360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360 VR
 

The latest consumer-grade 360 video resolution frontier is 5.7K. And the Yi 360 VR gives you that for $399. Resolution is critical for 360 viewing, since one sees just a part (slice) of the full video at a time. So, with this new frontier, time to re-visit 360 video!

Note: the GoPro Fusion only gives you 5.2K (at $699); the Garmin Virb does 5.7K also, at $799!.

The camera is easy to use with the (Android) app: connected instantly, no password asked for. All the settings were there. Live view with little lag. The max bitrate for 5.7K/30P is 120 Mbps. I chose that.

You can set everything on the camera without the app - there are buttons and a bright OLED screen with the settings and options.

I used the included tripod attached to the Yi "selfie" stick, making for an extendable, portable, sturdy and near invisible stand.

Shot for about one minute on a dim day at dusk - so little light. The camera has f2.0 lenses. The resulting video is also dull, but not noisy. Well exposed (there are ev controls, but I was on full auto).

I stitched the file in the free Yi 360 desktop software, using the best optical flow setting. Stitching takes a long time, but it is really good. The one minute video took 22 minutes to stitch. The produced 360 stitched video at the highest quality setting is 5.7K at - 317 Mbps! The high bitrate (it's optional) is so that you can place the stitched video into another editor for color correction, clipping and merging, with little resolution loss.

I used the resulting video as-is to upload to YouTube, after injecting the metadata according to YouTube instructions - easy, instantaneous and no degradation of the file.

The uploaded raw video is here:


YouTube recognized it as a 360 video, and can play it in 5K, the highest resolution. You want to see it in 5K, no matter what your viewing screen, since, again, you are only really seeing a part of the scene at a time.

In terms of quality, I cannot see where the stitch is; best I have ever seen. No distortion, no CA, a good picture. Better than the 4K 360 videos of the previous generation for sure, but of course not 5.7K or even 4K as viewed in a 360 slice.

I also uploaded the video to Vimeo, which now plays 360 videos, so you can download the original raw (stitched file).


I can barely play the 5.7K, 317 Mbps file on my computer. But it was ingested easily into Vegas Pro 15 and I could easily color grade it and produce a new 5.7K version.

Next is to see how the video looks from a scene lit with sunshine.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

This is a pretty interesting camera. Small 360 cams come of age!

Did you run into any issues or obstacles in the workflow? I really think that the output is acceptable. Maybe I have high standards, but I've not been that impressed since the Theta first opened the market for small 360 dual-cams. I *wanted* to like the pixpro, but the near/far stitching seemed unacceptable.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

whata hoot
So in any given frame where is the focus point
Be real nice if something like this had live out hdmi

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Other than the long time it takes to stitch using optical flow in the free software (long!), it is straightforward. The stitching software will batch process all the clips and you can trim each clip before stitching. The software plays the video clip as stitched in real time before the rendering/stitching, so you can look around.

I appreciated the high bitrate used to produce the 5.7K stitched 360 videos using the software, so there is little loss for further color grading and merging the stitched clips.

So far, tests elsewhere indicate the Yi 360 VR IQ and stitching beats that of the GoPro Fusion.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

It does have live HDMI out! And it's clean.

When the camera is set to 5.7K or 4K internally it outputs what my monitor reports as UHD and it shows the two raw unstitched globes. To have live stitched video, perhaps some software in the computer could do the stitching in real time.

The camera will livestream (internally) stitched 4K 360 video to YouTube and Facebook and other sites over 5G wifi, and the app shows the stitched video with almost no lag even if the camera is recording 5.7K (unstitched).

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Still have not found an editor that will merge and render 5760 x 2880 videos at a high bitrate. So just clips for now.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Hi Mark,

I've got one of these coming next Tuesday, so hopefully will get some time to play with it.

So how did you take yourself out of the subway station video? Did you hide round the corner and hope nobody ran off with camera, or use some removal software?

Edited to say that I think that may be you behind the 'Oscar' pillar.

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

You got me! As you indicate, a significant challenge of 360 video is to get out of the way. Unless you are a vlogger...

Here is the Yi 360 VR in sunshine:


Choose 5K.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Considering that only part of the footage is in view at any one time, I am impressed with the overall clarity, much better than other 360 footage I have seen. I'm also impressed with the performance in the lower light of the subway station.

Did you use the supplied software to stitch the clips, I assume it's not the 4k in camera stitching. How long did the stitching take? Just wondering as I am thinking of putting together some semi serious footage to use in conjunction with my normal wedding work, maybe as a fun add on.

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Yes, I used the supplied software, as the camera will only carry out stitching in 4K, not 5.7K. Stitching in the software is very slow - on my i7 machine, 20 minutes of stitching for one minute of video. It is very, very good and very, very slow. You can also trim the clip before stitching - you see the provisionally stitched video in the editor before the full stitching.

The bitrate of the stitched video is selectable - I always use the "best" setting to minimize degradation, and the bit rate is very high (dependent on the complexity of the scene), which is good.

What has proved to be a challenge is finding software that will edit and render 5760 x 2880 video - merging the stitched 5.7K clips and rendering a video in 5.7K at a good bitrate (at least 100 Mbps). I have not found any.

