Documentation

Why 360° Video Files Are Special

A 360° MP4 isn't just a regular video with a wide frame. It needs the right projection, the right embedded metadata, and the right codec — otherwise it plays back flat, warped, or not recognized as spherical at all.

1. Supported file types

Type	Accepted formats
360° video	MP4, MOV, MKV, plus GoPro `.360` and DJI `.osv`
360° photo	JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF
Max file size	10 GB per upload

Note: GoPro .360 and DJI .osv files are raw dual-fisheye camera output, not yet stitched into a single equirectangular frame — Mirame360 detects and stitches these automatically during processing.

2. Equirectangular projection: the shape that makes it "360°"

A regular video is a flat rectangle. A 360° video is a full sphere of pixels around the viewer, but files can't store a sphere directly — they store it "unwrapped" into a flat 2D frame using an equirectangular projection (the same kind of projection used for flat world maps).

The key rule: the frame must have a 2:1 aspect ratio (width exactly twice the height — e.g. 5760×2880, 3840×1920, 1920×960). If the ratio is off, players stretch or misalign the sphere, and the horizon won't line up correctly.

⚠️ Common mistake: Cropping or resizing a 360° file in a regular video editor (without preserving the 2:1 ratio) silently breaks the projection — the file still plays, but looks warped once loaded into a 360° viewer.

3. Spherical metadata: how players know it's 360°

A correctly-shaped equirectangular frame still isn't enough on its own. Players like YouTube, Facebook, and web-based 360° viewers look for specific embedded metadata to confirm a file is spherical — without it, some viewers will show it as a plain flat/distorted video instead of an interactive sphere.

Photos use Google Photo Sphere XMP (GPano) tags embedded in the JPEG/PNG.
Videos use the Spherical Video V2 spec, stored as an sv3d box inside the MP4/MOV container.

Many cameras and editing tools strip this metadata during export, which is one of the most common reasons a 360° file "looks broken" after editing. If your file was edited outside a 360°-aware tool, check and re-inject the metadata before uploading.

💡 Use the free Metadata Doctor tool to check whether your file has valid spherical metadata, right in your browser before you upload. For batch/command-line workflows, the open-source mirame360-metadata CLI can inspect and inject this metadata into images and videos.

4. Codecs and encoding renditions

After upload, Mirame360 encodes your video into multiple renditions (resolutions/bitrates) so playback adapts smoothly to the viewer's connection and device — from mobile-friendly 720p up to 4K and above, depending on your source resolution.

For best results, source files should use a standard, widely-supported codec (H.264 or H.265/HEVC) at the highest resolution and bitrate you have available — higher-quality sources produce better renditions at every quality level.

Need more help?

Check the how-to guide for the full upload workflow, the embed guide for sharing your content, or the FAQ page.