Live 360

Getting Started Guide

July 2017
 What is Live 360?
Live 360 brings the immediacy and authenticity of Facebook
Live and the immersive nature of 360 media together to
transport people into moments and experiences—right as
they happen.

Now anyone with a 360 camera can go Live in 360 and

experience the social interactivity of Facebook Live with
comments and reactions.
1 Live 360 Getting Started Guide
 Live 360 Ready Program - Cameras
Consumer Friendly Cameras

• Giroptic IO (for iOS, Android coming soon)

• Insta360 (Nano for iOS, Air for Android)
• ION360 U
Giroptic IO Insta360 Air ION 360 U

Professional Oriented Cameras

• 360fly 4K Pro
• Insta360 Pro
• Nokia OZO
• Z CAM S1

360fly 4K Pro Nokia OZO Z CAM S1

2 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Live 360 Ready Program -
Workflow Solutions
Workflow Solutions

• Assimilate Scratch VR
• Groovy Gecko
• LiveScale
• Teradek Sphere
• Voysys
• Wowza
• Z CAM WonderLive

3 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Live 360 Specifications
Current: July 2017
• Supported Resolutions: 1080p (1920x960), 1280p (1280x2560), 4K (1920x3840)
• Aspect Ratio: 2:1
• Frame Rate: 30fps
• Target Bitrates: 4 Mbps, 6Mbps, 15Mbps (megabits)
• Codec: H.264
• Keyframe Frequency: 1 I-frame every 2 seconds (minimum)
• Audio: AAC
• Audio Sample Rate: 44.1 KHz
• Audio Bitrate: 128 Kbps (kilobits)
• Depth: Monoscopic
• Max Streaming Time: 4 hours

4 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Best Practices For Live 360
1. General Tip Ensure you have a strong network connection to support the necessary streaming
requirements for your moment (we recommend 4 Mbps)
2. General Tip Most viewers will not be able to clearly view things far away in a 360 stream. Keep that in
mind when positioning the camera (20-30 feet maximum, depending on resolution of your camera)
3. Pro Tip Consider including a host to act as a narrator for the experience, providing real-time guidance
to your audience on where to look and how to engage with the 360 degree view
4. Pro Tip Think about creative ways you can overlay graphics, text, and 2D video onto the video where
possible to provide additional context on the scene, or provide multiple points of view at an event.
5. Pro Tip Remember to utilize the Guide feature (accessible from the edit video flow for Pages) after
your Live 360 video is over to indicate points of interest on the video to viewers
6. Pro Tip When possible, consider adding spatial audio to your Live 360 stream for greater immersion
and a more authentic experience for viewers

5 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 How to Go Live 360
Camera App or Live Site

1. If you have a camera with Facebook Live 360 integration, please check the
camera vendor's website for details about Live 360. The next page shows an
example of this flow from Giroptic IO.
2. Visit this link (facebook.com/live/create) to get an RTMP Server URL and Stream
Key that can be utilized with cameras that have not integrated with Facebook Live
through their apps, or to use with general streaming software for Live 360. See
following pages for the steps to get started.

Note: For Pages using Business Manager, please use the following link:
(business.facebook.com/live/create)

6 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 How to Go Live 360
Native 360 Camera App Flow (Giroptic IO)

Choose to post to your profile Add a description to encourage Get a recap of your broadcast
See comments, reactions and
or Page, and select your your friends and followers to and choose to delete it from
viewers while you're Live in 360
audience tune in your Timeline if needed

7 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 How to Go Live 360
Live from Facebook website flow

1. Visit fb.com/live/create. (If you use


Business Manager then use

business.facebook.com/live/create)
2. Click "Create Live Stream"

Note: Instructions depict fb.com


however business.fb.com supports 

the same workflow/steps Home page for setting up a Live Stream

8 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 How to Go Live 360
Live from Facebook website flow
3. Select the checkbox for Live 360:
"This live stream is a 360 video"


4. (OPTIONAL): Select the checkbox for

spatial audio if your camera or
software supports it: "This live stream
has spatial audio"

5. Select your post destination (i.e. Page Determine that your stream is a 360 video and whether your stream
has spatial audio
or profile you want to stream to)

9 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 How to Go Live 360
Live from Facebook website flow

5. Enter the RTMP Server

URL and Stream Key into
your 360 camera app or
software



Note: Pages can use the
Publisher Tools
functionalities here
including setting up a
Scheduled Live broadcast Use the Server URL and Stream Key to connect with your 360 camera

10 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 How to Go Live 360
Live from Facebook website flow

6. Stream to Facebook and

preview your stream

7. Go Live 360!

Preview your stream, then you're ready to go Live!

