YouTube Working On 360-Degree Video Livestreaming Says Rumor

With virtual reality becoming a hot topic with headsets that allow you to look all around inside a video or game coming to market in force, word is YouTube is working on something that fans of 360-degree videos will like. YouTube has had the ability to play 360-degree videos on the streaming platform for a while. The new addition is said to be the ability to livestream 360-degree video.

YouTube's 360-degree video platform supports Google Cardboard already, a cheap system allowing users to turn their smartphones into VR headsets. YouTube also has support for 3D videos that it calls virtual reality videos. Those latter videos are only offered via Google Cardboard.

YouTube is working on a platform for broadcasting 360-degree video to people around the world. The 360-degree streaming video cameras available now don't offer broadcast quality. 360-degree cameras have multiple lenses in them and use software to stitch the multiple videos together into one video.

For live streaming to work, the cameras would have to be able to do that stitching process in real-time. YouTube plans aren't official, but the company could possibly lay out standards for 360-degree camera makers to follow to work with its livestream platform. Alternatively, cameras may be developed that can stitch the video themselves. It remains unclear exactly how YouTube plans to tackle the challenges.

SOURCE: Buzzfeed