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YouTube Launches Multi-Angle Video Experiment

Posted by samzenpus on from the different-view dept.

jones_supa writes YouTube is experimenting with a fun feature already known from DVDs: videos that let you switch between different camera angles while the video is playing. These multi-angle videos are only an experiment right now and there's only one demo video that actually showcases this feature so far. Provided that the user can supply multiple camera streams, YouTube tells that the multiplexing will be automatic, but that the technology is not ready to scale to everyone yet. If you want to give this a try, head over to Madilyn Bailey's channel. The YouTube team took her performance at the most recent YouTube Music Night and set it up as a multi-angle video.

62 comments

  1. Basic DVD feature by xpax666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wasn't this one of the hyped features of DVDs back in the day? Didn't make a splash then...

    1. Re:Basic DVD feature by Chess_the_cat · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sure was. My DVD remote still has the Angle button. I can't recall a single title that used it.

      --
      Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
    2. Re:Basic DVD feature by monkeyzoo · · Score: 1

      I just tried it out, and the playback skips/repeats a little bit when you change angles. :/

    3. Re:Basic DVD feature by rmdingler · · Score: 4, Funny
      I believe there are advanced lifeforms hovering on just the blind edge of our ability to detect them

      who may reveal themselves tomorrow now that we've passed this incredible technological threshold.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    4. Re:Basic DVD feature by Scorch_Mechanic · · Score: 1

      Animusic 2 is the only DVD I recall that had the feature. It was kind of cool to watch just one of the nutty instruments playing, but the guided camera standard versions of the songs were probably better.

      --
      You should turn signatures off.
    5. Re: Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Porn, that feature is mostly used in porn.

    6. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow. You have made me so excited for tomorrow morning!
      I just hope they give me time to finish rubbing one out in bed.

    7. Re:Basic DVD feature by QuasiSteve · · Score: 1

      I don't think I have any DVDs that have that feature - but last time I saw it demonstrated, there was no feedback for the various angles in the current view. Couple that with the delay before it would start showing that angle, and it was just not very impressive.

      The YouTube demo seems a lot better (minor skipping aside) because it puts the various views on the screen so you can see what's happening on other views, and decide to change the view if you so desire.

      I also think the subject matter works for this - concerts, maybe sports events, etc. I have no idea how this would play out for narrative media like a full length film. Why would I event want to watch an angle in which a punch can be clearly seen to miss, when the director-chosen angle looks somewhat convincing as long as I don't look too closely or start frame-by-framing the thing.

    8. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's terrible and mostly useless. The camera views other than the currently speaking person are boring as hell.

    9. Re:Basic DVD feature by rudy_wayne · · Score: 2

      Sure was. My DVD remote still has the Angle button. I can't recall a single title that used it.

      That's because it's a useless gimmick. And it requires lot of extra work to produce, with little or no real benefit.

    10. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I have a porno movie in DVD that I found in a DVD drive in a computer lab machine that I was fixing. It allows you to choose multiple angles for a bunch of scenes, but the reality is, there's a reason why the director chose the angle he did...

    11. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wasn't this one of the hyped features of DVDs back in the day?

      Yes. It's almost as if that information was mentioned in the very first line of the summary.

    12. Re:Basic DVD feature by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Because the DVD's director and editor are a better director and editor than you are. Even if they are pretty bad. This feature sounded neat when it was first talked about. It's not a very good idea in practice though.

    13. Re:Basic DVD feature by enjar · · Score: 1

      Didn't make a splash then...

      Not true. It was widely used in pr0n DVDs, I'd say it did make a few splashes.

    14. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't make a splash then...

      Not true. It was widely used in pr0n DVDs, I'd say it did make a few splashes.

      People don't want to say it, but the feature was intended for pr0n from the start.

    15. Re:Basic DVD feature by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      I found in a DVD drive in a computer lab machine that I was fixing

      Why must you turn this website into a house of lies?

    16. Re:Basic DVD feature by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      Didn't make a splash then...

      You could see the wide shot, his face, her face, the hotel-PPV version, or the real naughty bits. I had an Apex DVD player that would flash a little 'angle' indicator onscreen whenever a multi-angle scene was available and the remote had an 'angle change' button.

      It was pretty much useless.

