While filming your ride with an action cam is no new feat, having been around for several years, the availability of some live-streaming and in-race footage from these cameras has only started to grow in the last year or two, promising a more immersive watching experience. Now, soon after the new crop of 360° recording cameras has made their way into the market, it wasn’t a big surprise to see inroads made again in streaming that footage. Livit, who is trying to claim the spot as the first “mobile live virtual reality platform”, has partnered with 360fly who delivered to market one of the first major cameras to capture full panoramic video footage. Together the two are able to live stream the full 360° footage so not only can we see inside the Granfondo like we did last week with Matteo Montaguti of AG2R, but now we could watch it live…
Pair the free Livit app (Android or iOS) on your phone to a 360fly camera and connect to a 4G network, and now anyone can live stream in 360° from as far as that mobile connection holds, anywhere in the world. Of the bat, we probably aren’t going to get a lot of streamed backcountry mountain bike rides, as the network will be the limiting factor. But surely there are a handful of excellent trails around the world with 4G coverage, and that’s not mentioning the road. Whil Velon is trying to get more people engaged, there are probably some good French roads that’ll have 4G this July. They should pop one of these on some rider’s head in the peloton and drop a cell phone in his jersey pocket, and let us ride along in the bunch for the Tour de France.
Like all 360° videos, you can interact with these Livit-streamed videos. Just click and drag around to change your point of view as you watch. (Now on Youtube, just keep an eye out in the corner of the video for the rotational control watermark, letting you know it is a 360° video.) To experience the footage in real VR as well, those following the videos can watch via the Livit app itself, and pair their device to a VR view like Google Cardboard and really join in on the true real-time virtual-reality experience. Again I’m thinking what it would be like to ride the trainer with a set of VR goggles this July and really get a sense of what it was like to be in the pro peloton.
Velon, get on that for me please.
