I recently interviewed a community member that is intimately familiar with the market for 360° cameras. In addition to market expertise, he has a PhD in technology from a well-known university.
I’ve summarized the interview for developers to get inspired to work on a plug-in project.
| Plugin | Description | Diffculty |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo Shooting | Capture stereo by 2 cameras at the same time can by triggering one button | Easy |
| GPS logger integration Plug-in | There is no GPS in THETA V. Bluetooth format with loggers | Easy |
| Custom Trigger Sound | Swap sound when shutter button is pressed. Concept similar to custom ring-tone on phones. Humorous or happy shutter button. | Easy |
| DSLR synchronization | Similar to Ricoh Multi-Imaging Technology | Difficult |
For DSLR integration, the THETA could be attached to the hot-shoe of any DSLR.
Instead of the proprietary attachment in the picture above, developers can use the THETA V microphone to recognize the shutter sound of the DSLR and with machine learning, trigger the shutter of the THETA V.
The THETA V could function as a sub-device of the DSLR to map an INDEX for the DSLR images using the entire 360 image for each scene. You can then use the 360° as a way to find particular DSLR images.
An example of this type of indexing can be seen in the video below:
The post below has some ideas for how to use a MESH device to trigger two cameras at the same time.
Example of using GPS with a THETA S and a Raspberry Pi using gpsd.
Adding Your Solution
Each of the solutions above have limitations. By overcoming the limitations with plug-in technology, you may be able to create a commercial solution.
The Ricoh Multi-imaging Technology uses a proprietary connector and software. The solution is not for sale.
The GPS and requires a separate Raspberry Pi. You could connect it to the THETA directly. The simultaneous shutter solution requires a MESH device.
Once you build your plug-in solution, you can add a demo version of it to the THETA store and sell the full version from your own web site.