Following a year of secret development, we are excited to announce Flying EYE™ – a groundbreaking, 6K, broadcast quality, live streaming VR drone.

Flying EYE Introduction Video

This represents the first broadcast quality live streaming 360 platform in the world, and we are excited to see what people do with it!

For live VR / 360 video, resolution is particularly important. A year ago we went looking for 4K wireless video systems, and were disappointed to find there really weren’t any. In building one ourselves we decided to go beyond 4K to 6K.

The opportunities for streaming live events in VR with a drone are many, and we think this could be a game changer for entertainment, sports, and events.

Please see our Flying EYE product page for more details.

The interest in live action VR is clearly growing….

A packed crowd filled the theater at BVE in London today to capacity, to hear 360 Designs Founder and CEO Alx Klive deliver a keynote VR address to broadcast industry attendees at the UK’s largest TV and media equipment show.

The presentation covered the state of the art for professional 360/VR video acquisition, cameras and stitching technology, and was widely applauded by attendees and organizers who had not expected such level of interest in VR. This year marks the first time that BVE has had a dedicated VR section.

360 Designs is exhibiting at the show until Thursday, which marks our first trade show outside the United States, alongside some other great companies in VR – Motion Impossible, Focal Point VR, Happy Finish and the VR divisions for Sky and BBC.

If you’re in London the next couple of days, come by and check us out!

This month’s (November) issue of British Vogue has a great article on VR, and what it might mean for the fashion industry.

Vogue reached out to us a couple of months back to request a photo of our camera on the Oscar’s red carpet earlier this year.

Our camera tech Michael makes a cameo appearance, and while the article itself is not online, you can get it via the British Vogue iPad app. Continue Reading

For several months now we’ve been working with the VR team at AMD to design and build an advanced cinematic VR camera – code-named BB360cc.

Recently this camera captured its first footage, on a VR film entitled “On the Sets of Baahubali”, a behind the scenes look at India’s biggest movie franchise, which returns to cinemas in April 2017 as Baahubali – The Conclusion.

For fans of the movie, which is an epic adventure story on a grand scale, the opportunity to see behind the scenes of their favourite movie was immense. Already more than 1.5 million people have watched the VR experience on YouTube, and for many in India it was their first experience of VR. To help fans get started in VR, the Director of the movie S. S. Rajamouli produced a popular YouTube clip showing how to enjoy the behind the scenes experience. In the final scene in the video, more than 3,000 extras participate, a likely record for a VR film.

The 32 camera, 3D, Blackmagic Micro based rig, was built over two months this summer using rapid prototyping techniques. Featuring 32 genlocked, cinema-grade Blackmagic sensors, the system captures 64 megapixels at 60 fps, with 13 stops of dynamic range, and RAW internal recording, with full manual lens control, and a remote control system for operating all cameras simultaneously. Traditional stitched output resolution is 8k + 8k stereo, and the camera captures fully spherical video, with excellent options for optical flow stitching, and advanced computational stitching.

With the remote control system, a scaled-up version of our patent pending Belafonte Blackmagic Remote Control, the 32 camera system records perfectly synched footage to internal SD cards, with each recorded file having the same number of frames.

Having pre-synched ProRes files made the workflow very manageable and arguably no more complex than a 10 camera GoPro rig.

“We were excited to work with AMD on this project” said Alx Klive, 360 Designs, “AMD understood our original EYE camera vision, and we look forward to seeing how far we can take this incredible technology”.

The nearly 5 minute “On the Sets of Baahubali” gives a glimpse of the capabilities of this prototype camera, and was post-produced in Nuke, with live 360 monitoring using Project Loom – AMD’s live stitching software, which is optimized to run lightning fast on AMD GPU’s.