11 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Spatial Audio
Enhance your Live 360 stream with spatial audio
If you have a camera that has spatial audio support integrated, please check your
camera manufacturer's website for tips and details on how to utilize it.

Separately, visit our Spatial Workstation Facebook Group for guides to help you
add spatial audio to your Live 360 stream with an external ambisonic mic



To set up a spatial audio broadcast, follow steps 

1-3, then hit the checkbox for spatial audio in the

fb.com/live/create workflow


12 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Pre-Live 360 Suggestions
Make the most of your live stream with these tips:
1. Schedule your broadcast ahead of time to let your followers know the exact date and time your
Live 360 broadcast will be. An announcement post will publish to News Feed, enabling your fans to
opt in to a one-time reminder notification that will alert them when you're about to go live. Simply
follow steps 1-4 of how to go Live 360 mentioned previously, then follow these steps to set up a
scheduled live broadcast.

2. Set up donations using the Live API so that you can help fundraise for a cause during your
broadcast. We're working to integrate support with our camera vendors and software solutions for
Live 360.
Note: You must be a Verified Page to have access to this feature.

13 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Post-Live 360 Suggestions
Make the most of your live stream with these tips:
1. Use Crossposted Videos once the video is no longer live to get more distribution across multiple
pages. Learn more about Crossposted Videos here.

2. Use 360 video editing tools like Guide once your video is no longer live. You'll find these tools in
Publishing Tools. Learn more about Guide here.

3. Once your Live 360 video has accumulated enough unique active viewers (i.e. people who interact
with the Live 360 video - must hit 20,000 unique active viewers), a Heatmap will be generated and
available in Video Insights. Learn more about Heatmap here.


4. Check if your broadcast was stabilized by our automatic 360 stabilization algorithm. If so, enable
stabilized playback for a more comfortable viewing experience for your audience.
14 Live 360 Getting Started Guide
 Post Live Stabilization
If we detect your video can benefit from stabilization, we may
auto-stabilize it after the live broadcast
1. Check if your broadcast was stabilized by our automatic 360
stabilization algorithm. 

You will receive a notification mentioning you 

can improve your video with stabilization.
2. If so, go to the edit video form on your video in your video library to 

enable stabilized playback. 

https://www.facebook.com/video/edit/?v=123456789 is an example 

(replace the video id with your own video's)
3. You can preview the stabilized video on this page showing stabilized 

and unstabilized versions of the video. Hit the checkbox and save 

to enable stabilized playback for viewers.
15 Live 360 Getting Started Guide
 Production Companies for Live 360
North America
Pixel Corps, Groovy Gecko and Radiant Images are all trusted
Live partners, or you can check out our list of 360
production companies here who may not have Live 360
experience but will have 360 production equipment for your
shoot.
.
EMEA, APAC and LATAM
Pixel Corps will travel and have good connections in most
regions.
We also recommend reaching out to Blend Media (based in
London), a 360 agency with a global network of creators and
production companies all over the world who can connect
you with people who can provide equipment and production
support.

16 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 FAQs
Q: What is the benefit of shooting a Live video in 360?
A: 360 videos immerse your audience in a particular place, helping them to develop empathy and awareness by putting them right in the scene.
By sharing these videos with Facebook Live, it takes that immersion a step further by giving your audience a chance to be in the moment
through both place and time.

Q:Is Live 360 available for everyone to publish on Facebook?

A: Yes, all Profiles and Pages now have the ability to go Live in 360 on Facebook. You need a 360 camera - either a mobile attachment (Giroptic
IO, Insta360 or ION360 U) or standalone camera (Orah 4i, Nokia Ozo or Z CAM S1) to go live in 360 degrees.

Q: What is the Live 360 Ready Program?

The Live 360 Ready Program is a verification program by Facebook that recommends particular cameras for Live 360 based on integration of
the camera's third party app or software with FB login and FB Live API to support our standard experience for a frictionless Live 360.
Interested applicants looking to be verified can email live360@fb.com for more information.

