How to watch 360-degree videos with a mobile

360-degree videos, also known as spherical or immersive videos, are clips recorded simultaneously from all directions, using either an omnidirectional camera or multiple synchronized cameras each other to record at the same time. During playback, the user will have the possibility to control the viewing angle as if it were a panoramic image.

In the next post we will explain how to watch 360 degree videos with any mobile phoneas well as how 360-degree videos differ from virtual reality (VR) videos.

Main differences between VR and 360 degrees

Although we often find both concepts used interchangeably, the truth is that 360-degree videos and virtual reality content refer to two different experiences. Below we explain the main differences.

• The 360 degree videos they are recorded from all angles by a set of cameras synchronized with each other or by an omnidirectional camera. These videos can be viewed either through a helmet (such as the Google Cardboard) or on the screen of the PC or mobile / Tablet.
• La virtual reality or VR refers to a simulated digital environment in which a user can physically move in order to interact with objects in said virtual world. For this he will use virtual reality helmets or even other gadgets (controls or special gloves, etc.). In this way, users will have the feeling of depth of field that is not found in 360-degree videos.
• Some virtual reality headsets currently very popular are the following: Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

How to record 360-degree videos

Unfortunately, current technologies have not advanced so much as to be able to record 360-degree videos with a mobile, although multiple manufacturers offer specific solutions to achieve this. Some omni-directional cameras for 360-degree recording are the GoPro Omni and Odyssey, Nokia OZO or Facebook Surround 360.

On the other hand, there are also other more affordable dual lens cameras like the Ricoh Theta S, Samsung Gear 360, 360 Fly, LG 360 CAM, or the Kodak Pix Pro 360 That, beware, it is not a true 360 ​​camera, but a camera with an ultra-wide or wide-angle lens. Therefore, to record 360 videos with a Kodak PixPro you will need two cameras of this type.

How to watch 360-degree videos on a mobile

Viewing 360-degree videos on a mobile terminal is quite simple. If the video was downloaded to a local folder from your smartphone, then you will have to resort to an application that allows you to watch the videos and download files from certain links that you insert. One of the applications The best known in this sense is Kolor Eyes 360º, which also includes video galleries with the possibility of watching them in streaming.

Other options for viewing 360-degree videos or virtual reality content on Android are VR Gesture Player and 360 MEA, all of them free apps that you can try without ties to stay with the one that suits you best.

On the other hand, today almost most of the large platforms have support for 360-degree videos, including YouTube or Vimeo. Thanks to accelerometer incorporated in all Android smartphones, when playing a 360 video you can move your device to the left, right or other angles so as not to miss any detail.

On YouTube you will even find a section dedicated to 360º videos that is called exactly # 360Video. When searching for that hashtag or simply putting '360' on the Google platform, you will only get results from 360º videos.

The thing to keep in mind is that since these are still very early technologies, the quality of most 360-degree videos leaves something to be desired, and it is almost always inferior to the quality of virtual reality content, which was specifically developed with very high quality details (such as VR games).