      Editors know how to do their job. Having five cameramen increases costs by quite a bit but doesn't increase profits at all, even in niche markets. One of the benefits of editing is that you can do takes and retakes without having to have a different camera on every angle simultaneously.

      I guess for science experiments it might be useful, but exactly at whom is YouTube aiming this feature?

      Maybe if there are enough angles with some future gear then they can integrate it with some of the stuff they've been doing with StreetView and PhotoSphere and allow for some freespace navigation within a video. That might be neat, but it's a ways off.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    17. Re:Basic DVD feature by _merlin · · Score: 1

      The only DVD I have that uses it is Cirque du Soleil's Dralion. On a few of the scenes you can switch between three crops. You're not even choosing different angles as such, just how "zoomed in" the view is.

    18. Re:Basic DVD feature by Theaetetus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sure was. My DVD remote still has the Angle button. I can't recall a single title that used it.

      That's because it's a useless gimmick. And it requires lot of extra work to produce, with little or no real benefit.

      On a DVD, sure. On live TV? Particularly sports? It's awesome. One of the stations - NBC or CBS, I think - streamed an NFL game on their website last year and let you select either the broadcast stream or any of the individual cameras, including sideline, overhead, QB close up, etc. That was really fun. I could see the same benefit for anything where different viewers may be interested in different things happening simultaneously - sports or concerts, primarily.

    19. Re:Basic DVD feature by mrterrysilver · · Score: 1

      Just because it wasn't delivered properly back then doesn't mean it can't be re-imagined today. Think about easily being able to play director and sharing your cut of the performance / event easily online or on your youtube channel. There is a lot of room for innovation there.

      --
      -mr silver
    20. Re: Basic DVD feature by beav007 · · Score: 2

      It will be very useful to those who do music tutorials. The user can choose which hand/foot to watch.

    21. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't make a splash then...

      Not true. It was widely used in pr0n DVDs, I'd say it did make a few splashes.

      People don't want to say it, but the feature was intended for pr0n from the start.

      The YouTube demo wasn't working. She had clothes on. Shouldn't they have called it YouLube?

    22. Re: Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dave Matthews band had one, the gorge DVD. Pretty neat.

    23. Re:Basic DVD feature by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      I've seen a lot of foreign (non-US) movies on DVD that use the angle in conjunction with the audio track and subtitles. One angle will have English opening and/or closing credits while the other has the native language credits.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    24. Re:Basic DVD feature by davester666 · · Score: 1

      I did find a porn DVD that had multi-angle support...didn't make it better.

      And I find the up-skirt angle a curious omission...

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    25. Re:Basic DVD feature by tigersha · · Score: 1

      Maybe he is not lying. Maybe he did steal a DVD from his customer.

      --
      The dangers of excessive individualism are nothing compared to the oppressiveness of excessive collectivism
    26. Re:Basic DVD feature by vinaychittora · · Score: 1

      Agreed, may be this feature isn't useful watching movies, but just think about when you watching a football live stream and you can switch camera angles yourself. That is going to be epic.

    27. Re:Basic DVD feature by Zaatxe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sometimes it was used and you didn't even notice. One notable example is Toy Story's DVD from region 4. It had dubbing and subtitles for english, spanish and portuguese, and since Pixar had the trouble to translate some in-scene texts (like the text in Buzz's box/spaceship), the DVD changed the "angle" for the right language and match the language you picked at the start of the movie.

      --
      So say we all
    28. Re:Basic DVD feature by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      It was pretty much useless.

      The place I can see it being genuinely useful is in car videos, and this would be useful for them on youtube right now. Some of the car video guys are now doing one takes and if you could select camera angles, that would be nifty.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    29. Re:Basic DVD feature by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      The only titles I've ever seen^Wheard of which used multi-angle were porn. It was^Wsounded gimmicky and didn't really add much. Or, so I'm told. ;-)

      The only other places I've seen it used was in some special features on DVDs so you could see the movie, and the original story-boarding side by side, or just one of them. But it was actually a nuisance to use.

      It was one of those things which they added to the spec, and then everybody found themselves doing "OK, we have to use this feature ... but what the hell do we do with it?".

      The fact that it didn't ever catch on with DVDs tells me it's probably just as gimmicky and pointless when YouTube tries it.

