What I Learned from Posting 360-Degree Videos to YouTube: The Data Capacity Barrier and Their True Use Case

I recently purchased a DJI 360-degree camera and
tried filming at a rice planting experience event.

As an archive for the participants,
I attempted to upload a 30-minute 360-degree video with minimal editing
to YouTube as an unlisted video,
but when I actually tried it, I faced unexpected struggles and
several interesting realizations.

This time, I would like to share
the "real hurdles" and "optimal use cases"
that I discovered while working with 360-degree video.

I hope this will be helpful for those who want to try using a 360-degree camera
or those who want to expand the range of their video content.

The Unimaginable "Data Size" and "Upload Time"

The first thing I faced was the physical barrier of data capacity.

The video I filmed this time was a 30-minute 360-degree video in "8K resolution."

The fact that it took 1 hour just to export on my computer
was still within an acceptable range, but
the problem was the file size.

It reached a staggering 58GB for a 30-minute video.

What I struggled with even more was the upload to YouTube.

Since I use Starlink mini for my internet connection,
it is a bit slower than a standard fiber-optic line,
but I started the upload at 11:00 PM
and it didn't finish until 10:00 AM the next morning.

It actually took 11 hours.

Furthermore, it took over an hour for YouTube to process the video,
so it took more than half a day
from the moment I started the upload until it was viewable.

I was made to realize that uploading 360-degree videos in high quality as-is
is a very heavy task.

360-Degree Videos Shine When "Sharing Memories with Inner Circles"

After watching the video I worked so hard to upload,
I also had realizations about the nature of 360-degree video content.

In conclusion, for the scope of what an average person would normally film,
360-degree video is extremely excellent as "content for inner circles."

There are two reasons for this.

1. The photographer ends up being the most prominent subject

Due to the nature of 360-degree cameras,
you, the person holding the camera, are the closest
and most clearly captured subject.

Therefore, it is suitable for
closed relationships where it doesn't matter if you are seen.

2. High 'calorie' cost for viewers

Regular videos work just by watching the screen, but
360-degree videos require the viewer to
manually pan around the screen while watching.

This is an experience that is surprisingly physically demanding (high calorie).

In other words, rather than as casual entertainment to watch,
it fits perfectly as a way to relive memories,
like 'I want to look around that place at that time one more time.'

How can it be used as publicly available content?

So, does that mean 360-degree cameras can only be used privately?
That is not the case.

Approaches for having a wide general audience view them have also become clear.

If you are broadcasting to an unspecified number of people,
instead of posting it as a 360-degree video,
it is more realistic to extract only the parts you want to show
as 'standard vertical or horizontal videos'.

This makes the content easier to watch and less demanding for the viewer.

On the other hand, if you dare to publish it as a 360-degree video,
I felt that projects that push the creator's personality (human-centric) to the forefront,
such as 'walking through a village while providing live commentary,' are suitable.

However, because the human-centric nature becomes stronger,
it can be said that it has a higher affinity with personal channels
than with official or organizational accounts.

Summary: Purpose-driven usage is the key

Having posted a 30-minute, 8K 360-degree video to YouTube for the first time,
I keenly felt the difficulty of handling the data.

However, once posted,
the experience of being able to enjoy changing the viewpoint while panning around on YouTube is still interesting,
and I feel new possibilities.

• For archives intended for participants: 'Keep as 360-degree, unlisted'

• For wide distribution: 'Edit by cutting into vertical/horizontal videos'

• If you can leverage personality: 'Publish as personal live commentary content'

In this way, changing the output format according to the purpose
might be the trick to mastering 360-degree cameras.

If you have the opportunity, please try experiencing
this 'heavy and high-calorie, but interesting' 360-degree world.

I operate an online community in Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, that connects the local region with digital technology.

If you are interested in doing something in a rural area, or have an interest in DAOs or community development, please join us.

▶ {Join the Sekikawa Village DAO}

▶ {Click here for the LINE OpenChat}