The Equirectangular Format is a projection scheme used to map a 360-degree panoramic image or video so that it can be displayed on a flat 2D screen. This type of projection maps a 360-degree view onto a rectangle, with the x-axis representing the horizontal direction (360 degrees around the viewer) and the y-axis representing the vertical direction (180 degrees from pole to pole).
It's like projecting the inner surface of a sphere, on which a 360-degree scene is mapped, outward onto a surrounding rectangle. The resulting rectangle displays the complete panorama in a 2:1 ratio, meaning the width is twice as long as the height.
Equirectangular projections are often used in VR production because they are directly recognized by most 360-degree players and VR headsets and can be converted into an immersive experience. When viewed without special software or a VR headset, the proportions appear distorted. However, in VR playback, the image is correctly converted into a spherical shape, giving the viewer the feeling of being in the center of the panorama.
Professional video editing software such as Premiere and DaVinci Resolve are capable of processing equirectangular formats. These programs have special filters that can distort normal 2D graphics and text to match the equirectangular format, allowing them to be displayed undistorted in 360°.
All common 360° cameras output files in this format.
Metadata in 360° Video Files
Metadata in 360-degree video files are essential to enable correct playback and interaction in VR platforms. They contain information about the video itself and how it should be projected. This data defines that the video is spherical and uses equirectangular projection, allowing video players to recognize how to map the video for an immersive experience. In addition, metadata can contain details such as resolution, frame rate, encoding type, and specific VR parameters like initial viewing angles or the type of stitching—meaning how the individual video segments were joined together into a seamless panorama. Without the proper metadata, a 360° Video displayed as a flat image, which destroys the immersion. Therefore, embedding and preserving the metadata is a critical step in the post-production and distribution of 360° content.
These metadata can be embedded into the films by video editing software or by specialized software like this shareware tool here can be added to the MP4 later.
