The world’s most important video hosting platform YouTube has just announced the support of 360-degree videos. From our point of view, this announcement is a giant step forward towards increasing the awareness of 360° video, and can benefit the whole industry.
What is YouTube360?
On YouTube, you can play millions of videos covering nearly all fields, but the scene you watch is chosen by the video’s director. With the rise of 360-degree video cameras like the upcoming Giroptic’s 360cam or the Bublcam and video-stitching software like Kolor Autopano Video, you’re now able to choose where you’d like to look in the 360-degree scene. Some platforms like Kolor Eyes already supported 360-degree videos, but until now, YouTube didn’t.
Here’s an example of 360-degree video hosted on YouTube (as of March 16, 2015, the 360-degree effect only works on Google Chrome and on the YouTube app of select Android devices):
Here’s the same video hosted on Kolor Eyes:
Why is YouTube360 a good thing for the professional 360-degree video industry?
At Kolor, even if we’ve been into 360-degree video for a long time and even if we have our own 360-degree video hosting service, we believe that the arrival of YouTube360 is a good thing, not only for the consumer market but also for the professional 360-degree video industry:
- The strength of the YouTube brand will accelerate the awareness for 360-degree video, not only among the general public but also among your clients, if you’re a 360-degree video producer.
- The marketing efforts undertaken by YouTube to promote immersive video will benefit all stakeholders of this industry.
- The videos posted on YouTube will mainly be created using consumer cameras and with little postproduction. It’s a unique opportunity for professional 360-degree video producers to showcase their quality work.
What are the differences between YouTube360 and Kolor Eyes?
Kolor Eyes 360-degree video hosting platform and apps have been available for several months now, and offer thousands of immersive videos thanks to the great community of professional 360-video producers. Other than the number of available videos, the features Kolor Eyes offers differ from the ones of YouTube360:
Kolor Eyes |
YouTube 360 |
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| QUALITY | ||
| 4K support | ||
| Adaptive streaming quality | ||
| World’s best encoder & optimizer (ATEME’s EAVC4) |  |
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| PLAYERS | ||
| HTML5 web player | ||
| Pixel-accurate web player | |
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| Compatible with all modern desktop browsers | |
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| API-ready web player | |
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| Multiple projections, including Little Planet | |
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| Android app | ||
| iOS app | |
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| HMD support on mobile apps (Dive, GearVR, VRone…) | |
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| Chrome app | |
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| Android SDK | |
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| iOS SDK | |
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| Windows & Mac apps | |
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| Oculus Rift support on Windows & Mac apps | |
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| COMMUNITY | ||
| Short URLs for sharing | ||
| Embed on a website | ||
| Embed on Facebook | |
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| Embed on Google+ | |
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| Automatic QRcodes for videos and authors | |
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Where should I host my 360-degree videos?
If you’re looking for the great community YouTube can bring, you can host your 360-degree videos on YouTube, however people will only be able to watch them on Google Chrome desktop browser or on select Android devices via the YouTube app. Also, you need to follow some specific technical guidelines when creating your video for a YouTube publication.
If you’re looking for a professional 360-degree video hosting service that already covers nearly all platforms and is already integrated into Facebook and Google+, then you’d better go for Kolor Eyes.
YouTube recommends video-stitching software Kolor Autopano Video
In its help document, YouTube lists compatible consumer cameras (Ricoh Theta, Giroptic 360cam, Bublcam, Kodak SP360 ,VSN V.360.) and recommends, for professional creators, the use of dedicated gear and Kolor’s video-stitching software Autopano Video.
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