LG unveils details of 360-degree camera

Friday, 11 March 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

With the introduction of affordable, consumer-friendly devices such as the upcoming LG 360 Cam and the G5 smartphone, creating and sharing 360-degree content is as easy as pressing a button.

While many phones and point-and-shoot cameras have a panorama mode, 360-degree spherical images and videos take visuals even further by including everything in the scene, including the ground and the sky.

With its compact, portable size and high-resolution images, the LG 360 Cam is one of the first imaging devices to take advantage of the growing trend of 360-degree content creation.

The LG 360 Cam is optimised for Google Street View with its support for the Google-backed Open Spherical Camera (OSC) API. With the free Google Street View app installed on their iOS or Android smartphones, LG 360 Cam owners can capture, upload and share their 360-degree content directly from their phones without having to convert or process their files into the appropriate format, a time-consuming process.

LG 360 Cam also features three embedded microphones and supports 5.1 channel surround sound recording. It is equipped with an internal battery with a capacity of 1,200mAh allowing for up to 70 minutes of video recording, and with its microSD card slot, the camera can be extended to a maximum of 2TB.

“The announcement of the LG 360 Cam means a lot to over 500 million Street View users and all who loves to create and share 360-degree contents,” said Google Street View Product Manager Charles Armstrong. “With its capability to create 16MP images, the LG 360 Cam will be the most preferable choice for anyone to join in the fun of 360-degree content.”

LG has not yet specified the price, nor the release date of the 360 Cam.