Insta360 released their One RS 1-inch 360 camera, a 360 camera with two 1-inch sensors. You can download a sample video and sample photo here (for personal viewing only).
I’ve been very impressed with the video quality and I think it has the best video quality for a 360 camera under $2000 (see my review). But some people have told me they were still on the fence after seeing samples on YouTube. That’s probably because YouTube uses very aggressive compression. Similarly, many have been curious about how well the 1-inch 360 performs for virtual tours. To see how good the One RS is, you can see the original quality by downloading a sample video and photo here for personal viewing only. Please do not upload anywhere.
Viewing the sample video
What is INSV format? How do you view Insta360 files?
The files are in INSV format, which is a modified version of an MP4 file with additional metadata for Insta360 cameras. The .INSV files must be put in the same directory in your hard drive and should be opened in the latest version of Insta360 Studio (available for download here). If you can transfer them to your phone, they can also be opened by the Insta360 phone app.
Why are there three files for a single Insta360 video?
If you’re new to Insta360 cameras, you might be wondering why there are three files. That’s because one file is used for the front lens, another file is for the rear lens, and a third file is for the low-res preview. As long as you have Insta360 Studio installed and the files are in the same directory, opening any of the files will automatically load the matching files.
Can I rename the files?
It is absolutely critical that you do not rename the files and they must all be put in the same directory. If you rename the files, Insta360 Studio won’t be able to pair them with each other and your video will be unplayable.
You CAN organize the files. You can create separate subdirectories for scenes and put the related files there. You’ll know they are related because they’ll have the same numerical suffix, such as “001”. The other way to organize the files in insta360 studio is to click on the right panel and click on the Project Management. You can create different versions of a video file and name it however you want.
Can I edit these files in a video editor?
Yes. After installing Insta360 Studio, Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro will be able to open INSV files. For other video editors, you have to stitch the videos first, then open them in your preferred editor that supports 360 videos. Alternatively, you can reframe the video in Insta360 Studio then import them into your preferred editor.
What is reframing?
Reframing means to convert the 360 video into a non-360 video where you can control the camera angles and keyframe camera movements.
What is the best export option?
The best quality export format is Prores 422 but it will take up around 10 times as much space as MP4. As for the resolution, you can export at 1080p or any other resolution. If you export at a higher resolution than 1080p, the video will be upscaled but there will be no additional detail. On the other hand, if you upload 4k video to YouTube, there will be less compression than if you upload the same video as 1080p.
Viewing the sample photo
The sample photo is a 9-shot bracket in Raw + INSP. Here is a FAQ for those who are new to Insta360 cameras.
What is INSP format? What is DNG?
DNG is a format for Raw files. Raw files are unprocessed photo files. They are preferred by photographers because they allow much greater latitude in adjusting color temperature and exposure. They usually also have more detail and dynamic range than JPG files. INSP is a modified JPG file with additional metadata for Insta360 cameras. As with the sample video, you need to copy the DNG files and the INSP files into the same directory then use the Insta360 Studio app to open these files.
Why are there 18 files for each photo?
The sample photo was shot as a 9-shot bracket in Raw + INSP. Nine of the files are bracketed DNG files. Nine of the files are bracketed INSP files. The bracketed shots can be merged into a high dynamic range (HDR) photo. *For HDR enthusiasts, yes I understand that this is tonemapping, not true HDR. But if you are interested, you can use merge the DNG files in a 3rd party HDR software that can generate a true HDR file.
Why do the files look like double circular fisheyes?
If you use Photoshop to open the DNG files, they will look like double circular fisheye files because the photos are still unstitched — one fisheye image is from the front lens and the other is from the rear lens. You need software to combine the two images into a single 360 photo. Insta360 Studio can stitch them for you or you can use third party software such as PTGui.
When I open the photo, I see two images. What’s the difference?
One image is labeled HDR DNG and is a stitched and merged (tonemapped) image from the DNG files. The other image is labeled HDR and is stitched and merged from the INSP files.
How do I export the photos?
You can export the files individually or using batch export. For individual exports, click on the yellow share button on the bottom right. For batch exports, right click on the files you want to export then go to File… Export.
For bracketed photos such as the sample I provided, you have the option to “Export all exposure photos,” which means you’ll get not only the stitched and merged HDR file, but also the individual bracketed photos. The bracketed photos can then be merged in your preferred HDR software.
Great post Mic!
You Always have been and still are one of the best valuable experts and professional in the business and world of 360!
Your contribution and dedication is priceless.
thanks for sharing 🤙
Thanks buddy!
Is the old One R already able to use the new 1 inch double lens or do I have to wait for an update?
The update was released the other day. I think you just loose some of the features
There are tests that already resulted positive for this.
But for the best experience the optimal core would be the RS Core.
Thanks, understood.
But 939,99 € vs 769,99 € isn’t an easy decision…
Quality wise this difference is totally worth it in my opinion 👍
Yes I agree. If you have the budget for it, the difference is worth it.
can i use the insv directly in premiere pro with the insta360 plugin ?
