* Post is updated due to new options for watching 3D movies on Gear VR become available.
With new apps appeared on VR horizon now you can watch 3D movies in VR easier then ever. Samsung app remains one of the best options but Youtube 3D and 360 VR movies library becomes great alternative.
While the Samsung Gear VR is nowhere near the Oculus Rift in terms of sheer power, it takes watching 3D movies on your smartphone to a whole new level. It makes the experience more immersive and saves you from having to squint at the small screen. But that’s assuming you know how to properly watch 3D movies in VR using Gear VR.
See Also How to watch movies in VR – Best VR movies Apps
Youtube 3D VR movies on Gear VR
As we said Youtube VR library is huge and is getting bigger every day. Streaming from services like Youtube, Netflix or Hulu is probably the easiest way to experience VR movies.
As YouTube is owned by Google their VR app is still exclusive for Daydream VR headset users. Luckily there is a way for Gear VR users to enjoy this content. Here is how:
- From Oculus Store search and install “Samsung Internet browser”
- When installed, go to Youtube.com
- Search for 3D Videos
- Select the video then click the “360 3D”
How To Watch Movies on the Samsung Gear VR:
If you just started using Samsung Gear VR the easiest way for you is to experience VR movies with Oculus video application bundled with the Gear. Just click on “Video” where you will have an option to choose from wide selection of Vimeo and Facebook 360 videos, Twitch streaming and finally your media library.
1. Run video app
2. Choose “Your own videos”
3. Select a theater to use
4. Start watching
When you are done experiencing default options now you are ready for next level. Follow our step-by-step guide on how to download and watch 3D movies and 360 movies on Gear VR.
Guide for watching 3D movies on Gear VR
1. Get a copy of the 3D movies you want to watch and make sure they are in the correct format (.mp4 .m4v .3gp .3g2 .ts .webm .mkv .wmv .asf .avi .flv). Also, check if the audio are in .mp3 or .aac formats. If you have the movies in a different format, you can download a converter like Freemake Video Converter and VidCoder.
2. Place the movies in the correct folder in your phone. To do this, simply navigate to the default folder created by Oculus/Gear VR, but don’t paste them there just yet. Create a new folder within root folder and name it “3D” (/oculus/movies/3D/).
That’s where you need to place your 3D movies since the root folder is reserved for your regular 2D movies. 2D or normal movies you copy/paste into the /oculus/movies/ for 360 movies you create folder called “360videos” (/oculus/movies/360videos/ ) and copy your 360 videos
3. Open Oculus Cinema and select the movie you want to Watch.
Downloading 3D Movies for Gear VR
When downloading 3D movies, you’ll notice that they come in either Side-by-Side (SBS) format, which comes in Full SBS and Half SBS, or Over/Under (or Top/Bottom) format. For the non-techie people, they refer to the resolution of the movies and the way the two frames are separated (vertically for the former and horizontally for the latter).
Check our library of VR movies
A Side-by-Side format comes in 1920 x 1080. Full SBS nets you the full resolution in both frames, while Half SBS gives you 960 x 1080 for each frame. On the other hand, the Over/Under format comes in 1280 x 720, with each frame coming in at 1280 x 360.
The Gear VR automatically assumes that all files in the “3D” folder are in the SBS format. If you have a movie in Over/Under format, you must create a text file to have it correctly read. Simply copy and paste the following to Notepad and save it in the EXACT name of the movie:
{
“format”: “3DTB”
}
Yes, the quotes are included. So, Over/Under movies in your 3D movies folder should have two accompanying files: the .png file for the poster image (assuming you got one) and the aforementioned text file.
Except for that last part which borders on the technical side, watching movies on your Gear VR is a simple matter. All you really need to do is copy your movies in the correct folder and you’re good to go.
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