Panotour Future

[signmaster]

Panotour Future

by signmaster » Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:31 am

Would be great if we had a clear statement from Kolor on virtual tour software. Do we hang in and wait for a new version of Panotour that uses Forge JS or jump ship and purchase some new software like Garden Gnome's Pano2VR. I think Panotour is a fantastic program and just needs some upgrading to better suit mobile devices. I feel that there is 1000's of VR tour photographers out there that would love to pay for an upgrade of Panotour. Also lots of Google Trusted Photographers that would like to offer their customers a custom solution. Once you have taken the photos for a Google Tour it is easy to use those assets for a custom tour. Most of the online solutions are just not flexible enough. I feel that Kolor is putting too much energy into their 360 video software, a short-lived technology that will go the way of 3D TV. Whereas there will always be a good market for 360 virtual tours using stills. I would not be surprised if Kolor is not with us in a couple of years. It would be interesting to know just how many users of Panotour have purchased alternative software?
Steve

[Destiny]

Re: Panotour Future

by Destiny » Tue Apr 25, 2017 7:59 am

Hi..

Its true, there are alternative to PTP but PTP is the most advanced and adaptive of all options available, also its just about bug free, more so that other options anyway. I did hear somewhere that there is a new version coming soon but not sure what new features will be added or when it might be released... I must admit, its a bit over due..

Forge JS is a big step in the right direction since as far as I know, its krpano which has stumped the growth of PTP.. Since PTP is built on the krpano foundation, nothing much can progress while krpano is so embedded into PTP.. This has given rise to Forge JP, its Kolors way of opening up new doors and opportunities and have more control over the development of PTP, or ForgeJP-PTP..

As for Kolor not being around in the years to come, I would suggest since they have focused heavily on 360 video, and have been very involved with the new GoPro Fusion camera, which is still under development, I would suggest Kolor will be around for many years. Partially if the new GoPro Fusion lives up to my expectations, they will sell millions of them and set the benchmark within this media industry.. No other cameras has the Kolor software support..

I am of a firm belief that 360 video will be a much more accepted media than the still pano's.. When you suggest "there will always be a good market for 360 virtual tours using stills", I have yet to see this.. We have done so much to advertise Virtual Reality Tour, which has resulted in little to no response. As soon as they see three digits in the price they do not want it.. I captured some awesome 360 Tours as a free demo for Winnebago, who sell their Mobile Homes for hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet they were happy to capture a pano using a mobile phone and some free stoneware.. The results were absolutely terrible but for them they were happy because it was free... We have even quoted ridiculously cheap just to have some new Tours for our website and cover travel cost in the process but still no takers. We have tried high, medium and low prices.. Its a fact that in some locations around the world, VR Tours are a big flop.. There are so few Tours on Google Street View, which just adds to my opinion that the VR Tour media, using still images in Australia is not highly valued..

360 video on the other hand, might be seen to have more value as an advertising media.. In the past, we have been asked to do some restaurants but when I explain that moving people might be an issues, they do not want it.. They want their Tours with people sitting at tables, walking and dancing.. The only real way to achieve that is a one shot camera. The new GoPro Fusion can shoot sharp pano images, so thats a big plus. Using a 360 video cameras we are sure we can get work in many other venues since that is the most asked for media. We are just hoping that the GoPro Fusion camera lives up to our expectations.

I am also hoping that Kolor develop a V-PTP option where 360 video can be made into Tours, and in some ways it can already, but only as a Scene within the Tour... it will need hotspots and other options too, like a Kolor Box so seeing video within video....

Kolor tends to do lot so 'Secret Stuff', so who knows what they are developing behind the scenes. They are many more programers working at Kolor now than at any other time.. Yet heaps less seems to be coming out of the dispatch end.. We can only hope that will change soon...

Destiny....

