already aligned in the correct order.
The GoPro Omni rig is available for pre-order now, ready to ship on 17th August 2016. A listing on Amazon.com for the GoPro Omni prices the device at a staggering £2,114 USD, however GoPro’s official website has the ‘rig only’ package for $1,499 and a complete solution, including the six GoPro HERO4 Black cameras, priced at $4,999 . VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest 360 degree video initiatives from GoPro and the company’s partners.
