JW Player Announces VR and 360° Video Creation SDKs
Video player and platform company JW Player announced today that it now supports the creation and playback of virtual reality (VR) and 360° videos. Using the company's native mobile VR SDK, companies can create their own branded VR video apps. Additionally, JW Player's HTML5 VR plugin supports VR and 360° video playback on desktop computers and mobile devices.
VR features supported by the JW system include 4K resolution, adaptive streaming, live video streaming, monoscopic and stereoscopic video, gyroscope motion, and "magic window" pan-around viewing on mobile devices. Users are free to customize the user interface of their VR pages. JW Player supports Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers, and GearvR, Cardboard, and Daydream VR headsets.
JW Player notes that the offering makes VR creation accessible and cost-effective for many publishers, and that it should help customers quickly go to market with their own apps.
“With our brand control and UX options and robust suite of monetization, audience discovery, and analytics tools, JW Player is increasingly positioned as the industry standard for next-generation video,” says Chris Mahl, president and chief revenue officer for JW Player.
One customer already experimenting with JW Player's VR support is media corporation The McClatchy Company. "JW Player 360-degree video technology is an important piece in the evolution of video storytelling here at McClatchy. And it's going to be a big part of some exciting things we have planned next year," says McClatchy director of video product and operations Meghan Sims.
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