InCinematographer - Issue 2 - September 2017 - 38

38

www.incinematographer.com | Issue 2 | September 2017

YouTube Introduces
180 Video Format

With YouTube's recent major announcement about their 180 video
format, we're hearing from customers who are interested in it,
and what it might mean for their work and 360 video,
writes Alx Klive, CEO, 360 Designs....

I

t's an audacious move by YT, and is effectively
YouTube saying "360 is too hard", so we'll make
it easier for a whole swathe of people (read...
consumers) to produce. They are not giving up on
360, which will continue to be supported.
We think it's this consumer content acquisition
factor that is the main driving point behind
YouTube's move. They want regular people to make
180, because that's easier
in equipment terms than
360. In the announcement
YouTube say that cameras
will be forthcoming this
winter from the likes of
Lenovo, Yi and LG, and
say how 'easy to use' the
cameras will be. This is
clearly aimed at consumers.
180
video
simplifies
content
acquisition,
at
least at first glance. The

180 format involves two side-by-side cameras, with
fisheye lenses, producing very wide angle stereo. It's
the same format as regular side-by-side 3D cameras,
which first appeared 175 years ago.
But as any professional stereographer will tell you,
it's not quite that simple.
Most people assume the inter axial distance (IA) for
a 3D camera should approximate that of the human

eye - about 65 mm. But the reality is this only works
for subjects that are 10 to 15 feet away or more. The
typical IA used for professional 3D image capture
is 10 to 30mm, and varies with each shot, and even
during a shot. This is impossible to achieve using
large fisheye lenses in a side-by-side configuration.
You can't get the lenses close together enough.
So from a professional stereographer's point of
view, the new 180 format and what it means in
terms of the proliferation of consumer grade (and
prosumer) fixed IA cameras, and the stereo they
produce, is poor 3D quality.
There are however benefits with the 180 format for
professionals. Anyone with an existing modular 360
camera rig like a Mini EYE 4, can now turn it into two
Mini EYE '2's, simply with the use of new rig frames.
We're exploring this as a product.
For live and non-live use, 180 video simplifies
or eliminates stitching, and in general production
terms you won't need to worry about 'hiding the
crew'. You can frame shots just like a traditional
production, although we've
been saying for ages this is
equally as important for 360
video. In fact, you can avoid
the problem that YouTube
cites (viewers prefer not
to look behind), simply by
framing your 360 shots like
traditional camera shots.
www.360designs.io
The typical IA used for
professional 3D image
capture is 10 to 30mm

ASC Technology Committee Renamed
Motion Imaging Technology Council
T

he ASC Technology Committee has been renamed
the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council.
Established in 2003, the Committee has helped
organize efforts to study and assess subjects ranging
from digital cameras and lens optics to motion
imaging workflows, advanced color management,
virtual production techniques digital archiving and
more recently virtual reality.
"During our past 14 years of proactive motion
picture and TV industry engagement, the ASC
Technology Committee has played a significant
leadership role in guiding the evolution and
development of key motion imaging technologies
to better support our filmmaking art form," noted
Chairman Curtis Clark, ASC.
"Many of our industry partners and supporters,
along with users of our technologies, have suggested
that the committee's name does not sufficiently
convey the scope and influence that our activities
have had on important motion imaging technology
developments," he continued.
"In response to that input and after careful
consideration, we have decided to change the
Committee's name to the ASC Motion Imaging
Technology Council (MITC) - or 'My Tech.' We believe
this better represents the expanded scope of the
work we are doing and our widely recognized role

as industry leaders - influencing the advancement
of motion imaging technologies in ways that best
serve the creative interests of filmmakers while
emphasizing the cinematographer's contribution to
the art form."
Clark added: "Our Subcommittees will now be
designated Committees of the ASC Motion Imaging
Technology Council. We will continue to encourage
our Committees to work in a coordinated manner,
combining their expertise on topics of wide interest
and concern, including ACES, HDR, digital motion
Flashback: 2013 - Curtis Clark, ASC accepts the Sci-Tech
Award for the ASC CDL along with (l-r) Joshua Pines, David
Reisner, David Register, and (not pictured) Lou Levinson.
Picture: Aaron Poole / ©A.M.P.A.S.

picture camera developments, look management,
virtual production techniques, lens developments,
DI, motion imaging workflows, projection and
display technologies, archiving, as well as advanced
imaging."
MITC's latest reports on a variety of technological
issues will be published on in the September issue
of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal as part of the
2017 SMPTE Progress Report.
A full roster of ASC MITC Committees is available at
www.theasc.com/asc/committees/ascmitc
http://www.incinematographer.com http://360designs.io/historic-live-vr-broadcast-2017-eclipse-cnn/ http://www.360designs.io http://360designs.io/historic-live-vr-broadcast-2017-eclipse-cnn/ http://www.theasc.com/asc/committees/ascmitc https://theasc.com/asc/committees
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InCinematographer - Issue 2 - September 2017
