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The MILL and TV Studio

This guide will explain the capabilities of the MILL and TV studio

The 360 camera

Overview

Unlike a normal camera which records a rectangular image of the scene in front of the lens, a 360 camera records the entire environment around the camera. The resulting image is referred to as a 360 photo, 360 degree photo or spherical photo. When viewed with special software, the viewer can control where to look in the scene - left, right, up and down - as if they are actually turning about in the location itself. As well as 360 photos, cameras can also record 360 videos, allowing the viewer to watch moving action around them.

Google Street View utilises 360 photos extensively, allowing you to look around the location you are standing.

'360 video' on Wikipedia
 

Equipment

Recording a 360 video requires a special camera, such as the Richo Theta S, available from The MILL. Since the camera has more than one lens, clips need to be "stitched" together after recording into a single 360 video. The resulting video can only be viewed by specialised 360 video players, websites or Virtual Reality headsets compatible with the camera. Both the stitching software and video player are available for free.
 

Examples

YouTube has many examples of 360 videos and they include a free 360 video viewer. Here are a small selection:-


Tours

  • A walking tour of the British Museum, shot from a 360 camera handheld on a selfie stick. Cheap to make but quite shaky which may be disorienting and uncomfortable for some viewers.
  • Tour of New York. Multiple locations shot from a 360 camera on a tripod. This sacrifice in mobility leads to a much steadier image.


Vehicle, skydiving, rollercoaster and other point-of-view action videos

  • Blue arrows video from cockpit. Notice the ghostly impression of the equipment directly above due to stitching.
  • Wingsuit video shot using a number of techniques including time lapse, slow motion, transitions, animation, tripod and mounted shots.


Computer generated animations

360 video vs virtual reality

The terms “360 video” and “virtual reality” are often used interchangeably in the media. Whilst they are definitely on the same continuum and often use the same hardware and software, there are some significant differences to what people mean when they use the different terms. 

360 videos are:

  • More like a movie
  • Mostly real-life environments
  • Single stationary point of view
  • A linear video that plays from beginning to end

Virtual reality videos are:

  • More like a video game
  • Mostly computer generated environments
  • Ability to move around and look at things from different points of view
  • Experiences that the user can interact with no set timeline

Learn the controls

  1. Power button. This glows blue when the camera is on 
  2. WiFi toggle button. This turns the WiFi on and off
  3. Shooting mode button. This toggles between photo and video mode
  4. Shutter button.
  5. Shooting mode indicator. This shows a camera icon  in photo mode and a camcorder icon  in video mode

 

Set up

Attach the tripod to the camera and place it where you would like to record / take a picture.

A few tips about positioning:

  • Ensure consistent lighting as much as possible.
  • Do not point either of the lenses directly at a light source.
  • The tripod may be recorded.
  • The camera has a "blind spot" on both of the thin sides. Anything within a few inches of the thin side of the camera may not be recorded.
  • Always leave some extra time at the be-ginning and end of the clip to make editing easier.
     

Record videos without a smartphone

Press the shooting mode button to change to video recording 

  • Press the shutter button to start recording.
  • A flashing red light means the camera is recording.
  • Press the shutter button again to stop recording.

     

Record a video with a smartphone

  1. Press the WiFi button on camera.
  2. The blue WiFi light appears on the front of the camera.
  3. Connect your smartphone to camera's WiFi. The WiFi network name begins with THETAXS. The password is the 8 digit number in the network name.
  4. You may receive a notification that there is no internet access on the WiFi. This is normal.
  5. Open the Ricoh Theta app and the phone should automatically connect to camera and display a black screen. If it doesn't, press the camera button in the lower right corner of the screen.
  6. Press the button in the centre of the screen to begin recording.
  7. A flashing red light on the camera means the camera is recording.
  8. Press the button on the screen again to stop recording.
     

Take photos

Taking photos is almost identical to taking videos. The only difference is that the camera icon should be lit on the camera, instead of the camcorder icon.
 

Transferring

Connect the Ricoh Theta camera to a computer using the provided cable. If the computer does not recognise the camera, press the camera power button.
 

PC

  1. Copy the files into a folder of your choice.
     

Mac

  1. Open Image Capture software, which should already be installed. Do not use the Photos software.
  2. In Image Capture select the camera in the devices list.
  3. At the bottom of the window choose where to import the files.
  4. Select the clips and photos you would like to import and click Import.

You can also transfer photos wirelessly to mobile devices using the Ricoh Theta app.
 

Process video

The instruction below apply mostly to videos; you do not need to process photos, as the Ricoh camera does that automatically.

  1. Open the Ricoh Theta software onto your computer. https://theta360.com/en/support/download/
  2. Click File > Open and select a clip to process.
  3. Choose a file name and were to save the file.
  4. Click Start.
  5. The software will begin converting the clip.
  6. The clip should start playing automatically once converted.
  7. Click on the clip and drag the mouse to change the point of view whilst it’s playing.

Processed clips can now be played in 360 video players. Please note that your audience will need to use specialised software or a website, such as YouTube, to view the video.
 

Upload


Upload videos to YouTube

In order to share your 360 video with others, you can upload it to YouTube where users can view it.

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6178631


Upload photos to ThreeSixty

This site http://360.vizor.io/ allows you to upload and view your 360 photos and embed them on other websites.


Make sure you are happy with the privacy policy of any service you are planning to use.
 

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