northStudio360: Who We Are. What We Do. How We Do It It.

We are interactive content providers that specialize in interactive 360 environments, specifically for 360 Video and 360 Virtual Tours. We have pioneered affordable technology to capture HD quality 360 photography for industry use over the Internet. Using the latest technology (cameras, video equipment, and aerial UAV’s), we capture HD quality imagery for 360 virtual environments. Our parent company, northStudio.com (who has been living and breathing everything web for 11 years) now supports cutting edge technology development for northStudio360.

Now that 360 Video has hit the scene, we have switched from panoramic still environments to a more interactive format. The touch screen revolution is well under way and with the capability of tagging information within the video, the applications for this technology are endless. The public now likes to explore their environments by touching, pinching and pulling, so a flat still photo no longer enough. Whether on a home computer or mobile device, people will enjoy using the new technology to explore your environment, be it live streaming events, concerts, sports, public announcements, journalism, showcasing of commercial real estate or retail outlets, mining, oil or gas.

General 360 Video Facts:

• With 6 cameras recording 6 video streams, they cover a 360 degree field of view
• Ability to stream online
• It is now affordably available for the tourism, accommodation and retail industries

What makes our 360 AERIAL video and tours unique?

• One of the first advertising 360 videos compiled in movie format
• One of the world’s first fully produced 360 videos
• Very high quality
• First 360 video to advertise the tourism industry, and the first to advertise a major resort
• One of the first videos to show the tourism industry’s power of influence
• We built our own rig to capture 360 video from the sky, which allows affordable packages for clients. All similar technology is currently extremely expensive
• Google, NASA and National Geographic have had this technology for some time, but our rig produces the same results at a considerably lower cost
• Our proprietary software for stitching video allows us to deliver this product at an affordable cost to the public and in superior quality.

What are we planning for the future?

• Video environments that are completely tagable for a wide range of applications
• As an example, a viewer from across the country is flying over the Grand Canyon via 360 video. While exploring, he says, "Holy cow, that’s where we were last summer!" He then stops the video and tags the cliff where his family had lunch, and adds photos and information to that tag. The video then grows into an informational experience, including details such as where the best bird watching is, where certain types of wildlife are best viewed, where the best lunch spots are, etc. Think of it as an ever-growing Wikipedia video
• Imagine an underwater 360 video of a coral reef where kids could tag and identify wildlife and certain types of marine life. When updated with current information, it would become a great educational resource.

Clients and Interests:

• Resorts and lodges, to showcase their facilities and amenities
• Showcasing of commercial real estate or retail outlets
• Mining, oil and gas aerial mapping via 360 Video and Tours
• Mining groups, to showcase their facilities for potential investors
• Home Lotteries, to showcase their homes across Canada and the US
• Virtual Tours for universities, to map their campus and allow interactive abilities via touch screen plasma TVs.

360 Video Facts:

• It has been around for only a few years
• It didn't work earlier because the hardware and software was extremely expensive and internet speeds and computer processors were too slow
• Now that internet speeds and processors are faster, the time is right to deliver this media to the pubic
• It is a unique way to explore video—"You are the Director." This video format is here to stay and is on the cusp of going mainstream
• Even our basic 360 tours have been getting a lot of accolades. Our production value and our images are so clear and so crisp that photography schools have contacted us to say “How”?
• We do home lottery charities across Canada and were able to take the viewing times from 2-3 min to 8-9 min—a substantial boost in user retention.
• We also use aerial RC UAV (helicopters) with cameras mounted underneath to get impossible shots in hard to reach places.

Ryan Whitehead
President of northStudio360 and the creative genius behind our technology. Alongside his team of developers, he turns our client’s visions into reality. Ryan has been at this for over 4 years now. He is at the forefront of this technology and is constantly developing new solutions.

Chris Boag
Vice President and Solution Architect at northStudio360, also the owner of northStudio.com. Chris put together his first virtual tour in 2000 and works hand in hand with Ryan to deliver client solutions from concept to creation. Chris also handles Sales and Marketing, web development and the integration of client solutions into full web solutions. northStudio’s expertise and experience supports northStudio360 in technology development through its offices in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, and New Brunswick.

The Nimmo Bay 360 Video
The video we created was a first for the Tourism and Resort Industry. To put this together, it took many days of exploring and adventuring a 50-mile track of beautiful Vancouver Island via helicopter. We ended up with some amazing high quality footage of the Nimmo Bay Resort and its surrounding waterfalls, rivers, glaciers, forests and fishing holes. We put it all together with our custom designed rig and our proprietary software. Craig Murray, owner of the Nimmo Bay resort, made a call to his son, Clifton Murray, who was one of the Canadian Tenors. Before we knew it, we were given the go ahead to use “Hallelujah”—a Canadian Tenor favourite—as our soundtrack.

Other 360 Tours
There are only a few other companies in the world that are doing 360 Video. Here is a small list of other high quality 360 videos. Until recently, the Internet has not been capable of delivering such a big file. Now it is, and northStudio360 is on the edge of this new media.

•  360 video with hotspots: http://www.bataviastad.nl/nl
•  Skiing 360 video: http://media.yb.nl/360ski
•  Late night Doritos video—first 360 video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/doritosuk
•  Live music scenario just released: http://muse.mu/page.aspx?page=christmas2010