To my understanding there are basically 4 types of video:
- Ordinary 2D videos - these can be viewed by pretty much any device that has a screen
- 360 videos - these can be viewed by any smartphone that has a gyroscope
- 3D videos - these can be viewed by 3D glasses along with the right kind of screen, or by using a VR headset
- VR videos - these are a combination of types 2 and 3, and can be viewed by any VR headset, like a Samsung Gear VR headset or even a Google Cardboard headset
But I'm interested in whether there's a 5th type of video. My question is, is it possible to make a VR video that isn't just 360 + 3D, but also makes use of positional tracking? Such a video, if it existed, would only be viewable on a high-end VR headset like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, which utilize both rotational tracking and positional tracking. They wouldn't be viewable on low-end headsets like Google Cardboard, or mid-tier headsets like Samsung Gear VR, since they only utilize rotational tracking.
If it is possible, how would you go about creating such a video? It's the equivalent of shooting an ordinary (360+3D) VR video not just from one point in a room, but from every point in the room. I imagine that it would be useful for creating virtual tours. In any case, even if you managed to create such a video, how exactly would you make that video by viewable by others? Are there any apps for Oculus Rift or HTC Vive that would allow you to play a positional-tracking VR video?
EDIT: I found out that there is such a type of video. It's called a "light field video" or "holographic video", and it can be captured with a special light field camera. But I still don't know how you would show that video to someone.