      It's a feature which was a solution in search of a problem.

      And I predict it will be just as underwhelming this time around.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    30. Re:Basic DVD feature by AAWood · · Score: 1

      Depending on how it's implemented/used, I can definitely see use use for it nowadays. Example: Their are gaming communities who upload videos where a bunch of people play the same game at once, either through co-op or just racing through the same single player game separately. Currently, they either just jam all the videos in little boxes on one screen at the same time, (usually with the individual games' sounds removed), which can get very crowded, or switch perspective between players, which means you potentially miss a lot. With this you could switch between the two 'traditional' views, and have individual feeds for each player (possibly with their game audio included?).

    31. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The video as a whole was boring as hell to me, but that's not a flaw in that concept. Neither is the skipping issue mentioned above; implementations can be worked on and improved.

    32. Re:Basic DVD feature by dj245 · · Score: 1

      Sure was. My DVD remote still has the Angle button. I can't recall a single title that used it.

      That's because it's a useless gimmick. And it requires lot of extra work to produce, with little or no real benefit.

      It isn't a ton of extra work. If you are doing a multicamera setup anyway, you should just be sure to use a clapperboard so that you can sync the videos up easier. If you are working with multiple cameras anyway, the extra steps in Premiere (Elements or otherwise) to put different angles in Picture in Picture boxes (PIP) is absolutely trivial. For sports and porn the resulting videos are a lot more interesting. I've used it for family videos too- with young children you never know which way they are going to look, fall down, or throw birthday cake. You don't even need fancy equipment. 2 modern smartphones and someone clapping their hands at the start of filming (for ease of syncing later) is the minimum requirement.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    33. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Porn was the first to use it.

    34. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wasn't this one of the hyped features of DVDs back in the day? Didn't make a splash then...

      Probably because the movie Director already figured out the best angle and filmed the scene from there

    35. Re:Basic DVD feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't make a splash then...

      Not true. It was widely used in pr0n DVDs, I'd say it did make a few splashes.

      People don't want to say it, but the feature was intended for pr0n from the start.

      The YouTube demo wasn't working. She had clothes on. Shouldn't they have called it YouLube?

      It's because it's a free beta. The final release candidate will be on redtube.

  2. The Apple-Juice Pill by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    "Look, our toddler's in The Matrix!" [swish swish swish]

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  3. Already sex is hinted at by Trax3001BBS · · Score: 1

    Just after she's introduced to sing I hit left twice just to test it out, and it was of her rear which works up to her head. I LOL'd

    1. Re:Already sex is hinted at by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not hinted at. I've already seen this promoted as a feature on porn sites.

  4. It's garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just tried it, and it's utter garbage. Seems to just stop one video and start the other one in *roughly* the same place. Nothing smooth about it. I'd imagine you can probably do something as good by just embedding four youtube videos on top of each other on a regular html page.

    1. Re:It's garbage by monkeyzoo · · Score: 2

      Yep, it's not really ready for primetime. I'm surprised they released it like this!
      In a couple moments, I quickly spotted two issues:
      1) The majority of the time that I switch camera angles, I get a little repeat/skip backwards in the audio.
      2) When changing between cameras, it seems you get a real quick shot of the last frame you were on with that camera. So as the scene progresses and you change cameras, this causes some subliminal-style image flashes.

    2. Re:It's garbage by gnupun · · Score: 1

      Why can't the morons who upload videos to youtube use multiple angles in a single video stream so we don't have to switch? It's simply annoying and unpleasant to watch the same angle for even 5 minutes (eg: see professional music videos, TV shows, movies etc.), let alone the whole video length of 10-50 minutes. How come people are allowed to upload without learning this basic skill of filming?

    3. Re:It's garbage by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      How come people are allowed to upload without learning this basic skill of filming?

      A lot of these people don't have someone else to handle the camera. Yeah, it's sad, but it's true. I don't have anyone who wants to operate a camera while I pontificate about something that might be interesting to a handful of people. If I make a video like that, you can be sure that it will have a static camera.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:It's garbage by NJRoadfan · · Score: 1

      Not only that, many don't have the equipment to run a multicam setup. Cameras and a time code generator cost money.

