GoPro and YouTube combine forces

YouTube was out at CES 2016 with some annoucements, including a new partnership with GoPro.

The video giant, which is owned by Google, is working with the action camera makers on the emerging field of 360 degree video. GoPro already has a couple of professional grade 360 camera rigs but they've confirmed that a consumer model is on the way, which should be a good deal more affordable and easy to use. That works for YouTube, which has enabled full spherical video functionality on their site and needs to ensure that users can create those kinds of clips in the future.

The importance of 360 degree video can't be overstated as it ties in directly with the growth of virtual reality. With these headsets you can step right into a video and look around in any direction you want, the only issue right now is a lack of content. That's all set to ramp up in time for the release of the first two major VR machines - the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

YouTube also looks set to start supporting High Dynamic Range video, which is supposed to deliver better images by eliminating areas of high contrast light and dark. It's set to be a bit of a buzzword in 2016 but don't expect it to take off immediately as you'll need a new display to see it properly.