“When we saw what 360 Designs was doing with their EYE camera, we knew they were an ideal partner to develop the camera we had in mind – one that would match the capabilities of our incredible new GPU’s” said Mikael Bourges-Sevenier, AMD. “This is just the beginning… we plan to show more capabilities over the coming months. “

Transporting the camera from Silicon Valley to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad was made easier with the system’s modular nature. The entire camera was designed to fit in three Pelican cases, with any component part replaceable. Indeed when the production team on set in India decided they wanted to add 8 more cameras to the original 24 camera design, we simply 3D printed 8 new replacement ‘arms’, to take it to 32 cameras. These were swapped into the rig in less than a day.

two more VR films based on the Baahubali franchise

“We are very excited with BB360cc and the modular nature of the rig designed by 360 Designs, and we plan to use the camera for at least two more VR films based on the Baahubali franchise, said Shobu Yarlagadda, Producer of Baahubali.

Baahubali  – The Conclusion opens in April 2017, and is tipped to surpass all previous box office records for an Indian film. At least two new VR segments are planned, the behind-the-scenes piece mentioned above, and a new groundbreaking VR experience “The Sword of Baahubali” which combines live action and a CGI environment in the Amazon Lumberyard game engine, due for release next year.

For more on our custom 360 and VR cameras, please visit our custom VR camera gallery.

We are excited to announce that v2 of Mini EYE™ is now in stock, and with some surprises.

There’s a heck of a lot of news, with some major announcements, so here’s the highlights:

• Mini EYE™ is back in stock – you can order Mini EYE™ 3 or Mini EYE™ 4 right now
• For the first time you can make-your-own Blackmagic 360 camera rig, using the same lenses used on Mini EYE™, with our new Mini EYE™ Starter Kit
• We’ve added the option to purchase Mini EYE™ without the cameras (for those who already have them)
• We are now offering for sale our Mini EYE™ Monopod
• We are excited to launch StitchBox™ – our powerful, pro-grade live 360 stitching machine, and MixBox™ – a live 360 switching and 4k encoding box. This for the first time allows broadcast-grade, 4k 360 streaming at a realistic price. This follows months of field testing on major live 360 productions.
• We are now offering individual Mini EYE™ parts for sale – such as J-Boxes, rig frames, custom camera cables, genlock kits and more. This is a big change from offering complete camera packages only. If you are just getting started with Mini EYE™, you can begin with our starter kit and add parts as you need. Just follow the ‘Other items to consider’ links at the bottom of each product page, and check out our informative blog post ‘Make your own Mini EYE™ Camera‘
• We are trialling a new program for students, individuals and small companies where you can ‘print your own rig‘ – for those with access to a 3D printer
• We’ve updated our demo reel with new Mini EYE™ footage. See our Dropbox for high quality versions and notes on which camera is used where.

With these new products and offerings we hope to improve access to our cameras and live stitching equipment, lowering the barriers to entry for professional 360, and live 360 video.

In terms of our main product news, Mini EYE™ is now in its second generation, and has a number of improvements over the original. More details on the product pages for Mini EYE™ 3 and Mini EYE™ 4.

With our first limited edition of Mini EYE™, we produced just 20 cameras, which sold out early this summer in under a month. With this our second production run, we will be releasing inventory more steadily – 2 or 3 cameras per week at first. Orders will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis, with cameras shipping 2-3 weeks after order.

We have added a new wire transfer option for payment, for those looking to avoid credit card fees and to assist businesses. We are transitioning to channeling all orders through our website.

We have also added a new shipping option which is pick-up/delivery in L.A. Several overseas customers have flown to LA to pick up their kit, and we are happy to accommodate these requests. For non-overseas customers we provide a local delivery service. We do not have a showroom at this time.

All 360 Designs products are developed from our real world experiences in the field, producing professional 360 video for a range of clients. All 360 Designs products are hand-made in the USA.

We hope you like our new products!

It seems like only yesterday that we were first getting our feet wet with the Blackmagic micro cameras, and working out how to build professional 360 and VR cameras around them.

