What is 360-Degree Video?
360-degree video captures a spherical or near-spherical view around the camera. During playback, viewers control the visible direction rather than being limited to one fixed camera framing.
How 360-Degree Video works
Immersive video maps views surrounding a camera rig onto a rectangular encoded surface, commonly using an equirectangular projection. A compatible player projects that surface onto a virtual sphere and renders only the direction selected by the viewer or headset. The workflow adds stitching, projection conversion, spatial metadata, and viewport-aware quality concerns beyond those of conventional fixed-frame video.
Key facts
- Equirectangular frames commonly use a 2:1 raster, but that shape represents spherical coordinates rather than an ordinary wide camera view and must be projected for viewing.
- Stitch boundaries can reveal parallax, exposure, or motion mismatches because multiple lenses observe nearby objects from slightly different positions and times.
- A high total resolution is spread across the entire sphere, while a viewer sees only one viewport; apparent detail is therefore much lower than the full raster suggests.
When 360-Degree Video matters
Use this format for virtual tours, immersive events, or headset playback that benefits from viewpoint control. Delivery must preserve projection metadata, or players may show a distorted flat image.