Called as the year of virtual reality, 2016 brings real
challenges for VR devices manufacturers to meet the consumer expectations,
especially in terms of technical and content availability. By owning the Oculus
VR, Facebook has become one of the major players in that area. And now Facebook
wants to make sure that its investment is not in vain.
In the annual developer conference F8 in San Francisco,
Facebook introduced Facebook Surround 360, a camera to record 360 degree video
with automatic render capability. Through it, Facebook is following the
footsteps of Google (Odyssey) and Samsung (Gear 360). However Surround 360 is
claimed will be able to provide solutions to the technical problems existing in
similar devices.
Surround 360 looks like a UFO. It has 17 cameras: 14 cameras
surround the side part, a fish-eye on the top, and one pair on the bottom. This
design of course has a purpose: by placing the cameras in this composition, the
Surround 360 can capture the video in full, without showing the pole/mount.
Each camera is equipped with a global shutter so that the fast objects won't
cause artifact effects.
This device is made as tough as possible; the producer finds
a way to make the Surround 360 not overheat when it's used in long duration.
The cameras circuit is mounted on a sturdy aluminum chassis, so the rig and
camera unit won't move when used. On the outside, Facebook utilizes the shell
that's made of power-coated steel to protect the internal components.
Facebook Surround 360 is able to presents video outputs in
4K, 6K, up to 8K. Especially for 6K and 8K, the producer uses Dynamic Streaming
codec, the results can be seen from the Oculus Rift and Gear VR. Interestingly,
the output is not exclusive only for virtual reality headset, the recordings
can be shared to Facebook News Feed (monoscopic), and your friends can download
your stereo videos.
The device is also supported by reliable stitching software
that works in harmony with the hardware. The exposure, shutter speed, and
sensors, all of them are set there. To control the cameras, Facebook chooses
Linux-based PC so that the system can be modified easier.
Facebook doesn't intend to work by itself. Facebook plans to
release the Surround 360 as an open-source project (both the camera unit and
software) on GitHub in the middle of this year. The developers can tweak the
design and code, while the content creators can use it for creating 360 videos.
The initial version of Surround 360 is composed of custom components, requires
a lot of money to get it: US $ 30,000.