In the coming weeks, YouTube will begin supporting immersive, 360 degree videos. When it comes to video, consumers always want more, and YouTube often delivers. When consumer cameras started enabling 4K ultra high definition video capture, YouTube increased its maximum resolution to support it. When users wanted to upload videos with higher frame rates, YouTube listened, and started supporting 60 frames per second. Now that a batch of innovative 360 degree cameras have hit the market, YouTube wants you to be able to showcase your unique 360 degree content on its site.

Imagine watching a wedding video. The scene is focused on the bride and groom. As they exchange their vows, what if you could make the camera angle swivel to the left, and see the look on the face of the father of the bride as his little girl becomes a wife. Or what if you could swivel 180 degrees around and see all the guests watching the ceremony?

With footage captured by a Bublcam, or several other 360 degree cameras, you can do just that. The devices stitch together multiple streams of footage shot by multiple cameras in order to display a 360 degree seamless video.

Right now, unfortunately, there’s no easy way to share the footage. That won’t be the case for much longer, according to the YouTube spokesman who broke the news, who’s quoted as saying “Ever wanted to get 360 perspectives on a video to see everything going on? That’s why we’re working to support 360 degree videos in the coming weeks.”

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If the YouTube 360 degree video solution works similarly to the embedded 360 degree videos, users will be able to pan the camera during video playback, or while paused.

In addition to memorable events like weddings and birthdays, 360 degree videos would be useful in many other scenarios.  Real estate video walkthroughs could offer immersive property tours. Sports footage could allow users to focus on different parts of the game.

It’s possible that, with this step, YouTube is preparing to integrate with the virtual reality solutions that are coming to market. If that’s the case, there’s even greater promise in this technology. This could be the right time to get a 360 degree camera. If you’re going to shoot video and share it on YouTube, you might as well make it an immersive experience.

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