The BBC has already released a VR video for its premiere dancing contest show, Strictly Come Dancing, so it’s no surprise to see its US counterpart get the same treatment.
ABC has this week launched a 360 degree video for Dancing with the Stars across YouTube (below), Facebook and Littlstar, and it’s already proving popular. Set on the ballroom floor of the ever-watched reality show, the clip immerses viewers in a performance from many of the show’s pro-dancers, set to Donna Summer’s Last Dance and choreographed by the show’s Mandy Moore. As they dance a crowd cheers them on in the background, giving you a sense of being caught in the middle of a live show itself.
https://youtu.be/vEk2poiXSFU
Of course, you can use the YouTube Android app to watch the video through the Google Cardboard HMD, though Gear VR owners will also be able to watch it in 360 via the Samsung Internet browser, heading to either Facebook or YouTube. The Littlstar app also allows for in-HMD viewing, so there are plenty of ways to see the clip in VR.
The video’s already performing well, having gathered over half a million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours of being live, and reportedly being on its way to becoming the show’s most watched Facebook video with just under 500,000 views at the time of writing. It was shot with a rig that was provided by 360designs.io, which uses 4 Blackmagic Micro Cinema Cameras sporting fisheye lenses. Kolor’s Autopano Video Pro was uses for stitching, which is impressively hard to identify within the video, especially considering that the fancers are regularly moving between cameras.
Content like this is certainly an entertaining example of the immersion 360 video provides, though we still eagerly anticipate breakthroughs that will allow for easier recording of 3D content that lets viewers move the position of their head with greater freedom. Perhaps Google might have something to say about that later this month.
