FAQ

We answer typical questions regarding the RICOH TEHTA x IoT Developers Contest and use of the contest entry website.

General

How many works were submitted last year?

There were 72 submissions to the contest held in 2015.

API general

Is there an API that writes meta-data when taking an image or video by RICOH THETA?

No.

Video communication

Can the image of video communication be output using HDMI resolution?

There is no method for RICOH THETA to output video using USB and getting output as HDMI resolution. Therefore, video communication cannot output image in HDMI resolution.

Can the image of video communication used on smartphone?

It is possible by implementing on web application the functions that will be used on smartphone.

Is it necessary to use Ricoh's signaling server when one wants to offer video communication using RICOH THETA?

It is possible without using RICOH's signalling server.

Live streaming can output EquiRectangular format by using UVCBlender via USB, but can it output also when HDMI is used?

UVCBlender only handles USB output, and cannot handle HDMI. RICOH does not offer a tool to convert HDMI output into EquiRectangular format.

Photo and media storage

How many octets can we store as value for a key in a user-defined metadata?

1024 octets. The used character set is UTF-8.

Can the images stored into theta360.com by RICOH THETA be used by photo & media storage API?

Photo and media storage API is offered as independent service from the theta360.com. Therefore, the data on theta360.com cannot be used by photo & media storage API.

Is there an API that allows recorded data to be shared with others

No.

Remote control

Can RICOH THETA be turned on/off remotely?

No.

Contest submissions

Does the contestant need to use RICOH THETA?

Not absolutely necessary. A contestant can enter a gadget that works with the enclosure of RICOH THETA as contest submission: a gadget can be designed by using the 3D model data of RICOH THETA enclosure.

Does an application need to support all of iOS, Android and Windows?

No. If it operates as either Web application, Android application, iPhone application, or Windows store application, then it is acceptable.

Is an application that supports only a version of OS acceptable?

You don’t have to support all the OS versions. You need to support only a subset of the versions.

I am interested in submitting an iOS App. What if Apple’s review is not finished before the submission deadline?

In the case of iOS App submission, we will use the date of uploading of App to Apple as the date of contest entry.

Regarding Contest Submissions

What is exactly "original and unpublished"?

We disqualify a submission as "published" if it had been published/released as a work or announced on the network before the contest began.

Regarding uploading of RICOH THETA photos

Is there a size limit in the cloud storage when we upload a photo from RICOH THETA?

There are two upload destinations when you upload a RICOH THETA photo: theta360.com and photo and media storage API.
theta360.com limits file size: each file must no larger than 5MB. There is no limit on the number of uploaded files.
Photo and media storage service limits the file size to be no larger than 30MB. There is no limit on the number of uploaded files.

Using contest entry website

When does the judging process start?

It starts after the deadline of the submission deadline. Information submitted about the entry can be modified before the deadline. We expect many rushed entries near the deadline, and so please register your entry and submit your work at the earliest opportunities.

I encounter an error when I try to input YouTube URL as part of the contest entry. What am I doing wrong?

The URL you need to enter for youtube vide is the URL described as URL for embedding. Please see this article here.

Entry of URL for the manual when you fill in the contest information

We allow the substitution of the manual URL with the help information display inside your application if you don’t have a URL for the manual. In this case, please explain how to obtain the operation instruction such as

"See entry XYZ in the menu for operation instruction”,

etc. in your description of your work.