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Facebook Unveils 'Surround 360' Video Capture System

The rig boasts 17 synchronized cameras: 14 along its edge, plus one fish-eye camera at the top and two on the bottom.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Move over, GoPro: Facebook just unveiled its own 360-degree video capture system—and you can make it yourself.

Designed by the social network, the Facebook Surround 360 video camera and software system is meant to produce spherical, 3D content. The rig boasts 17 synchronized cameras: 14 along its edge, plus one fish-eye camera at the top and two on the bottom.

Facebook Surround 360Facebook will not be selling this rig; instead the social network plans to release the designs on GitHub this summer. In a Tuesday post, Facebook Engineering Director Brian Cabral said the company is open-sourcing the camera and its software to "accelerate the growth of the 3D-360 ecosystem."

"In designing this camera, we wanted to create a professional-grade end-to-end system that would capture, edit, and render high-quality 3D-360 video," Cabral wrote. "In doing so, we hoped to meaningfully contribute to the 3D-360 camera landscape by creating a system that would enable more VR content producers and artists to start producing 3D-360 video."

When Facebook first started this project, all the existing 3D-360 video cameras on the market were either proprietary, so the community could not access their designs; available by special request; or simply "unreliable," Cabral wrote. Most, he said, would overheat, plus the rigs weren't sturdy, and stitching had to be done by hand. The Facebook Surround 360 camera, he said, solves these issues.

Facebook's stitching and rendering software, for instance "drastically reduces post-production time," by stitching your content into one seamless video for you. In other words, what used to take weeks to do manually can now be done by Facebook's algorithm overnight.

Facebook Surround 360

The system exports 4K, 6K, and 8K video for each eye. Facebook said the output file can be viewed on VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and Gear VR, and can, of course, also be shared on its News Feed.

Just don't expect this rig to come cheap. Fast Company reported that it will cost "at least $25,000 to build." That cost could go up to around $30,000, depending on the components you use.

The news comes as Facebook is rolling out a number of new features for its Live video service, including the ability to go live in Facebook groups and events, add filters to your stream, and post varied reactions as a viewer. The new features will be rolling out on iOS and Android "over the coming weeks," so if you don't see them right away just sit tight.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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