Whereas there will always be a good market for 360 virtual tours using stills. I would not be surprised if Kolor is not with us in a couple of years. It would be interesting to know just how many users of Panotour have purchased alternative software?
Steve

[signmaster]

Re: Panotour Future

by signmaster » Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:27 am

I hope you are right Destiny.
I have sold tours into 4 and 5 digit price range and quite a few in the 3 digit range. I admit that it takes a bit of marketing. Currently where I live the internet speed does not support 360 video very well but hopefully, that is soon to change. All I have heard about the GoPro Fusion is the video quality, nothing about still resolution. They would sell quite a lot to all the Google Trusted Photographers if the resolution is good enough, I don't think they even realise there is a market for a quality still 360 camera. Currently, I think the only 360 camera that works well and is easy to use is the Ricoh Theta S, but the resolution is too low. Nikon had a try with the Key Mission, but what a failure that is.
Steve

[Destiny]

Re: Panotour Future

by Destiny » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:42 am

I was in communication with Nikon before the Key Mission was released.. I am sure they were so far up their own ego they did not listen to me.. I told them the Parallax and Blending was not good for a 360 video camera... I am certain that the guy did not even know what Parallax was.. I had a Key Mission in my hand a few weeks ago. To be honest, I really love the design and the feel of it... Its a lot heavier than I though it might be.. Its affordable but the quality is not good.. Its really small and quite beautiful.. The GoPro Fusion looks a bit like the LG or Ricoh Theta design... I was a hoping it would be more like the GoPro Small Hero 5.. or the Key Mission.. I hope its made as a real action camera... There might be a few options.. Never know.. We will just have to wait and see. I am just so happy that GoPro have finally made a 360 Camera.. Its not an easy technology to develop as they have probably found out.. So for anyone else to jump into their bed, they would need to make sure its cheaper and better.. I do not think that will happen.. I am sure GoPro have thought about the price. To be honest, I thought the Hero 4 was horrible.. My girl friend bought one.. Its was too expensive for me... Setting it up was just so painful.. But the new H5 has a screen.. I have not played with one of those yet but I can only assume its easier to set up..... I hope GoPro release a Pro version of the Fusion.. Thats the one I want..

Destiny..

[ERR]

Re: Panotour Future

by ERR » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:25 pm

I'd add (once again) that Kolor should integrate the Google Street View API for the obvious reasons. If I could afford it I would go with Garden Gnome who is constantly updating P2VR (maybe Kolor will refund my $900 for PTP, AGP & Live Pano (which is horrible now)). PTP is a great app but it's "old & tired" and Kolor has all but abandoned it (from a users perspective).

As far a GoPro goes. They lost my business when they decided to mandate a "login" to use the app. Hopefully Kolor won't do the same.

[Destiny]

Re: Panotour Future

by Destiny » Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:54 am

Hi.. In my view, PTP has probably run its cause as it is.. The big issue is, it is very dependent on the development of krpano. This in my view cannot continue to happen. I would suggest that Kolor are working on secret stuff.. Like their new Forge JS, but with a GUI like PTP..

Where does that leave the future of PTP.. Well, I am not an employee of Kolor so I really do not know, but I can guess. I have come to realise over the years, that Kolor do not just sit around doing nothing.. I feel they might well be working on an amazing all new PTP based on Fusion JS and .... perhaps with augmented reality included. Live Pano is a great idea but its hard to deal with. Adding augmented reality into a Virtual Tour would be the next generation of Virtual Reality media. Many companies like Google and Facebook are already pouring millions into this media. Therefore, once Kolor.. if they are really working on it, will have the support platform in which to view the media... Apple are due to release their brand new Smart Phone with augmented reality.. So this media is already becoming a reality.. Its only a matter of time before its everywhere..

Adding augmented reality into a Virtual Reality Tour, would mean that just about ANYTHING could be added into a VR Tour.. Including 3D taking people that you will be able to interactive with..

But, like I said.. This is only an assumption ... a wish for the future of the next generation of PTP.. I have no idea in reality .. I can only hope something wonderful is coming our way.. in time...

Destiny...

[benji33]

Re: Panotour Future

by benji33 » Thu Aug 31, 2017 10:48 am

As ERR said : the current Panotour is a bit "old & tired".
Of course we are looking on a way to do something with ForgeJS. But prior the maturity of ForgeJS is mandatory to deliver a new GUI tool.

[dadoplus]

Re: Panotour Future

by dadoplus » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:27 pm

One great thing would be to be able to create some kind of livepano from a 360 video.
To explain better, I love panotour and you guys but livepano sucks, it's complicated and not developer-friendly at all.
It would be great to be able to cut a polygon from a 360 video (from ricoh theta for example) and keep some kind of screenshot from it, and have just the polygon playing. So the scene would be way faster to be loaded, having to load just a portion of video, and the rest would be just a still photo.
I'm not sure it's clear, I'm woring in a bar and I'm at the second pint.
Cheers everybody!