If the plug-in is installed and you have the reframe fx preset loaded on Adobe premiere you should be able to do this
Yes you can. Let me mention that in the body. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing! Could you please also upload one full sized jpeg file? Doesn’t have to be fancy. As copyright protection, you could put a printed piece of paper with 360rumors.com on it in the scene :-). I would like to watch the image in my Quest 2 VR viewer app.
Hi Daniel. I’ve now uploaded a sample photo in the same directory.
Hi Mic! Thanks a lot for sharing! I rendered it out through the latest Insta360 Studio. I’m somewhat surprised at the high amount of noise that is still visible. E.g., the empty chair in the shadow on the table where the camera is and on the inside ceiling. I have the Insta360 One X2 and at least with PureShot (not really sure what “magic” that does to the image) I would expect to get less noise. Having the full image available is a very helpful decision maker for purchasing (or not). Thanks!
mine arrived today an i must say – very good device
i switched in past from Fusion to OneX and i went back fast to gopro because the build quality and haptics from Insta360 was very poor.
now i received my insta RS 1″ and i must say: a very big quality jump forward
one question: can i attach other Lenses like the “normal” 1″ Lens from the other OneR?
Congrats Michael! Yes it’s quite a leap isn’t it. Yes you can use other One R / RS mods but you’ll need the regular One R or One RS bracket, and the regular One R or One RS battery. If you need an ND filter, use the One R bracket (the disadvantage is that the bracket makes weird noises that can be heard in the video). The One RS has less noises and is easier to use but cannot use ND filters. Again, congrats!!!
I open in PS and the DNG is one circle at the top and one at the bottom. How do make it so both circles are horizon and facing up?
i see it is an upgrade in image quality over the one x/x2, but is it better than 6 gopro setups ? thanks
Hi amanieux. If you shoot a rig with 6 gopros, then the video quality will be similar to a regular gopro shooting at 2.7k. I don’t think the 1-inch 360 is as detailed as that but gets close to gopro 1080p. I plan to compare them.
i can get a used qoocam 8k enterprise for 600 euros will it have better image quality than the 1″360 ? thanks
Hi amanieux. No, the 1-inch 360 will have better video quality than Qoocam 8k enterprise.
I would like to know too.
I would like to see a comparison of the 8k enterprise vs Insta360 One RS 360 video.
I don’t have enterprise but I have Qoocam 8K and 1-inch 360 is much better overall even though QC8k is 10-bit. Hugh has Qoocam 8K Enterprise and he agrees that 1-inch 360 is better.
compare the price guy 🙂
Trying to merge 3 to 9 shots in a 3rd party software as Skylum, Adobe or NIK Collection might cause a visible seamline unfortunately. I have yt not found an easy workaround for that. Seamline correction might be a good feature. Nadirs are also tricky.
If you merge in insta360 studio and then edit in a 360-aware app like Affinity, there should be no seam (just avoid the clarity filter).
Just a thought on archiving the One RS 360 footage. The files on the camera for each lens are modified mp4. So I want to save them as stitched 5.7k mp4. Who knows what the software will be or if .insv will be used by software in the future. Here are the specs for one lens file.
5.7k 360 makes two 2880 x 2880 mp4 files- one for each lens
AVC Main@L5.2 29.97 Constant
CABAC – 1RF, GOP(M1,N30)
45mbps Variable – 0.181bpp
YUV 4:2:0 8bit – BT.709 NTSC
48kHz 192kbps stereo AAC LC
So since one mp4 lens file is at .181 bits per pixel i would want to stitch and export from studio at 5760 x 2880 in H.264 and using .181 bpp the bit rate would be 90mbits/s. There is a bit of efficiency loss in the flavor of H.264 MP4 codec used in the camera vs studio’s out put but it will be close. I know that exporting at more than the input source will not create detail or increase quality but it will compress less to do so.
I see many guides for 4k footage in mp4 at a bit rate of 75-85. Also many camcorders record their mp4 4k files between 75-150. So am I way off on my thinking for an archival stitched mp4 file to be at 90mbits?
What do the 360 experts say about archiving the footage. I use Amazon glacier cold storage for this.
Cheers
Thanks! Such a great article. I started to reframe using your sample files. My insta 360 will arrive next week. Can’t wait
Thank you sooooo much for this post.
I have been thinking hard if to buy the insta360 X3 camera and wasn’t sure if it would be what i really needed for my road bike rides.
Thanks to this post, I got to play around with the app and the video and pictures you posted. Now i at least have an idea of what this camera is all about and what can be done with it.
Thank you once again 🙂
Thank you for your kind words 🙂 Glad to have a happy reader.
Heeeelppp!!! My pc download these videos in some weird 3gpp format :O I see insv on google drive but when I click ‘download’ the download progress bar is already showing 3gpp file downloading :((( No 360 player can open these… VLC opens it but shows flat fisheye lens view. What do I do? I rly want to check out the quality of 1-inch as I’m planning a huge volunteer vr project but the quality of the videos I watch on youtube is soo baad (I assume heavy compression), so dunno what to do :/
ok got it, u can delete my comment ;D if u download everything as a pack instead of individually every file, then it retains the format 🙂
Glad you solved it!