The past 18 months has been a wild ride, but in that time we’ve learned a lot about these lovely little cameras, and most crucially… just how good they are for shooting professional 360 video.

We’ve built over fifty VR and 360 camera rigs using these cameras in the past year, with up to 42 cameras in a single rig, adding up to more than 300 Blackmagic micro cameras in total. Never once have we had a micro camera fail on us. The thought of using that many GoPro’s gives us shudders.

More than their reliability however, is the color science, picture quality and cinematic-grade product, that is Blackmagic Design, which cannot be beat at close to the cost. Our Blackmagic rigs have been compared favorably to RED rigs, by leading RED cinematographers, are better image quality than Nokia Ozo, and are much smaller, easier to work with, and a fraction of the cost of both.

Having the same modularity which GoPro’s offer, arguably their best feature, is what attracted us to the Blackmagics in the first place. They are basically “pro” GoPro’s, with the crucial additional features you need – genlock, all locking pro-grade connections, designed to run indefinitely in use, 10 bit color, RAW recording capability, lens changing capability… and more…, that take your confidence, capabilities and end product beyond what the other cameras can offer you.

We wanted to bring that capability to a wider audience and provide a lower entry level for those looking to own the most desired 360 camera in the world.

With the instructions below, you can now get started with Mini EYE™… for under $7,000, around half the cost of a full Mini EYE™ package.

Continue Reading

When Columbia Records approached us a couple of months ago with the idea to stream an intimate and interactive live 360 experience with Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb, we jumped at the opportunity.

As big fans of disco and the Bee Gees, we were excited to hear that Barry Gibb was open to the idea of doing something in 360, and in a way which had not been tried before.

Working with an incredibly talented team of engineers, musicians, representatives from Columbia Records, Sony Music, and others, we set out to create an experience that would teleport fans inside the very studios where legendary songs from Saturday Night Fever and Grease were made almost 40 years ago.

Main camera with motion track and ambisonics audio capture

For fans, this was a historic occasion, and an emotional one… Just a week earlier, Barry Gibb had lost his mother Barbara Gibb after illness, who had been instrumental in shaping Barry and his talented brothers’ music careers. It was also the first time fans would hear material from a new Barry Gibb solo album, in over 30 years.

Everyone involved in the production was in agreement that this was an opportunity to create a new kind of intimate live 360 experience – one where the live 360 event was the focus, rather than an afterthought. In doing so, this enabled our cameras to get much closer to the action than is typical, and indeed design the entire event around the 360 live broadcast. Such access was unprecedented in our experience, and we think the results demonstrate the improvement it makes.

Live from the control room in 360 – some of the half ton of equipment we took to Miami

With two Mini EYE 3‘s, including one on a motion track, and 360 Designs’ bespoke live 360 stitching and encoding racks, we produced and transmitted the 1 hour event live to YouTube. Working with Grammy nominated producer and engineer John Merchant, we captured ambisonics audio for future use, and a dedicated stereo mix for live broadcast. 360 Designs also consulted on lighting and creative design for the event.

The location was the famous Hit Factory Criteria Studios in Miami, and a select group of lucky fans and prize winners were invited to attend. Fans were treated to a six song set featuring 4 songs from Barry Gibb’s new album, including the title track ‘In the Now’, ‘Star Crossed Lovers’, the very catchy ‘Grand Illusion’ and ‘Home Truth Song’, as well as 2 classics from the Bee Gees era – ‘How Deep is Your Love’ and ‘You Should be Dancing’. This was followed by an interactive Q&A with host Beverly Keel.

Stephen Gibb, Doug Emery, and other members of the band waiting to go on stage

A family affair, Barry performed his set alongside eldest son Stephen on guitar, and daughter Ashley on the production crew. Fans were able to live chat and pose questions while watching on YouTube.

We were thrilled to be associated with this groundbreaking event, and our sincere thanks to everyone who worked on the production – all consummate professionals and a genuine pleasure to work with.

