Atlantis & Sandance
2011–2015: my own 360° video camera, stitched and streamed live without a GPU, tested at the Sandance concerts, and then the whole resort in 360°.
In 2011 I had built a 360° video camera of my own, with its software, for vehicles and security. Before taking it to the security industry I needed to prove it could record for hours, every night, without failing. So I took it to Sandance, the beach concerts at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai.
My good friend David Craig, the in-house DJ at Atlantis, introduced me to the Atlantis marketing team. I had something concrete to show them: the H2, the 360° surveillance vehicle we had built at Doo Technologies. When we showed the result to Atlantis management, they said: wow, cool, we can do events with this. The test bed became a customer. We filmed a full season of live shows from autumn 2011 and through 2012, Atlantis became the place where we tried every new toy, and in 2013 I photographed the whole resort in 360°.
sensors, one camera
live 360° video
GPUs
hotel rooms and locations in 360°
Built for vehicles
The camera had two sensors of 1.3 megapixels, each behind a Sunex fisheye lens, back to back. Together they produced a 2000×1000 dual-fisheye video at 30 frames per second, captured in RGB24. The resolution came from the protocol of the time, USB 2.0. But USB 2.0 also meant 5 volts and a small footprint, which is exactly what you want when you install cameras on vehicles. That is what it was first designed for.
Stitched, synchronised and streamed in real time
The software ran on a laptop next to the stage. It synchronised the audio input with the video, stitched the two fisheyes into an equirectangular 360° image, saved it locally and streamed it as RTSP, all at the same time and all on the processor. It was the same core software and the same process as my vehicle system. The real test was the recording: cyclic recording, night after night, exactly what a security system needs.
All in real time, on one laptop, without a GPU.
A camera on stage, the audience all around
The camera went where no cameraman could stand: on the DJ booth, between the decks, next to the microphone. From autumn 2011 and through 2012 we captured the Sandance shows for Atlantis. Two of them are still online in 360°: Chicane and The Script. Drag inside the video to look around.
Every new toy, tested at Atlantis
Atlantis became the place where we tried everything new. For New Year’s Eve 2011 a rugged 360° time-lapse camera watched the party site for a whole day, from empty tables in the morning sun to the fireworks at midnight. Press play and look around.
New Year's Eve 2011 at Atlantis The Palm: a 360° time-lapse, from set-up to fireworks.
The whole resort in 360°
Then I photographed the hotel itself: more than 200 rooms and locations, from the Underwater Suites and the Royal Bridge Suite to the Lost Chambers, Aquaventure, Dolphin Bay and the beaches. It was the same method as Lascaux, Accor and CNES, but this time no iPIX: a Nikon D300s with a Nikkor fisheye, four shots, one every 90°, and my own stitching application. The panoramas were delivered at 8000×4000, enough for Google Street View and every viewer online.
They went on the Atlantis website, and they are still on Google Street View today. My Google Maps photos have been viewed more than 13 million times; a single Aquaventure 360° has passed 2.4 million views.
views of my photos on Google Maps, October 2026.
views of a single Aquaventure 360° shot at Atlantis, still on Google Street View.
Twenty of the 2013 panoramas and three from New Year 2011, shown at 2560×1280. Drag to look around.
From the sky
In 2015, before drone regulation came into place, we flew a GoPro 360° rig over Atlantis for one more point of view.
Before 360° cameras were in shops
Today you can buy a 360° camera that stitches and streams by itself. In 2011 we designed the camera, wrote the stitching, synchronised the sound and streamed it live, on one laptop and without a graphics card.
The same core software went into vehicles and security systems. Atlantis was where it learned to work every night.
From Atlantis The Palm
Stephane had camera equipment to capture 360 videos and created a world first for implementing on YouTube. He built one of the first 360 time-lapse purpose built cameras that could be deployed for long period in the harsh conditions of the UAE weather. Working with Stephane was always fun, but he was always professional as he continued to surprise and delight with his innovations and technical knowledge to create some amazing work and deliver on time.
He gets the job done! Easy to work with and shares his knowledge and ideas even outside the scope of business. Very approachable, reasonable in terms of pricing and always willing to offer his service even on last minute requests.
Doo Technologies for Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, 2011–2015.
Camera, software, 360° photography and production: Stéphane Jacob, with the Doo Technologies team.
Artists shown performing at Sandance, Atlantis The Palm. Videos on YouTube in 360°.