When we started to see avatar on the movies in 2009, people were starting to consider seriously 3D technology as a proper way to see a movie in a rather interesting way. Time has proven the 3D technology on the movies has been quite successful, but not massively integrated, one of the main obstacles with the current systems that are available to provide the same experience at home, is that 3D glasses on televisions have not been as successfully recognized as it is in movie screens.
However with the massification of Virtual Reality technologies shown in the advances provided by devices like the Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest and others of the same line of the company, we have been noticing the tech world and noticing a new tendency of looking at movies on a different way because now with Virtual Reality technology is now more seamless than ever and more immersive than ever.
The Oculus Go system, has been improving with its low cost and very good selection within its catalog of applications are available, to be a quite a good response of how to integrate a proper VR system as an entertainment option for the users. Virtual Reality interfaces not only allow the user to be in a quite bigger screen by only putting on the headset come it offers them more options in Audio Fidelity and also high resolution in the projection by having the VR headsets to exploit the technology as much as possible .
We have been seeing many of the movie applications and platforms today in streaming, to start integrating VR projection, like the Google Cardboard as two more massive options for accessible platforms to have an entry experience of virtual reality in new areas like media. What this means is that now more than ever if you buy a VR headset you are not limited to only play a game or interacting in a specific interface, now you are able to see movies, navigate on the Internet or do many other activities not thought possible before.
Is too different to see movies in VR?
No, the main difference besides on the immersive experience that is related to VR movies in itself, you are watching on a screen depending on the application that we will be talking later, in a different environment. But this is still a video in two dimensions in a screen like in any other normal experience. However one of the main differences is when you’re trying to see 3D movies, or 360 videos, This is where the VR experience becomes really straightforward and seamless, mostly because these types of devices are already prepared with their native apps, to see these movies in the proper format with an adequate calibration.
This is very important for example, in devices like the Oculus Go, where you are exclusively having a VR device with loaded content or seen it directly from any site that you are affiliated, that offers 3D video on 360 videos, because one of the main differences of scene 360 videos in a screen is that there is the problem of interactivity and trying to see as much of the Panorama by itself.
In the case of the VR headsets, the 3 degrees of movement of the Oculus Go or the 6 degrees of movement offered it by the Rift in each variant and the Quest, already solved the problem of movement and interactivity with the movie in question. There is the issue of seamless movement, that allows you for example if you’re watching a 360 video of you riding in a car with a person that puts you directly on the perspective of where is the camera and you can see the action all by itself really finding mostly the experience of looking at a video from a first person perspective.
However, there has been some developments on how seeing movies directly on an Oculus device can relate to other experiences developed by companies where there are additional experiences of movies related to additional features come back and take into consideration as linking content that can help you to expand your investment into the world and to the content that you are seeing, by experiencing some VR movies. These are experiences that are specifically tailored to be projected in VR headsets, specially the Oculus quest.
But we consider more this experiences as small bonuses to their grade difference of seeing a movie onto a screen, these VR movies have been not developed as much as the process of the games or other applications in VR headsets but still we can find some experiences that can bring or expand how a movie can be seen in this format. Particularly are more interactive small games, or some projections of parts of the movie that are interactable with VR systems. But it is not too different from the process that are available in some apps that gives the user the same characteristics and usability, without requiring an additional experience to see this content that it is not too long in its presentation.
Is there a visible difference between the Oculus models to enjoy a movie experience?
The main differences that exist with the Oculus models, are mostly visible on the technical aspect of the resolution, autonomy and the handling of different apps and internal storage. If you are going to be a using a device that it is going to enjoy content directly from platforms and you are not interested in anything else, the Oculus go is the system that you must have in the terms of enjoying the experiences as much as possible.
While it does not have the 6 degrees of freedom of movement that offers the other more advanced models, the Oculus Go is a pretty much interesting experience to actually get the best of using video to see movies in different settings and aspects. It is a simpler system that cost no more than $200 with variations of storage of 32 and 64 gigabytes comment that allows you to preload your content from your computer so you can take the hence it wherever you go that it is completely autonomous , and enjoy the experience as well.
How can I see movies on the oculus headset?
Looking at movies in an Oculus headset, is like in any other modern device , the experience in itself can be enjoyed in two ways, one of them is on the native applications directly made by the company in the pre-installed systems that they offer. There is an additional form to see movies that apply in other cases, you must install another third-party app, that will allow you to actually expand the possibilities and also functions of the systems of the VR headset for a media display content.
In most of the cases the differences between the first party apps and the third party apps come are mostly additional options to accompany the experience by itself, this means that, in a third party app you are going to have more options to a sharing experience of looking at a movie or a media and to share different activities on the same system. To rather improve radically how do you see a movie. The native support already for systems in the case of the oculus platforms, gave over the freedom to the users to see without any problems from any platform video directly on a setting that is completely different than in any other VR experience.