    5. Re:It's garbage by dj245 · · Score: 2

      Not only that, many don't have the equipment to run a multicam setup. Cameras and a time code generator cost money.

      I've done multicam with 2 smartphones. You don't need a time code generator. Start the recording on both cameras at approximately the same time, and make a loud, sharp, noise (like a single hand clap or banging a table) to emulate the clapperboard that you are too poor to buy. Don't stop the recording until the scene is done. Use the loud sharp noise at the beginning of the clips to sync up the videos. Make your video PIP and throw away one of the audio tracks, or do proper cuts if you want to be fancy. Done.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  5. How I Live on the Edge . . . And Live to Tell You by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I live on the edge. How you may be asking. I will tell you so you can too and live to tell others. Ready? Then let's go!

    Find an app icon.
    Press the right mouse button (2nd button)
    Find "Run as administrator" and move the mouse arrow to that line
    Click!

    You have done it! You are living on the edge. Sure, people will tell you, "Don't do it.", but you can tell them that you do and are here to tell them about it.

    Enjoy slashdot fiends and mavens.

  6. It's been done... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's been done, even on youtube already.

    https://www.youtube.com/user/HondaVideo/OtherSide

  7. Excuse me, Mr. Stormtrooper... by ArcSecond · · Score: 0

    "Is this the drone you've been looking for?"

    --

    I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.

  8. Oh Look... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A white chick.

    How could I guess?

  9. Yay for YouTube by Trogre · · Score: 1

    Now we can change angles just like a DVD!

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  10. Awful implementation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As I switch between angles, both the audio and the video jumps backwards/forward in time. This 2013 video achieves the same effect, using annotations (i.e. desktop only) -- it's disappointing that a native implementation be worse.

  11. Setting the stage for sports by GoodNewsJimDotCom · · Score: 1

    Watch the game from a bunch of different angles. Put several different TVs in a sports bar with all the different angles, get way more customers. Then mic up all the players and choose the channel you want to listen to. It'd lead to famous trash talk segments when video with sound are linked on forums.

    --
    God spoke to me
    1. Re:Setting the stage for sports by oodaloop · · Score: 1

      Wow, what a great idea. That's already been done.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  12. ooh, my eyes by binarybum · · Score: 1

    I tried to watch the sample video thing. Terrible issues with audio-continuity between the views. Seeing that dude's fanny pack was a great example of why nobody needs \ wants this. I might have had some degree of respect for the guy despite his annoying voice if I hadn't switched to the view that showed the bejeweled fanny-pack. Editing exists for a reason, just like elected political representatives. This is like those people that show you their completely unedited vacation photos- all 568 of them. It kills the magic. If done very very well, I could imagine this maybe being useful for porn (but only until good holograms become available).

    --
    ôó
    1. Re:ooh, my eyes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It could be useful for purely factual, non-creative videos; say, multiple views of the same plan crash for instance.

    2. Re:ooh, my eyes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      multiple views of the same plan crash for instance

      I have in my time had the misfortune of watching many plan crashes from the horrific inside. These plans were always the "brainchild" of some manager or other. I don't need to see any more plans, or managers for that matter.

  13. Worked really well for concert DVDs by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    The U2 Elevation DVD used multi-angle really well - you could switch between different views of the concert, from the control room to BonoCam (yes really, even before Google Glass there were cameras in glasses) and general wide angle views. The control room view was especially fun.

    I have to admit it never caught on generally but there are some select subjects where it can be really great - personally I think it could really flourish on a place like YouTube with and endless array of specialized subjects and millions of people to think up some creative use. I'm interested to see what comes of it.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  14. NBA's TNT OT by antdude · · Score: 1

    http://www.nba.com/tntovertime... started this years ago. Very fun.

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  15. Meh by Stephen+Chadfield · · Score: 1

    Meh

  16. Beastie Boys Video Anthology by Dusthead+Jr. · · Score: 1

    One of my favorite DVDs, not movies, has got to be Beastie Boys Video Anthology. It's one of the most feature rich DVDs that I own and if a group were to release a collection of videos this is how it should be done. Some of the video not only include multiple angles, but multiple remixes on the language tracks.

  17. Does that mean we'll finally get to see by mark_reh · · Score: 1

    Nicki Minaj from an angle other than the one with the camera pointing at her butt?