Ricoh Theta S

I have been interested in 360-degree cameras for a long time. Earlier this year, we published a paper at SMC comparing the image formats of four different 360-degree cameras (GoPro MAX, Insta360 X3, Garmin VIRB 360, and Ricoh Theta S). Now, we have just presented a follow-up study comparing the spatial audio of the same devices. While three of them claim to have spatial audio support (GoPro, Insta360, Garmin), this is only partially true. Only the GoPro camera exports Ambisonics files. As the anglegram below shows, this actually enables detection of horizontal (sonic) motion. ...

Over the years, I have used several different 360-degree video cameras. They all behave differently, which makes it difficult to work with files from different systems. For this year’s SMC conference, we decided to compare four cameras: GoPro MAX, Insta360 X3, Garmin VIRB 360 and Ricoh Theta S. As the table below shows, the features of the cameras vary quite a bit: Camera File type Projection Codec Colorspace Resolution FPS Bitrate (kb/s) GoPro MAX .360 Equi-Angular Cubemap H.265 yuvj420p 4096 x 2688 25 30,002 (x2) .LRV Dual-fisheye H.264 yuvj420p 1408 x 704 25 2,499 Insta360 X3 .INSV Fisheye (x2) H.264 yuvj420p 5760 x 2880 29.97 60,495 (x2) .LRV Dual-fisheye H.264 yuvj420p 1024 x 512 29.97 3,999 Garmin VIRB 360 .MP4 Equirectangular H.264 yuv420p 3840 x 2160 25 80,008 .LRV Equirectangular H.264 yuv420p 1280 x 720 25 5,026 Ricoh Theta S .MP4 Dual-fisheye H.264 yuvj420p 1920 x 1080 29.97 15,938 The biggest practical challenge, however, is that they all use different projections: ...

For my annual Still Standing project, I am recording 360 videos with audio and sensor data while standing still for 10 minutes. I have started exploring how to visualize the sensor data best. Today, I am looking into visualization strategies for 360-degree images. I have written about how to pre-process 360-degree videos from Garmin VIRB and Ricoh Theta cameras previously. The Theta records in a dual fisheye format like this: ...

I have previously written about how it is possible to “flatten” a Ricoh Theta+ recording using FFmpeg. Now, I have spent some time exploring how to process some recordings from a Garmin VIRB camera. Some hours of recordings The starting point was a bunch of recordings from our recent MusicLab Copenhagen featuring the amazing Danish String Quartet. A team of RITMO researchers went to Copenhagen and captured the quartet in both rehearsal and performance. We have data and media from motion capture, eye tracking, physiological sensing, audio, video, and more. The plan is to make it all available on OSF. ...

I am continuing my explorations of the great terminal-based video tool FFmpeg. Now I wanted to see if I could “flatten” a 360-degree video recorded with a Ricoh Theta camera. These cameras contain two fisheye lenses, capturing two 180-degree videos next to each other. This results in video files like the one I show a screenshot of below. ...