360 video is a bold new frontier in streaming internet video, and Wistia makes it easy to upload and share your 360 content. Check out our guide below for all of the awesome 360 video functionality we have to offer.

360 videos aren’t like normal videos–they require a special kind of encoding and streaming to share them with the world. We’ve got you covered though! With Wistia 360 video hosting we take care of the encoding, delivery, and playback for all of your 360 videos. Currently, we support playback directly inline within Android browsers, and on desktop in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. iOS devices do not currently support 360 video.

Got a 360 video handy? Let’s get started!

To upload a 360 video, you’ll want to follow the same upload process you would for a regular Wistia video.

Keep in mind, your 360 video should still adhere to our optimal export settings, and as always, our suggested format is an MP4 file with an h.264 video codec. This way our encoding process goes smoothly, and your 360 videos play perfectly for any viewer.

It’s important to note: 360 videos are going to be much larger than most videos. Their aspect ratio should be at least 1080p — if possible, you should upload your video at 4K. Since 360 videos have a lot more visual real estate (ahem, 360 degrees worth), they’ll have a much bigger aspect ratio than traditional 2D videos. So don’t be afraid to upload big files; this way you’ll get the sharpest looking 360 videos.

Once you’ve uploaded a 360 video file, you’ll want to make sure you let our player know that it’s a 360 video! To do this, head to the Customize panel for the video (accessible by clicking Customize on the video’s page) and open the ▸ Controls section. Check the 360 Video option (This is a 360 video), and let the player adjust. Make sure to save your settings and you’re good to go. Now, anyone who views your video will get the full 360 experience, no matter where it lives.

Good news! Customizing and embedding your 360 video works the exact same way it does for any 2D video uploaded to Wistia. 360 videos use the same embed code types, and have the same Customize options. Check out our Customize and Embedding help pages for a quick refresher.

The 360 video player looks just like the normal Wistia player, but allows a viewer to look around inside the player. Check out this one of Lenny eating peanuts.

Embedding a 360 video is super easy — just pop the embed code into your website like you would any 2D Wistia video, and you’re all set.

The playback experience is a little different depending on whether you’re watching on desktop or mobile, so let’s walk through both.

The best part of 360 video is looking around the video. With a desktop view you can look around by clicking and dragging within the video in the player, or navigate using the arrow keys. You’ll be able to look in any direction: left, right, up, or down.

Wistia 360 videos work on desktop in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. (Currently, Safari doesn’t support any 360 content.) You’ll want to make sure you upload videos at 1080p or 4K resolution, otherwise you’ll have some pretty grainy 360 footage.

To explore the video on mobile, move your device to change your viewing perspective. If you’re not a fan of waving your phone around, you can use your finger as a cursor to change your point of view within the video. It is not currently possible to use 360 video functionality on iOS devices, however you can still play these videos.

Wistia 360 currently works on the Samsung Gear VR headset in the browser. Navigate to the video you’d like to watch in the headset browser and hit play.

If you’d like to do a little more fancy footwork 💃 with 360 video, check out our developer docs on the topic.

Interested in 360 video? Have something awesome you just have to share with us? Let us know — we’re always jazzed to hear about new implementations.