Live streaming technology has invariably erupted throughout the past several years, inspiring the birth of entirely new forms of creativity and opportunity for viewers near and far to experience events and works of art in ways that were never before achievable. With the steadily rising usage of video and streaming services such as YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch and Periscope, the market has become a quickly evolving and highly competitive race to offer the most expansive and unique tools to creators and viewers alike. Nowadays, with the advent of still-maturing 360-degree video technology, those of us unable to make it out to events, concerts, lectures and other locations can be transported into the middle of the proceedings while they happen. Unlike services like Facebook’s recent live stream initiative and 360-degree camera design, which can’t yet support live and 360 simultaneously, YouTube now appears to be taking the current lead in innovation.
In a blog announcement issued this morning, the video service revealed that it would be implementing live, 360-degree video and audio streaming options for uploaders. More specifically, they said, certain performances during Coachella Music Festival‘s upcoming, second weekend installment will be viewable/listenable in the format.
This last weekend, three dedicated YouTube channels were created so that fans at home could tune in to the festivities across several of the festival’s stages. Although, like Ultra, it utilized multiple cameras and employed very passable sound quality, the full experience of wading through the dense, southern California crowds and bumping shoulders with those next to you as the lights and rhythms carry into the sky was noticeably absent. Now, they said, “depth, distance and intensity [will] all play a role” in the viewing and listening experience.
While the exact details of which artists’ sets will be available for interactive, 360-degree viewing have not yet been revealed, the opportunity to gain an even closer interaction with the festival and its crowd is a highly enticing one.
For all upcoming information regarding the new streaming schedule for Weekend 2, check back here.
Source: Youtube
