The CNN website has three pages (click arrows upper right) of a panoramic video of the Haitian devastation. I can't embed the video here, so you'll need to go to the link.
What impresses me is that it's possible to pan around the scene 360 degrees while the video is in motion. Frankly the informational content of the video is rather modest; the vehicle moves too fast, so you need to pause and then pan, and the damage is what one would expect. (I found it a bit unnerving when the CNN crew apparently decided they were important enought to swerve into the adjacent lane and blow their horn at oncoming traffic).
My mind boggles from the technology involved. You can see the apparatus in the shadow of the man carrying it on page two. It's not huge - just like having a big backpack with a thingy sticking up out of the top. This is so much better than recording a conventional video where you have to look wherever the videographer chooses to look. I would love to see one of these employed on a hiking trail, especially at Huashan, or El Caminito del Rey.
Huh, didn't work at all for me. At one point I managed to get the first one to pan to the side, but I couldn't move it again. The second one, I kept clicking and dragging with nothing happening, then suddenly I ended up with a big black spot in the middle of the picture that I couldn't make go away. At that point I couldn't stop the video, couldn't use the Back button, couldn't close the window; had to use Task Manager to shut it all down. Disappointing.
ReplyDeleteI just rechecked the link. Works fine on my iMac after I shut off my scriptblocker.
ReplyDeleteTruly amazing technology.
ReplyDeleteIt is. I showed to my wife, and she was impressed as well.
ReplyDeleteI can see 360-degree video as a common thing in the future. People just set up the camera Christmas morning, and video the whole event. Can you imagine how cool that would be for future generations? It would make a person feel like they were almost "there" in the room.
Pretty cool, but isn't that the exact same camera technology that Google Maps/Street view uses?
ReplyDeleteGoogle street view is comprised of a series of static images. This is a true video. Click on the link and you will see the huge difference.
ReplyDeleteThe CNN crew probably wasn't driving. They likely hired a local driver. Though it isn't apparent from the videos, traffic around there is not very organized (as with most developing countries) and driving on the wrong side of the median is fairly common. The driver probably made the decision on his own without anybody from CNN asking him to do so.
ReplyDelete@Jones. Point taken - you're probably right.
ReplyDelete