Q: My 360 camera isn't listed as a compatible camera. Can I still go Live with it?
A: Yes, please refer to the Getting Started with Live 360 above about using a Server URL and Stream Key to use your 360 camera to send a Live
stream to Facebook. The list above includes cameras verified specifically by the Facebook 360 team. We are working on integrating with more
cameras and will update this site and the Getting Started guide regularly.

Q: What is the max resolution for streaming in Live 360?

A: The highest resolution we support is 4K.

17 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 FAQs
Advanced Features for Live 360
Q: Is Guide supported for Live 360?
A: Guide will not be supported for Live 360 while live, however people with Pages may add Guide to a post Live VOD through our 360 editing
flow, accessible by pressing 'edit' on the VOD video on their Page.

Q: Is Heatmap supported for Live 360?

A: Yes, if your Live 360 video meets the same requirements for generating a Heatmap as a 360 video (20,000 unique active viewers), you can
view it in the Video Insights section of your Page

Q: Do any 360 cameras offer spatial audio capabilities for live 360?
A: Yes, Insta360 Pro, Nokia Ozo, and Orah 4i offer direct spatial audio integration through the camera. For those without integration, check out
the getting started guide above for tips on how you can add spatial audio to your broadcast using a separate ambisonic mic.

Q: Do any 360 cameras offer stabilization for Live 360

A: Yes, Giroptic IO and Insta 360 Air and Nano offer stabilization for Live 360 broadcasts. Facebook also offers stabilization post-Live for
streams shared by Profiles, when our algorithm detects that your broadcast may have been a little shaky. After your Live video ends, we'll
evaluate if your video can benefit from stabilization and notify you that your video can be improved for viewers to have a more comfortable
experience. Clicking the notification will take you to an 'edit video' screen where you can preview the stabilized and un-stabilized versions of
the Live video and decide to enable stabilized playback for viewers

17 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 FAQs
Advanced Features for Live 360
Q: How do I add donate buttons for Live 360?

A: Donate buttons can be added through our Graph API to Verified Pages only if you know the fundraising ID of the charity you would like to
fundraise for. Only 501(c)(3) charities based in the United States are eligible to fundraise through Facebook. For more information, check out
our Getting Started Guide above.

Q: How do I set up Scheduled Live?

Visit facebook.com/live/create and start setting up a Live 360 broadcast for a Page as outlined in our Getting Started guide above. When you
get to the final step of posting your broadcast, simply choose to schedule a Live broadcast rather than broadcast immediately.

Q: Are Live 360 videos boostable?

A: Yes, Verified Pages can boost their Live 360 broadcasts.

17 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 FAQs
Watching Live 360
Q: Is Live 360 available for everyone to watch on Facebook?
A: Yes! If you are using a device compatible with Live and 360 video on Facebook (Android devices from 2012 with OS 4.3 and newer and
Apple devices with iOS 8 and newer), you'll be able to watch our Live 360 videos at launch. If you are using an older phone or operating
system, you will be able to experience the Live video in an equirectangular format, that is, watch the full 360 degrees as a flat video on
Facebook.

Q: Are Live 360 videos embeddable on my website?

A: Live 360 videos are not currently embeddable while live but may be embedded once converted to VOD post Live.

Q: Can I watch Live 360 videos in a VR headset while Live through the Facebook 360 app?
A: Yes! You can now watch Live 360 videos in a Samsung Gear VR through the Facebook 360 app, while the video is Live. Look for the 'Watch in
VR' icon when watching a Live 360 stream to activate the headset more, or simply 'save' the stream on News Feed on mobile or desktop, put
your headset on and find the stream under the 'Saved' tab in the Facebook 360 app.

Q:Can I cast Live 360 to my Apple TV or Chromecast device? How do I explore the 360° on my television?
A: Live 360 and regular 360 videos are not available for casting and watching on television at this time.

18 Live 360 Getting Started Guide

 Helpful Resources

1. Learn more about Live 360 in our launch blog and Inauguration coverage recap.
2. Check out our recommended cameras for Live 360 streaming.
3. Reach out to these production companies for help your with your stream.
4. Join the conversation about Live 360 in our Facebook 360 Community Group.
5. Stay up to date with the latest information on our Live 360 site.

19 Live 360 Getting Started Guide