Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 1, 2006. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
In the approximately 10-kilogram base of the Dodeca2360 camera is a hard disk recorder that records all eleven video streams in parallel at a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels. Before the images land on the disk, however, IMC software stitches them together. The result is a panoramic film with a resolution of 2,400 by 1,200 pixels, which is also recorded.
The camera manages up to 30 frames per second, but can also be used briefly for high-speed and time-lapse recordings. The camera angle is a full 360 degrees horizontally. Vertically, it is 90 degrees upward, but because of the camera base only 20 degrees downward.
One advantage of the camera is that a 4:3 section can also be cut out of the high-resolution video afterward if desired, which provides considerably more freedom during filming. The video data can be output either as a panoramic film or as a multilayer MJPEG file. In the second case, users can process the original material themselves. With a special IMC player for Windows, it is possible to view the material with a dome or a head-mounted display as well – both live and as a recording.
Possible areas of application for the technology can be found, for example, in tourism or sports reporting. Immersive Media provides availability and prices only on request via its homepage.
Further links:
- Immersive Media
