When VR started to gain popularity, content creation was one of the important topics that cropped up. To solve that, we saw a number of manufacturers release 360° cameras for both professionals and the average consumer to create 360° VR content.

Our views where cut in half when YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, announced VR180 – a 3D video format that captures 180° instead of 360°at Vidcon 2017. VR180 does make sense as it tends to only focus on what your can see if you are actually at the place the content was captured. The experience is still immersive when viewed in a headset but without the experience of turning your head around to see what is behind you.

At the event, it was revealed that Google was working with LG, Lenovo, and Yi to release VR180 cameras that would sell for more or less the same price as a regular point and shoot. Two of the first VR180 cameras –  the Lenovo Mirage Camera and Yi Horizon were announced at CES 2018 yesterday.

Lenovo Mirage Camera & Yi Horizon

The Lenovo Mirage Daydream and the Yi Horizon share the same basic design – cuboid-shaped body and dual front facing 13MP fish-eye lenses. They can record 4K 3D videos, take 3D VR photos, and also be used for 3D VR live streaming. Both cameras also have Wi-Fi and can save your content to Google photos. However, there are a few differences between them.

The Lenovo Mirage Camera comes in white. It has a capture button at the top, ports on the left side and a threaded hole for tripods at the bottom. It will sell for $229 when it launches in the second quarter.

READ MORE: Oculus Go To Launch in China As Mi VR Standalone

The Yi Horizon on the other hand comes in black. Unlike the Mirage Camera, it has a display which lifts up to face the direction of the lenses. There is a HDMI port and USB port on the left and a memory card slot on the right. There is no info on the price but it is expected to go on sale in Q2 2018 too.

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Tech giant Google is set to launch a new VR format dubbed VR180 which would offer more limited cinematic VR output. The tech giant hopes the new format would be readily accessible as regular YouTube videos that it hopes will be almost as accessible as regular YouTube videos. The new VR180 project is the product of a collaboration between YouTube, a subsidiary of Google and Google’s Daydream VR division.

VR180 will also include the production of a new line of compatible cameras by Yi, Lenovo, and LG as well as other partners who meet the VR180 certification standards. The VR180 won’t stretch up to those produced by 360-degree cameras. They’ll be immersive when the user is facing forward but won’t off rear views if the user decides to glance behind. The videos can also be viewed as traditional flat videos outside virtual reality but can also be watched in 3D VR via the YouTube app with a Google Cardboard, Daydream, or PlayStation VR headset.

Video creators will also be able to shoot videos using any camera with a VR180 certification with the trio of Yi, Lenovo and LG emerging as pioneers that are working in collaboration with Google’s Daydream team for now. The first set of products are expected to be launched this winter and would likely carry almost the same price tag as the regular point-and-shoot camera. We still don’t know what the cameras will look like but a Line drawing of Lenovo’s own design was spotted recently. It appears to have two wide-angle lenses that can shoot stereoscopic video, and it’s just a simple design, a far cry from the expensive alien orbs that are often seen in VR film shoots.

Read Also: Samsung Working On New Gear VR With 2000ppi

The cameras may not be available to by sometime soon but Google is giving creators the opportunity to loan one from one of its YouTube Spaces, located in nine major cities worldwide. YouTube video creators will also be able to shoot just like they do with any other camera and in the near future the videos can be edited using Adobe Premiere Pro and other standard software.

In case you are wondering the benefits VR180 offer over 360-degree videos, there are a few big advantages. One of them is that it doesn’t need the same time-consuming (and often expensive) stitching as videos made with, say, Google’s 360-degree Jump system. Creators can easily put a person behind the camera without them appearing in the shot whereas 360-degree camera bares all with nothing hidden. Filmmakers often literally hide behind objects during a scene when shooting using panoramic cameras but that won’t be the case anymore. Another thing is that the file sizes would be reduced drastically so viewers will stream the videos faster and with less annoying buffering gaps while streaming.

(source)

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