Uploading 360 degree videos with the 360 RICOH THETA S is a little complicated, notes-to-self-feeding-the-google-here… (video).
Google/YouTube has an overview:
Your video file needs to include certain metadata for 360 degree playback to be enabled. Follow these instructions to install an app that will add the necessary metadata into a new file for you.
Create a 360-enabled file with an app
- Download the 360 Video Metadata app for Mac or Windows
- Un-zip the file, then open the 360 Video Metadata app. If you’re on a Mac, you may need to right-click the app and then click “Open”
- Select the video file
- Select the checkbox for “Spherical” and click “Save as”. Note: Do not select the 3D Top-bottom checkbox. For more information, refer to upload instructions for virtual reality videos.
- Enter a name for the file that will be created
- Save the file. A new file will be created automatically in the same location as the original file
- Upload the new file to YouTube
- Wait for the 360 degree effect to process. This may take up to an hour.
However, to get this to actually work (well) we needed to use the THETA app to transfer the file which converts it to a mp4, then share via AirDrop, then use the 360 Video Metadata Tool.app (Mac), then upload. If anyone has a better/easier way to do this let us know. It looks like the app converts the file in some way and that’s needed, then the desktop app adds the metadata so YouTube knows it’s a 360 video and adds the controller and more post-processing.
#deskofladyada – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
The THETA app for desktop allows import after transfer, but the share is only 10 seconds long and via their public site (Adafruit is here). Good for photos, videos, it’s 10 secs only.
The RICHO THETA S which we use has a HDMI output, we’d like to use this “live” on our shows, it’s a “coming soon” feature listed.
Resources:
Unofficial, community-generated guide to using the RICOH THETA S API.
Upload 360 degree videos.
THETA Developers Official Forum.
RICOH Developer Beta.