360 degree video with 6 GoPro cameras | Hacker News Reader

360 degree video with 6 GoPro cameras

jonasginter.de

82 pointsduvok22 comments

I like this. I'd love to see more ventures in this direction.

Ever since trying out Google's photo sphere feature (yes, they weren't the first ones in the space - Microsoft and others actually beat them to market), I've been quite interested in the concept of 360° by 180° ways to explore places.

I've used the feature to document, especially, my hikes, and a trip to Peru (https://www.google.com/maps/views/profile/111004183840840391...). I've experimented with using my DSLR to do the same (https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/111004183840840391992... and https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/111004183840840391992...).

And, after all that, what would I love to be able to do? Take a video with a setup that is something like in the link and be able to put together a 360° by 180° video that would allow a viewer to follow along with me skiing down a slope in the not so snowy mountains of southern California, or enjoying a zip line through a cloud forest in Costa Rica, or descending on bike down a mountain road. Imagine being able to view such a video but being able to pan side to side, up and down, looking forward or backward - basically, allowing the viewer to pan to any angle at any point in time in the video.

I have to imagine this is not a novel idea, but I can't say I've seen any demos of such an experience. I'd love to see some if they exist.

Anyway, just some thoughts I had while enjoying the video in the link.

Here are a few 360 videos:

http://www.360-degree-video.com/pages/360deg-video.php

You did the Salkantay route! Amazing!

I really liked the slow cycling and music at the beginning. I think it would be cool to do a music video like this, with an MC rapping as they walk/dance along, and all sorts of interesting people and scenery come and go over the horizon.

Lots of information on this type of thing here, including information on stitching softwares and methods, and many sample videos and photos: http://www.360heros.com

Hah thats pretty cool. Felt like I was watching a real life super mario galaxy a little.

I think they mean 4π steradians (unit of solid angle covering the surface of a sphere), not 360° (unit of angle, covering the circumference of a circle).

Learn something everyday, I've wanted to express that concept before, and never even wondered if there was a word for it. Of course, If I use it I'll have to define it much like you just did.

Does he mention what software he used to stitch the views together? (I looked but don't see it, but I'm going through Google Translate)

I was wondering that as well. It wouldn't be too hard to pull individual frames out of synced movies, script panotools to assemble stitched frames into spherical or other panoramas, and then reassemble into movies.

I've seen commercial firms offering similar services. I also know that about 10 years ago there was an unfortunate bit of a patent minefield surrounding panorama software, I'm not sure of the current status of those patents or techniques like these.

I'd like to know this too

I feel like le petit prince.

http://www.indigobridgebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/...

I wonder how you start all the camera's recording at the same time, and how much variation there is in their framerates.

I know the old gopro's used to have a connector for some sort of sync cable to make 3d stereo recording work better, It might be posible to slave many camera's together if someone reversed engineered the connection details.

Otherwise I imagine that aligning all the video's in time might be incredibly annoying, especially if the framerate isn't consistent from camera to camera.

If they're all recording sound, then an automatic alignment using "impulse" audio incidents might be able to work. Just a more advanced version of the "clapperboard" technique from early cinema.

That is, if the cameras even have that much jitter or drift at the recording framerate used.

the gopros since hero2 have builtin wifi and the wifi ability can be added to the hero1 with a backpac - then you get the remote controller to start/stop all of the cameras and record at the same time

Small correction: Hero2 doesn't have wifi built in, but can use wifi bacpac.

Surprised no one's mentioned Bublecam: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bublcam/bublcam-360o-ca....

Instead of six Go Pros, you can just use one Bublecam to capture 360 degree video, and the software to stitch the photos / videos comes with it.

The effect looks cool, however if the capture is loss-less it might be possible to create a shader to flatten it and make it natural looking 360-degree video.

I wonder about the feasibility of using this idea to create Google street view equivalent with fluid movement between each point...

Who ever said the earth was not round? Very cool effect, Looks like it would make a trippy video game.

Aaah, my brain hurts.

Woah, trippy.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com