captivr: Making Events Immersive
At Insta360, "Think bold," is more than just our motto. It's how we work every single day—but we can't do it all alone. And so, we recently collaborated with captivr, a tech company that specializes in immersive video capture and content generation for attractions and events, to create a unique experience for an iconic landmark: the "Over the Edge" Swing in Amsterdam.
The swings are on A'DAM LOOKOUT, which is itself on A'DAM Tower and offers breathtaking views of the Dutch capital, but when combined with Insta360 X3, visitors can take in the sights from all angles and even take home a video of their experience.
Capturing the Complete Experience
GoPhoto, the company managing the full media experience at A’DAM LOOKOUT, ran the video-capturing system until early 2024 in traditional 2D formats, which didn't do justice to the full scope of the attraction. Tourists who enjoyed the ride could not replicate the amazing view they had of Amsterdam from the top of the swing when viewing the video later, nor could they watch their footage and see views previously missed.
This inspired GoPhoto to upgrade their video-capture service with 360° cameras by partnering with captivr, and together they equipped A'DAM LOOKOUT with new full 360° camera technology—and that's where Insta360 comes in.
Insta360: Making the Immersive Bold
Having run several internal and customer-facing tests, captivr chose Insta360 X3 as their 360° camera of choice for several reasons:
Speed and Reliability
captivr supplied X3 with a constant 24V power supply and a direct connection to their local CUDA server. As X3 is already fairly rugged, these two connections ensure that X3 can record footage consistently day or night, rain or shine.
The camera's 5.7K30fps footage, enhanced with FlowState Stabilization and Active HDR to make it extra stable and clear, is automatically stitched into a high-quality 360° video. This is then encoded and delivered in multiple formats for sale to the visitor.
Aesthetics and Security
X3 was designed with convenience in mind, meaning it was easy for captivr to collaborate with a local engineering company to design and produce custom casings to attach our camera to the "Over the Edge" swings without compromising on either aesthetics or security.
Likewise, X3 was then connected with customized USB cables to the CUDA server via LattePanda development boards that were placed at the top of each swing's arm. When viewed from the below, the integration is seamless.
Remote management
The "Over the Edge" Swing staff uses mobile phones with GoPhoto’s operator application to communicate with the LattePanda boards and control the cameras in all respects. Besides being how the recordings were started, stopped and transferred to the server, these Intel-powered development boards can turn the cameras on and off, start and stop recording and reset when required, something which was made clear by the real-time performance monitoring software.
A Smash Hit Summer
Implementing X3 cameras quickly proved to be a significant success. Videos were recorded throughout the summer and, in just three months, visitors bought thousands of them, eager to share their one-of-a-kind experience. This became a form of organic marketing for "Over the Edge", as the singular nature of the footage was more eye-catching on social media than traditional 2D photos and videos.
What's Next?
The success with the "Over the Edge" Swing is just the beginning. The project proved we could take an already well-established attraction and push it to the next level. By providing a truly unique experience, we not only enhanced visitor satisfaction but generated a significant new revenue stream in the process.
Keen to keep up to date on Insta360 stories? Keep an eye on our blog and sign up for our mailing list. You can also contact our Enterprise team directly to see how 360 cameras can benefit your business.
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