Watching 2D and 3D movies on Gear VR is amazing.
I will explain in this article the many ways you can watch new films and download video apps.
You can enjoy 360-degree viewing or a standard theatre format.
There is also an Oculus Store where you can purchase your favorite movies.
Everything you want to know is contained in the information below, so relax and enjoy.
Streaming YouTube Videos
YouTube has an enormous selection of 360-degree and 3D movies.
You can access them with your Gear VR by going to the Oculus store, and downloading the Samsung internet app.
Then all you need is a nice set of headphones, and to decide what type of video you want.
The app has five ways of distinguishing the videos. The descriptions may seem confusing, but SBS is Side by Side.
This is the creation of a 3D effect with two images on both the right and left.
TB is Top-Bottom, and these are two images, one on top of the other.
Look at your results for a 3D Video Tap in the Suggested links list for YouTube.
There is a video icon underneath your YouTube play bar. Tap this icon, choose 360, then tap the icon again.
Choose the correct 3D from your list.
Once the correct image type is selected, the 3D effect is available immediately.
You do need to repeat this each time you play a video because YouTube will not remember this setting.
The experience is amazing.
Playing Stored 3D Video
There are not many video apps that will let you download a 3D movie, and play it on whichever device you choose.
This means the majority of the videos you watch in Rift are either coming from a 3D home video or a slightly illegal source.
You may have already purchased the 3D Blu-Ray player, and taken care of the video conversion yourself.
In this instance you probably want your Gear VR to have a good video player.
Whatever your situation, chances are you want the Oculus Cinema app.
This will get you started.
Important Technical Information
No form of video piracy is supported by the VR Heads.
This means there will be no audio in your 3D rips unless you encode them to .aac or .mp3.
Your first step does not involve your Gear VR. A folder must be created for your 3D movies.
This folder must be live at either /Oculus/movies/360videos or /Oculus/movies/3d.
This is dependent on exactly what you choose to play in your app. Once you have created your folder, your videos need to be moved to your phone.
Oculus Cinema will enable you to see all your individual files.
The Samsung Gear VR
Your Samsung Gear VR is a mobile headset enabling you to participate in virtual reality.
Samsung Electronics and Oculus collaborated in the creation of this headset.
Samsung manufactures the Gear VR and made it available to the public on November 27th of 2015.
A Samsung device compatible with the Gear VR is necessary for you to use your headset.
Your headset and phone together provide the display, processor, controller, field of view, IMU, or custom inertial measurement unit, touchpad and proximity sensor.
There were two innovator editions of the Gear VR released by Samsung prior to the version released to the public.
The Gear VR was designed to work with the flagship smartphones from Samsung.
Samsung wanted their headset to support Motion to Photon and optimized the kernel and hardware.
The content is primarily downloaded from Oculus Home.
Samsung patented their Head Mounted Display in 2005, and in 2015 the consumer edition for the Gear VR was released.
Mobile phone technology was still fairly limited when Samsung received their patent, so their HMD and VR research continued.
An official team was formed by Samsung in 2013 when the Galaxy S4 was released.
The goal of this team was the development of a VR device that would work seamlessly with a smartphone.
The team was successful in developing several prototypes, but the performance and quality were far below Samsung’s standards.
Since Oculus had already created a successful virtual reality device, Samsung partnered with them in 2014 for developmental assistance.
This led to the unveiling of the Samsung Gear VR in 2014.
The Different Editions of Gear VR
The SM-R320 was the first edition of the Gear VR Samsung released.
This version became available in 2014, and the Galaxy Note 4 was the only compatible phone.
This edition was predominately for developers, so content could be created for the official release.
Early access was granted to the VR and technology enthusiasts.
The SM-R321 was the second edition of the Gear VR and was released towards the beginning of 2015.
This device supported both the Galaxy S6 Edge and the Galaxy S6.
To provide the docked device more power, Samsung added a micro USB port.
A small fan was also added to stop the lens from fogging.
The SM-R322 was the next edition released near the end of 2015, and this was called the Samsung Gear VR.
Samsung, BestBuy, and Amazon all took preorders, and the Gear VR sold out the same day it was released.
This edition supported six Samsung Galaxy phones, had improved ergonomics, was nineteen percent lighter, and the touchpad was redesigned to improve navigation.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and the SM-R323 were released simultaneously.
This device included increased cushioning, an improved field of view, glare reduction and a flat trackpad.
Instead of the USB Micro-B, the USB-C connector was used to enable connection to the Note 7 and is capable of data transfer.
Adapters were provided so you could use the device with older phones with a micro USB connector.
When the smartphone was discontinued in 2016, safety reasons prevented the Gear VR from being used with the Galaxy Note 7.
The next version was an upgrade, and the SM-R324 was released at the beginning of 2017 along with a controller accessory for the Gear VR.
The accessory is bundled with the updated model, and compatible with the existing devices.
The SM-R325 was unveiled in 2017 and is the latest version.
A new controller accessory was additionally unveiled and is bundled along with the upgraded model.
