VLC Player Now Gets 360-degree Video Support

VLC media player can now play all your 360-degree videos and images directly.

| Published: Monday, November 28, 2016, 19:02 [IST]

If you are a fan of VideoLAN's VLC media player and use it almost for any media playing activity then we have some good news for you.

VLC Player Now Gets 360-degree Video Support

VLC media player which already supports any format of media files is now set to add one major interesting feature.

As such, VideoLAN's VLC media player will now support 360-degree video format.

Integral Collaboration

The VideoLAN team while working in conjunction with Giroptic, a U.S-based virtual reality startup have developed the 360-degree video feature.

By providing the VideoLAN team with samples, cameras, code and expertise, the startup has helped them develop native support for 360-degree videos directly into the application.

Extended Support

The new feature will let users play 360-degree videos and photos as well as Panorama images. In addition, the player will support open source and cross-platform formats, accelerated with both OpenGL and Direct3D11.

The videos or the viewpoint to be exact can be controlled using either a mouse or a keyboard.

Mobile Applications

Furthermore, VideoLAN has disclosed that it will make this feature available to its mobile application also. The company has confirmed that the future releases of VLC with 360 features will be available for Android, iOS, and Xbox One users.

In essence, users can navigate the 360-degree video clips just by moving their devices.

It seems, support for VR's such as Oculus Rift, Google's Daydream, and the HTC Vive will also be made available in 2017. However, no prior information has been disclosed regarding the availability of the same.

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Positive Impact

Richard Ollier, Co-Founder and CEO of Giroptic made it clear that while VLC was one of the video players most widely used in the world, the company was very proud to contribute its expertise in 360 degree to this open source player.

He further added that the collaboration will allow millions of VLC users to take full advantage of a promising new technology and be widely involved in its democratisation.

One Thing to Remember

The VLC technical preview is currently available for both Windows and Mac users. However,those planning on trying out the technical preview of VLC should remember that it is still being tested.

As such the technical preview might still be a bit buggy and might not run as smooth as you had hoped for.

But on the bright side, it sure is good news as VLC is trying to enter into a new segment. Significantly, it could pave way for publishers to create 360-degree content that could be played across platforms.

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