How to watch our videos
What is 360º degree video?
360º degree photography and video have existed for a long time and used to be known as panoramas, virtual tours, quicktimeVR, etc., and were primarily used by real estate agencies and developers to showcase their properties or for other interactive presentation uses. The idea was that you could view around the entire space, and hop from point to point to view it. 360º photography and videos provide a similar experience, except the technology has improved, and whereas in the past, the experience was small and often crude or complex, now, it’s integrated into every device you use. Every modern smartphone has motion sensors which allow you to move around the space with your hand. Insert your mobile into a headset and you’re truly inside it.
A piece of Cardboard to the rescue
This is where Google with their cheap (you can make your own) Google Cardboard product, have really brought 360º degree virtual reality to the mainstream, by providing an affordable way for you to have the immersive experience that was promised so many years ago. Sure, it’s not like using an expensive Oculus Rift (now owned by Facebook) tied to a super powerful (and also expensive) computer, where you can walk around a rendered world, but that’s not easy, affordable, or accessible.
360º degree VR allows you to have an enjoyable, immersive, if passive, experience with just your tablet, phone, and preferably, with a Google Cardboard or other mobile viewer. Try it with our videos! Put on some headphones, put your phone in your Google Cardboard, and get ready to relax to the sounds and sights of our beautiful, Mallorca locations. More instructions below.
How best to view our videos
You can view our videos in a variety of ways.
- Desktop: The most obvious and simple is within the web browser itself. This is the classic point and drag experience. You get to see everything and get a feel for what it is, but it’s not the best way.
- Safari: Safari is not currently compatible with most online 360º VR platforms, so you get to see the fully stretched out image with some distortion at the top and bottom (it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t but your experience may vary). With our 5K videos, the image still looks beautiful, but you get that weirdness on the edges. This also happens on most televisions. (On iOS, please use the YouTube app.)
- Firefox and Chrome: These are both fully compatible, and allow you to move around with your mouse or pointing device. They are the best desktop experience for 360VR videos and photos.
- Mobile and tablets: Any tablet or mobile with motion sensor, as in most modern smartphones and tablets will let you view the video and move your hand and body around. This is the midlevel 360º VR experience. It’s better than the desktop, but not as good as a viewer. Still, it shows the potential, and brings you closer to that wonderful immersion.
- Google Cardboard or other viewer: This is the way to do it. Get a cheap Google Cardboard (or build your own) or other 360º viewer, stick you mobile inside it and you’re good to go. Once you try this, you won’t want to watch any other way. It provides the best, immersive experience, especially with headphones. It’s the best way to view our 360º videos and photos as well as other content out there on the web. Don’t have a Google Cardboard? Build it or order it cheaply using our Amazon affiliate links below (and help support our work). See our tutorial on watching Google Cardboard on our blog here.
Important note about quality and YouTube
YouTube adjusts quality automatically, but you can make sure you get to see the maximum 4K quality by clicking on the settings cog wheel on the video itself and selecting Quality – 4K. Also, if you can’t find the Google Cardboard icon on the video, you can usually click on the three dot menu on the upper right of the video and select the Google Cardboard setting for it to work (Obviously, the Google Cardboard option doesn’t appear on the desktop version.) See our tutorial on how to do this on our blog here.
Important note about Safari and iOS
Safari will often not display the 360º effect on YouTube videos on both the desktop and on iOS. Instead, it shows the full, stretched out image. On the desktop you have no other alternative but to switch to the Firefox or Chrome browsers. On iOS, you can simply switch to the YouTube app and view the video there, or you can touch the YouTube logo on the video itself, which will usually take you there directly.
Get your Google Cardboard here:
Amazon Spain: http://amzn.to/2zU9ZhG
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2zU4oIf
Amazon USA: http://amzn.to/2yQubkh
Final Note
Watch our videos right here on our website and subscribe to our newsletter by filling out the form on this page’s footer, but don’t forget to also visit us, subscribe to our channel and follow us on YouTube, VeeR, and on social media using the links on the right. Also, click on our affiliate links. We’ve affiliated with services we use ourselves (NordVPN, Amazon). By using our links, you help us continue to create videos.
Thank you for visiting and enjoy our videos! 🙂