[ERR]

Re: Panotour Future

by ERR » Tue Oct 24, 2017 8:29 pm

I'm not sure it's clear, I'm woring in a bar and I'm at the second pint

Don't be daft. That's how all the great ideas come about .

[signmaster]

Re: Panotour Future

by signmaster » Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:10 am

I think Livepano is great except for the masking problem. If that is solved I think we should be able to market some very interesting tours.
Why is it such a problem to be dependent on the development of krpano?

Steve

[ERR]

Re: Panotour Future

by ERR » Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:04 pm

I agree. We purchased it years ago because it has a wonderful potential. But now that we have run into a major masking we couldn't possibly offer it as a solution in it's current state. They need to backtrack and find out exactly when and why this has happened.

[Gerry15]

Re: Panotour Future

by Gerry15 » Wed Jan 10, 2018 11:46 pm

It´s a shame from Kolor that they do nothing for the future of this product. They took our money, sold everything to GoPro and forgot about their clients.
It was such a great produkt :-(

[ERR]

Re: Panotour Future

by ERR » Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:57 am

Agree. Money is king I guess. As for GoPro the future looks bleak. Shares are at $5 with a CEO who had one good idea which has past its prime. Karma: Fail. GoPro Channel: Fail. Hero 6: Fail. Hero Session: Fail. Nick Woodman doesn't even believe in his company because if he did he would realize he's not equipped to compete against DJI, Sony... and would appoint a CEO with vision. But hey wdf does he care he made his billions right? Kolor wanted to make money and sold out too. Heck, if somebody wanted to buy my business for $$$$ I would too!!! Shame though.

[fredphoesh]

Re: Panotour Future

by fredphoesh » Wed May 09, 2018 9:07 pm

So I guess as a newcomer to Panotour Pro, I should really be looking elsewhere?
Very sad.
As far as I know, you cannot create this, for example on Pano2VR:
http://www.kolor.com/virtual-tours-file ... s=pano1113
And Pano2VR doesn't seem to have as many interactivity options, though it does have Google Street View compatibility, which is a major plus.

[ERR]

Re: Panotour Future

by ERR » Thu May 10, 2018 2:50 am

I haven't heard anything on these forums for months/year. I wouldn't suggest investing in Kolor at moment. Nothing is being communicated. The problem is that GoPro F@#$ed everything up with the Kolor acquisition. They took a perfectly fine company with great software engineers and had no idea what direction to take. They should have left well enough alone. It was basically a "sell out". IDK maybe something's up there sleeve and they are being "hush" about it. But if you don't communicate and keep up then people will leave.

For what it's worth I would look elsewhere. If I hadn't invested hundreds of dollars on all Kolor software I would be using P2VR. At least they incorporated the Google API.

[fredphoesh]

Re: Panotour Future

by fredphoesh » Thu May 10, 2018 6:54 am

Sad because pano2vr has no Web spot and no zoom out of picture hotspot, in fact their photo hotspot overlay is ugly and clunky.

[ERR]

Re: Panotour Future

by ERR » Thu May 10, 2018 2:55 pm

It is indeed very sad that such a powerful app is going to "waste" by not keeping current. This could be the [ultimate] app for street view posting but there hasn't been a significant update in ages. I believe they were in the midst of changing over the code to something more robust but nothing is ever posted.

I which anybody at Kolor would give us an update.

[Clément_S]

Re: Panotour Future

by Clément_S » Tue May 15, 2018 9:13 am

Hi all,

Thank you very much for your feedback, we appreciate it.

While it is true that Panotour development has been slowed down it has not stopped. We did not give up on this product and are working on new updates.

I cannot give you more info about this right now, but we will post an update on our blog as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your patience and trust.

Best,

Clément - Kolor team

[BrianLR]

Re: Panotour Future

by BrianLR » Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:27 am

Any news on the future roadmap of PTP yet? In particular support for Stereoscopic and VR still and video.

[fredphoesh]

Re: Panotour Future

by fredphoesh » Thu Sep 06, 2018 6:01 pm

Hello all.
Since I posted here last I have bought Pano2VR.
It is pretty difficult to learn, but offers way more customisability than Panotour Pro.
On top of that there is an active forum as well as an active Facebook group.
I just wish it had a friendlier user interface.

Good luck,
Mark.