YouTube Beta Feature Allows Viewing From Multiple Angles

YouTube is rolling out a new experiment today, allowing you to see videos from multiple angles. The feature, in beta of course, brings in multiple camera angles you can cycle through as the video is playing. There's currently only one video that is known to have this multi-angle feature, which of course would need to be shot with multiple cameras from different perspectives. The goal seems to be aimed at encouraging creators to upload to YouTube, but it could have a more social aspect, too.

If we're likening it to anything, it puts viewers in the control booth. The lone video known to have the feature was shot at YouTube Music Night, and lets you cycle through different camera shots at-will. The downside to that — which you'll see when you visit the video link below — is that you might not know who's where on-stage, and wouldn't know which camera to be viewing. It also only goes full-screen in Chrome (experimental features are fun).

The upside is potential, where concerts and other events get a more intriguing look and feel. If something like GoPro's new streaming tech were used, you might even be able to track a drone through the show rather than stationary cameras.

For pros, this is likely enticing. It might also find its way to crowdsourced video, where users could upload video they took at an event like Coachella, which is stitched together to give a better feel of what it's like to be in the crowd. Snapchat does this with their 'Our Story' feature, but that's meant for social interaction, and isn't integrated into one video.

Of course, YouTube is keeping it very professional for now, and allowing interested parties to sign up to be part of the experiment.

Source: YouTube

Via: TechCrunch