What is 360 video?

360 video is a video where the view in each direction has been recorded at the same time. The camera point can also move, making it not only possible to look all the way around, but do this also while the image is moving.

What is the difference between 360 videos and VR?

The difference between 360 ​​video and VR (virtual reality) is that VR creates an experience where the user feels as if they themselves are placed within the environment of the video. A VR experience is often “game-like” and gives the user the freedom to move around. The images they see while doing so are not due to the physical movement of the camera(s), but by the viewer themselves, as well as the imaginatory limits of the creator.

How does 360 video work?

There are several techniques for playback of 360 videos. These techniques are actually all down to the video that is flat to start, is projected on the inside of a 3D object. Then, like a camera placed in the 3D object and determines the viewer’s viewing direction.

What are the main differences between what Blue Billywig offers, compared to the 360 video offerings from Google and Facebook?

The biggest difference is that the above parties offer 360 on mobile devices, but only within their own app environments. Our solution also works within a browser, making it usable directly on the webpages of our customers.

On which browsers does 360 Video from Blue Billywig work?

To date, we’ve successfully tested on the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari, on mobile as well as desktop.

Where does 360 video sit in the product offering of Blue Billywig and what type of customers could benefit?

Blue Billywig specializes in online video tech and strive to remain at the cutting edge of this fast moving market . 360 video is appealing to a large portion of our current client base, providing great opportunities for the likes of travel agents, event agencies and video analysis for sports companies.

What did you experience during the development process?

The technology behind 360 video is still relatively new, meaning we, as a company, realized early on that it would take a lot of trial and error to figure out best practices. Problems with CORS headers also influenced the development process, particularly with Safari, and we focused on solving these issues.

What has been your favorite application of 360 video to date?

Our first experience was the promotion of the new Star Wars movie, which impressed us so much that we knew this was something we had to embrace as an offering for our clients.