Obviously that in the case of any modern device, you need your oculus device, with the current account, connected to the Internet and ready to search the content that you want to install from the Oculus store to get the content and to download the apps that are necessary to put your visual experience directly on the headset. There are some considerations that in the case of the Oculus go, as a more simpler device come you cannot consider use content that is too heavy in the aspect of the amount of resolution, this device and shows you a visual experience of seeing movies in big screen, but do not expect too much of a sophistication in the interface or other systems related to that process.
The First party apps for VR movies
Oculus video especially for the Go, it is the most visible examples over a high degree of compatibility directly from the device from the factory. This version of the system that is available for the Oculus go, and for additional installation in the oculus quest, offers how to deal with quality and without too much of a problem of visualization directly in an interface that resembles a small room with a huge screen.
This is important to actually have a mind in the process of looking at movies and media directly on a VR headset most of the time the systems are going to try to replicate the experience of you being in a different room, looking at content, that with the maximum amount of a solution possible by the VR headsets , and with other type of devices they can really benefit from the process of having a high resolution system applied to the vision of movies .
Oculus TV another of the Oculus applications, this is more similar to the offerings of Netflix, amazon prime, YouTube and others. Mostly because it offers a number of channels and services that can be directly logged onto and to access to the content without any problems or compatibility. This app offers access to channel and other platforms that allow the system to adapt the movies to be visualized in VR, in a significantly higher resolution that the oculus video, mostly this is an application that is available for the Oculus quest. However, it can be used as well in the Oculus goal, however the Oculus go has been a less resolution device, can have some problems in rendering the content.
Third Party apps and their offerings
Amazon Prime TV, this is by far one of the most streamlined experiences, Amazon has decided that its content is going to be also be viewable in VR systems and headsets in a wide scale. This allows then that one of the greatest valuable propositions for this type of platforms, that gives to the users to switch easily between a screen and a VR headset without too much of a hassle. All the catalog in this platform is completely available and also develops and uses a VR interface to put the user in a room or in a screen that they can view their content in high resolution and without too much of a demand for the system in visualization. This app does not offer additional settings or possibilities of improving the experience by adding additional services linked to VR headsets, but it improves massively the quality of Boeing apart from the systems that are already preinstalled in many of the Oculus systems.
Skybox VR, this is one of the apps that has more an application as a system entirely dedicated to the playback of video, that is already storage in the VR headset itself, therefore is one of the most viable applications for the Oculus go, in addition to the first party apps already available in the visor. Most importantly this is one application that allows to playback the content directly without too much interference, its interface is directly usable and without too much inconveniences for configuring or adding additional services that can be included in the visualization of content given that it includes 3D systems, 360 movies, and other alternative visualization systems, including movies with experiences in VR, that can be easily utilized for the users in the terms of applying that technology directly of what they are seeing in their headset.
Bigscreen is on app designed that can be the case for the VR Movie Experience, however the main difference that separates this app from the rest, is that it is not sync only as a playback system, this app is made to be a social network and interaction system between various users that can be gathered in a single interface, to interact and see a movie that it is being stream directly over their headsets. And not only it is a social network to see movies with friends that are indifferent VR systems, this app is also a system of communication, at screen sharing app that allows the users to utilize a single screen system to be broadcasted to several users, bringing the experience of the meeting of a conference directly onto their headsets.
This app also offers many interfaces to put their users in common areas like a meeting room, a cinema, a camping place, among many other interfaces that can also be included and downloading that content directly from the site of the app, for the case of Bigscreen this virtual reality environment works as a social hub for the users available on a network, this permits them to be in a single space, looking at the movie in a less intrusive environment.
This app is also available to have a process of compatibility with many channels or additional apps, to center their content, an also has the ability of taking the contents directly available in the VR headsets such as the oculus go, and to directly stream them into the system app straight up to other users who are seeing the same movie, or video or presentation. This is one of the apps that proves the concept of VR as a social experience specially when visualizing media and other types of content that can be shared easily over a different amount of VR platforms, environments and services. This means that there is a possibility in the future that this can be social network that can have a considerable place in the market, seeing that the expansion of the VR headsets commercially and also the adoption of these technologies in other areas than entertainment can really create a new space on the market where the virtual reality as an experience is not locally limited but it is an offering all by its own systems and functions.
We could talk also about YouTube, and other apps that offer the same experience, basically they are offering the projection of the video that you are looking for, without too much of an interference from an interface. Is more an streamlined experience as an option for users who do not have an oculus system, but instead a Google Cardboard that can be taken into consideration as a low budget entry VR system. These considerations also have the same compatibility with different types of video, especially in the 3D and 360 versions.
So, now it is up to you after reading this article to choose your Oculus device and start looking at movies in a different way, a theater in your headset to Enjoy!
