We reported recently on Samsung’s initiative in 360 degree VR videos when it launched its dedicated content portal Milk VR last week. Well, the website is now online, allowing those not fortunate enough to own a Gear VR to take a peek at some of the content.
Samsung it seems is making every effort to support its new initiative in virtual reality. Not content with being first to market with a consumer friendly VR Headset, the Gear VR, at SDC 2014 they launched a consumer focussed 360 degree, stereoscopic camera codenamed Project Beyond.
See Also: First Impressions of Project Beyond, Samsung’s 360 3D Camera for VR
Not only do Samsung clearly believe there is a future in virtual reality, they’re also betting VR enhanced video viewing will be a big part of that, something that was emphasised again last week when they launched their dedicated 360 degree video portal Milk VR.
The curated VR video portal is online now and offers up a selection of specially shot 360 degree content for viewing. Anyone with a browser capable of loading the embedded video previews available there can take a look at what Milk VR has to offer, even if they don’t own a Gear VR headset.
The website already has ten clips available which seem all to be from their ‘Planet VR’ category—videos shot in various locations giving the viewer the chance to experience the delights that the likes of Dallas Texas, Hong Kong, Italy, Dubai and New Zealand have to offer. These are videos uploaded by Samsung Research America so it seems either no partners have uploaded content or the uploads are being tweaked and vetted by Samsung. Whether the initial batch was captured using the Project Beyond camera is unclear.
Milk VR is essentially a curated video sharing portal, designed to offer a closed, curated platform for users to publicise their 360 degree video content. Those wishing to upload videos to Milk VR need to sign up for an account and are advised to take a look at the guidelines which can be found here. The registration process is not ‘open’ per se, according to the guidelines, sign-ups are vetted by Samsung and approved on a case by case basis. Again, ensure you read the guidelines linked above.
Quite when we can expect to see video offerings from those other than Samsung isn’t yet clear, but if you’re planning on shooting and uploading your own content to share on the service, we’d love to hear about your experiences. Either drop them in the comments section below this article or drop us a line at info@roadtovr.com.
