Facebook is taking video to the next level.
The social network on Wednesday added support for 360-degree videos, which will let you scope out a scene from any angle. The feature is rolling out now to Facebook News Feeds on the Web and Android, and will be available on iOS "in the coming months."
To capture one of these videos you'll need a special set of cameras — like the pricey GoPro Odyssey rig — capable of recording all 360 degrees of a scene simultaneously.
"This means that when the video is playing on Facebook, you can choose what angle you want to see it from," Facebook Video Engineering Director Maher Saba explained in a blog post.
On the Web, you can do this by dragging the video around with your mouse. On mobile devices, you can simply use your finger to take a look at all angles. You'll also be able to hold up your phone and the 360-degree video will follow along as you turn.
"In the future, imagine watching 360 videos of a friend's vacation to a small village in France or a festival in Brazil — you'll be able to look around and experience it as if you were there," Saba wrote.
Facebook is launching the new feature with videos from a number of brands and early adopters, including Discovery, GoPro, LeBron James, Saturday Night Live, and Vice to show "the range of possibilities with this new medium." Disney and Lucasfilm, for instance, are debuting a new 360-degree experience from the upcoming movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens, letting fans take a look inside the Star Wars universe.
"It's early days, but we're excited about the possibilities for 360 video and hope it helps people explore the world in new, immersive ways," Saba wrote.
The move comes after word spread earlier this month that Facebook was working on a new virtual reality app to let you view 360-degree videos on your phone. The effort follows Facebook's $2 billion acquisition of VR firm Oculus VR last year.
Meanwhile, Facebook isn't the only tech company betting big on spherical videos. Google in May introduced Jump, an open-source virtual reality platform for 360-degree videos. YouTube that same month added support for 360-degree videos.
Source: pcmag.com
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