Viewers for the NBC Today Show are in for a treat this week. The ability to catch a live, 360 degree, view of the Today Show set at the Olympic Games in Vancouver. By logging into the Today Show website you can control a 360 live view of the set, the guests, the gathered gallery and NBC technical crew.

The technology is one of kind and the brain child of Immersive Media, a Canadian based technology company. The company supplies 360 degree, full motion, interactive videos. Similar to what you see on Google maps, but with live and pre-recorded video.

The Today Show set is equipped with a high resolution , 11 lens camera. Online users can pan and tilt throughout the NBC morning show set. The unprecedented access was available during today’s broadcast and will be back online Thursday morning at 7AM Eastern.

The camera was also used for the red carpet arrival of stars at the recent Grammy Awards. Are there other uses for this emerging technology? Certainly NBC will see substantial increases in traffic to its morning show website.

For local television stations and media companies, there may be opportunities for 360 degree commercials for advertisers, interactive videos of large events and festivals.

According to a company press release, Immersive Media is also making available a high-res 360 online video of the Haiti earthquake devastation for use by local media companies and non-profits for ongoing relief efforts. Powerful images that can help drive home the message. Pretty cool stuff!   <Link>

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