360° and VR video could be seen as simply a passing trend, but Vimeo envisions an explosive space for creatives to explore new avenues of expression and, ultimately, a way to make money. As a platform that has always set a high bar for video quality, Vimeo's approach to 360° video and VR is no different. With the recent release of Vimeo 360, the company has put together the world's first platform for creators to truly cut their teeth in the rapidly-evolving world of this burgeoning visual medium.
One of the key themes of NAB 2017 has been a focus on the rapid growth of 360° video technology. Vimeo’s 360 product offering came as a response to strong demand for more features in new formats like 360° video; while competitive platforms offer 360° support, it’s still very much a nascent technology and, up until now, a low-quality experience from both the creator and viewer perspective. With support for 8K uploads and offline playback, it seems that Vimeo's top priority has been to preserve the quality of videos so they can be viewed the way the creator intended.
Vimeo 360 video is viewable on gear headsets like Samsung Gear VR, Daydream, and Zeiss, with support for Oculus and HTC Vive coming soon.
Vimeo's 360°/VR Marketplace
What sets Vimeo apart from competitors like Amazon and iTunes is its longtime, dedicated community of creators and content lovers. The Vimeo community creates a unique avenue for 360° creators to actually make money off their work. Having a place where filmmakers can learn from each others' mistakes and bounce ideas off of each other helps everyone involved learn how to make a living during the advent of a new medium.
In addition to its commitment to 360° video and VR, Vimeo is improving its user experience and starting to integrate with more of the offline processes that filmmakers go through, including:
- All-new video review tools: Instead of managing endless email chains or paying for costly collaboration software, creators can now incorporate review seamlessly into their workflow as part of their Vimeo PRO and Business membership—for no additional fees.
- Vimeo panel for Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Cloud: An extension built to simplify the post-production workflow for video professionals from within the Adobe Creative Cloud editing suite. Creators can seamlessly upload videos from the panel to Vimeo for hosting and publishing without having to leave Adobe Premiere Pro CC. In addition, Vimeo PRO and Business members can instantly create a review page from within Adobe to seamlessly gather feedback throughout the video editing process.
At NAB, Vimeo's effervescent enthusiasm to help their users is contagious, and once again exemplifies that the best way to embrace the future of content is with open arms.
No Film School's complete coverage of NAB 2017 is brought to you by My RØDE Reel, Vimeo 360, and Blackmagic Design.
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