Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media

Obama’s farewell address to get the 360 live video treatment

By

white house obama vr
President Barack Obama’s farewell address will stream live in 360-degree video at 9 p.m. ET tonight on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, courtesy of VRScout.

The virtual reality media company has been chosen by the White House to broadcast the event live from Chicago. This will mark the first time a presidential speech will get the live 360 video treatment. Viewers will be able to tune into the farewell address on VRScout’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages, and via its website. Samsung Gear VR owners will also be able to watch the live-stream through the virtual reality headset.

Several Nokia OZO cameras will be used to capture the speech

Obama’s speech will be live-streamed using three tripod-mounted Nokia OZO VR cameras “strategically placed” around the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. Nokia’s large, spherical device packs eight cameras and eight mics to help it capture high-quality video and audio. The entire operation will be carried out by 10 team members in conjunction with camera company Radiant Images and VR company Vantage.tv.

Recommended Videos

Prepping the @Nokia OZOs for tonight's big LIVE event.https://t.co/83w5t0ycUh #ObamaFarewell w/@radiantimages @vantagetv pic.twitter.com/YqsSY7GZrU

— VRScout (@VRScout) January 10, 2017

As is the norm, mobile viewers will be able to navigate the speech in 360 degrees on the aforementioned platforms by turning their smartphone. Desktop viewers will be able to drag their cursor to explore different angles from within the video. “If you have a VR headset, you will be able to pop it on and feel as though you’re sitting there,” claims VRScout in its announcement.

This isn’t the first time Obama has utilized virtual reality. The outgoing president previously teamed up with National Geographic and Facebook’s Oculus on a VR 360 video tour of Yosemite National Park.

YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have all been pushing 360-degree video on their respective platforms of late. The format launched on Twitter (via its live-streaming service Periscope) late last month, and has already been adopted by brands including Airbnb and Toyota. Meanwhile, Facebook kicked off its live 360 video efforts earlier in December with a Mars emulation from National Geographic’s Utah-based Mars Desert Research Station

Topics
Saqib Shah
Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
Twitter CEO claims platform had best day last week
A stylized composite of the Twitter logo.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted on Monday that despite the current fuss over Meta’s new and very similar Threads app, Twitter had its largest usage day last week.

Subtly including the name of Meta’s new app, which launched to great fanfare last Wednesday, Yaccarino did her best to sing Twitter’s praises, tweeting: “Don’t want to leave you hanging by a thread … but Twitter, you really outdid yourselves! Last week we had our largest usage day since February. There’s only ONE Twitter. You know it. I know it.”

Read more
Meta brings cartoon avatars to video calls on Instagram and Messenger
Meta's cartoon avatars for Instagram and Messenger.

The pandemic was supposed to have made us all comfortable with video calls, but many folks still don’t particularly enjoy the process.

Having to think about what to wear, or how our hair looks, or even fretting about puffy eyes following another bout of hay fever can sometimes be a bit much, even more so if it’s an early-morning call and your brain is still in bed.

Read more
Twitter is now giving money to some of its creators
A lot of white Twitter logos against a blue background.

Some Twitter users are now earning money via ads in the replies to their tweets.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk announced the revenue-sharing program in February, and on Thursday some of those involved have been sharing details of their first payments.

Read more