I think the Yi 360 VR will do very well in well-lit indoor venues. Outdoors, the sun is always in the frame - the camera does well in handling that, but we normally avoid pointing any camera at the sun. This is an issue in all 360 video.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

To rise out of the realm of surveillance video quality, 24k is needed will give nice 360 video as in 6 yi4k+ units mounted in a rig

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Thanks for that Mark, it will be interesting to see what I can do once I start playing with it :-)

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

@Mark,

Hi Mark, My Yi360 arrived 16 hours after ordering it and I have been playing about with it whenever I can. It definitely needs reasonable lighting conditions to get the best out of it but for fun stuff it does a good job, clearer than offerings from other 360 cams I've seen. Pity it doesn't stitch the 5.7k in camera as the processing is so slow in the software, but hopefully it won't be long before faster software is available.

I downloaded the Movavi software demo which gives some more options, but only seems to be able to render to a 4k file. Not sure if the paid version does more.

Have you been able to use the camera with your stabiliser? It only seems to be usable vertically to still be able to scroll around the picture properly, which makes it too out of balance for the stabiliser.

All in all for the price looks good so far.

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Thanks for the report.

1. There is 3-axis gimbal available specifically for 360 cameras, that puts the motors below the camera and thus out of the way. Guru 360 is the name.

2. The latest Yi 360 VR firmware update adds stabilization, just like the GoPro Fusion.

3. I have not found any software that enables merging 5.7K equirectangular clips at high bitrates.

Cutting edge!

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Hi Mark,

I agree with cutting edge, seems to be way out in front of the alternatives in the price range. Just tried out the voice control which works ok, but a bit of a gimmick I think. Can't see me talking to the camera unless it is very quiet and I want to remain a few feet from it.

I can't see any stabilisation option in the menus, although I updated the firmware a couple of days ago my version now is V10.1.0.79 does that match yours?

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

That is not the latest firmware version.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Mmmm! That's interesting, I'll have another look and see whether there is more than one place to download from.

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

https://www.immersiveshooter.com/201...stabilization/

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Hi Mark,

I tried downloading the firmware from the link you gave which just goes to a facebook login that doesn't work. I also tried the Yi website but the latest update doesn't include the stabilisation.

Roger

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

You are right (of course), now that link does not work and the Yi site does not offer it. As you can see from the video, there was firmware that added stabilization, and users used the link to get it. Maybe it was pulled. Still cutting edge! We will stay tuned...

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

The Yi 360 is not waterproof, right?

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Right. But it does livestream 4K 360...

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

well, that doesn't help to shot UW :)

Update on Stabilization
 

The good news:

The stabilization does not steal from resolution like the digital stabilization in most cameras. Instead, two files are produced: the unstabilized MP4 video file and an IMU file that contains information for stabilizing the video in software.

The bad news (temporary):

Right now all you can do is download the two files to your phone and the (latest) phone app will play the stitched video stabilized. You can turn the stabilization on and off! Most phones cannot play 5.7K videos (they do not have the power), so because of the limitations of the phones, you can now only do this with 4K 360 video clips.

They are working on the PC software that will enable stitching the 5.7K and 4K videos using the two files to get a stabilized, stitched video. And the PC software will play the stabilized videos. The software should be ready in less than a month.

This technique for stabilization is what the GoPro Fusion will use. So, again, in terms of video quality and video features, the Yi 360 VR is at the very least equal to the GoPro Fusion (but the Yi can do 5.7K, not just 5.2K) at half the price.

A 360 Application: Night Club Laser Show
 

Uses the Yi 360 VR in a dark setting:


Perhaps applicable to use at weddings.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Hi Mark,

Its probably a bit grainy for weddings but it was pretty low light overall in that club. I've got a wedding coming up on 27th of this month so I'll see if I get a chance to try mine out there.

Incidentally was is a new firmware upgrade and app upgrade out a couple of days ago, but nothing on the PC software upgrade that was promised for the video stabilising.

Roger

Found: Free Software that will Merge 5.7K Clips and Make a 5.7K Video
 

Almost no software can render 5.7K videos. But the free Virb Edit software will. And it will do it with stitched Yi 360 VR 5.7 clips. It renders a high bitrate 5.7K video. You can even add transitions.

Here is an example:


Choose 2880s or 5K.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

The new PC software enabling video stabilizing for clips made with the new camera firmware is now available. The software also has the capability of making "overcapture" videos.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

360 5.7K Video:


1080 HyperFrame Video from the above:

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Mark, I'm on Mac, is there any software out there that's confirmed to work with the 5.7K files? Would you be able to upload a 10 second raw clip for testing purposes?

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Virb Edit, as I have indicated above, works with stitched 5.7K files, including the ones from the Yi 360 VR.. It is available for the Mac.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/573412

By raw, do you mean an unstitched or a stitched clip?

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

It's my understanding that it's two unstitched clips? Be great to try the workflow before buying if you'd have the time to upload the unstiched clips.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

Each scene is one clip - with the two views. You must first stitch the clip with the Yi free software (choose optical flow for the best quality), or you can use some other $900 360 software to stitch. The stitching takes a long time.

Then Virb edit can be used to trim the clip or combine the clip with other stitched clips, create a hyperlapse, etc.

The original clip was uploaded. We will wait for Nate's report.

Re: 360 Re-Visited at 5.7K: The Yi 360
 

I'm a Kodak SP360 4K user. Had for 2 years, ready to upgrade, and really interested in the Yi.

2 things not happy with the SP's: no stabilization, color/exposure/shift between the two lenses.

I've read where the Yi has decent stabilization. So are you noticing the shift of colors, exposure, etc between the two lenses?

Also, I use Adobe premiere to edit my 360 vids. I would like to import the two original unstitched vids directly from cam to premiere, to color correct. Can do that now, however I export, I cannot then import into any stitch program to do the stitching. Anyone able to color correct, then stitch? I want to do this first because easier to color correct before combining the vids.