360 Degree Videos for Training
One of the trends we will see for the new year is the use of 360 degree training videos. These videos have been popping up everywhere and companies are using them to tell stories, highlight products and showcase experiences. Now, we are seeing this technology used in training as well.
What are they?
360 degree videos are video recordings of a real-world panorama, where the view in every direction is recorded at the same time, and shot using an omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras. The advantage of this is to give the viewer control over the viewing direction. It’s like a virtual reality (VR) video except that you need a VR headset to view VR videos whereas you don’t need a special headset to view 360 degree videos.
How are the videos shot?
Today, several cameras are available to capture 360 degree videos such as the Ricoh Theta and GoPro cameras. The GoPro cameras are generally used by professionals and consist of 6 cameras that can shoot 170 degrees each, thereby providing a full 360-degree view, and a 180-degree vertical view. The cameras are held together at different angles so that every angle of the shot is covered and nothing is lost.
How are 360 degree videos viewed?
360 degree videos can be played on a computer; the mouse is used to pan around for a 360-degree surround view and a 180-degree vertical view. Videos – like the ones we have provided links to in this article, have directional buttons provided on the top left corner that can be clicked for a complete view. These videos can also be watched on a phone – by waving it around slowly – in different directions, it is possible to view different angles and changes in the images.
While 360 degree immersive videos themselves are not very new, there is a new-found realization of their use in corporate training. With its immense possibilities to provide a very immersive and engaging learning experience – at a very low cost, organizations have started using this technology to provide very successful training.
Pathways is bringing this technology to its online training solutions and will be one of the first companies to offer this solution in Canada. We will be embedding 360 degree videos in our elearning modules to add yet another layer of interactivity to our solutions.
Here is an example of a 360 degree video made by Qantas, you can use the arrows to change your view. 360 degree with Qantas