You can watch an archive of the live stream (best viewed in the YouTube app + search ‘Barry Gibb 360’). We also recommend pre-ordering the album – we’ve been fortunate to hear much of it during setup, and it’s… really really good!

Live stitching of 360 video is a major focus this year at Siggraph.

360 Designs is exhibiting our Mini EYE™ 3 camera on the Blackmagic Design stand, with a focus on live stitching workflow using Vahana, and a range of Blackmagic production kit.

Nvidia is also using Mini EYE™ 3 to demonstrate its brand new, free SDK for live 360 stitching.

Watch this space for more announcements regarding live stitching at Siggraph. This post will be updated during the show.

UPDATED: Oct 1st 2016 – Mini EYE Availability

This summarizes current availability of our professional VR cameras and services. We’ve included pricing info for Production Services for the first time, as we know a number of you are looking to create quotes for clients.

• Mini EYE™ – We are currently sold out of Mini EYE™ cameras, however a limited number of cameras (30) will be available imminently for order (as of Oct 1st) with deliveries starting mid October. If you would like to secure one of these, we will be opening up pre-orders very soon. To avoid hitting refresh, be sure to sign up on our Follow page and you will receive an email alert shortly before before we open up pre-orders. Orders will be taken on a strictly first come first served basis, based on a 50% deposit. Kindly do not enquire by email about availability as the response will be essentially the same as above.
• RENTALS – We currently offer camera plus operator packages starting from $3,000/day, available for bookings anywheres in the world. We occasionally rent 360 cameras and live stitching equipment locally in LA, and very occasionally abroad. Please enquire for details.
• We have a limited number of spaces available on our custom rig building calendar. This is an attractive option for people looking to own a distinctive, high end rig. Custom rigs feature 8 – 42 cameras typically, with 8 being a popular option. A custom 8 camera rig costs around $40k for a Micro Cinema Camera version, and $50-55k for a Micro Studio Camera version (with recorders). This offers up to 10k resolution using larger, cinema type lenses. This is the ‘kitchen’ footage and (to large extent..) the ‘Palace of Fine Arts’ footage on our March 2016 demo reel.
• LIVE 360 VIDEO – We are extremely experienced with live 360 production and our services are in high demand through 2017. Please enquire as early as possible (1-2 months ahead of time) to check crew availability. We recently produced the Barry Gibb Live 360 event for Columbia records and Sony Music. We provide multi-cam, live VR setups, using our Mini EYE™ 3 cameras, along with specialist crew, and sometimes work in partnership with other production companies on a white label or contracted basis. In the past we have provided cameras, crew, and/or live 360 stitching services at the Oscars, SXSW, Coachella and Copa America among others.
• We have reasonable availability more than two weeks out for high end (fine) stitching services.

Our (slightly outdated) rate card for production and post production services including live 360 events can be found here (PDF)

We’re excited to share a video and production we were involved with recently – ABC’s Dancing with the Stars 360.

This incredible 360 video shows just what is possible when you have the very best talent in the business working to produce groundbreaking work. The piece was shot on a Mini EYE™ 4 with micro cinema cameras.

The shot itself was very challenging. 17 dancers moving around the camera, as close as 5 feet in places, surrounded by a crowd on all sides.

The piece itself was a 360 version of the opening number of the show, set to Donna Summer’s Last Dance and choreographed by Mandy Moore. As the show’s first work with 360 video, it has been viewed by more than 1 million people on YouTube and Facebook.

Commenters on YouTube and Facebook were enthusiastic… “Great 360 experience on Gear VR. I feel like I`m really there. Fantastic :)”… “I think I watched it about 4 times, focusing on a different group each time.”

The amazing post production and stitching was directed by Jyrki Rantasuo, with stitching by Shawn Adams. On-set live 360 stitching was provided by 360 Designs.

Big thanks and kudos to our production team – VR Supervisor and DP Ando Shah, and Post Production Supervisor Fabien Soudiere. It was a great team effort.