Virtual Reality (VR) has become a hot topic over the last couple of years. Technology is being touted as the next big thing in entertainment. There are now dozens of companies developing new headsets and apps.
People often ask, how to watch VR videos on Vive. Let’s find out!
How to Watch VR Videos on Vive?
- Use the Google Cardboard app to watch VR videos on your phone or tablet.
- Download the official VIVE app for Android or iOS.
- Connect your smartphone or tablet with the headset using a Bluetooth connection.
- Open the app and select “Videos” from the menu.
- You can watch 360-degree videos on your mobile device.
- Enjoy watching VR videos on your mobile device while you’re on the go.
How to Watch Videos on the HTC Vive and Vive Pro?
We’ve all heard that watching videos on an HTC Vive or Vive Pro headset makes you feel like you’re actually there.
But:
The real question is how do you watch any kind of video on the HTC Vive?
We’ll walk you through the steps needed to set up the video capture device and software so you get a smooth start when using them.
The Software You Need to Install
We first have to make sure you have everything you’ll be using for video creation set up correctly before we start talking about the different kinds of videos you might want to create.
Step 1 – Steam & Steam VR
Make sure you have Steam and its VR component set up properly before continuing. If you’ve done so already, you can skip step two. Otherwise, continue on.
To get started, you must first download the Steam client onto your computer and then log into your Steam account.
After logging into your account, you’ll either be asked to install Steam VR or see a “VR” icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
Once you’ve downloaded the SteamVR add-on, make sure you’ve run your setup, so the headset is prepared and ready to go.
Step 2 – The Vive Video App
We’ve tested several different apps for video recording and editing, but none of them were as good as the official Vive Video utility (which costs $10).
This tool allows you to view immersive, cinematic content in standard, 3D (stereoscopic), 180°, and 360° formats.
There are plenty of apps available for Android devices that promise to provide a better user interface than Google Now, but since this one was developed directly by HTC’s Creative Lab and is completely free to use, we don’t see any reason not to recommend it.
To access the video editing software, you must first navigate to the folder where your video files are located.
Setting up the Videos for Use
There are several different video formats that you can play on the HTC Vive.
We’ve listed the video formats that the Vive Video Utility supports and included a bonus for live streaming.
Watch “Standard” or 2D Video on the HTC Vive
Regular screens can display plain old 2-dimensional videos. It’s almost guaranteed that you’re using them right now.
You can load the VR video files into the Vive Video app without having to change any of its default settings.
You should be able to start watching movies right away without any additional software installed. If you want to view movies in 3D, we would recommend installing Bigview which lets you select from various viewing options.
On Bigscreen, if you want to watch a video on your desktop in Full-Screen mode, then you don’t need to worry about anything else.
Watch 3D Video on the HTC Vive
Once you’ve set up your Oculus Rift headset, these videos will appear in 3D and pop out at you from every direction.
Click the eye icon to close the window. to close the window.
Select Stereo, either “over-under” or “side by side”.
You’ll be able to instantly switch from 2D to 3D video when you’re ready. To get there, you’ll need to first select one of the three options for viewing (2D, Over/Under, or Side by Side).
Watch 180/360-degree videos on the HTC Vive
While the 3D video is great for watching movies, you’re still viewing them on a flat TV.
A 180-degrees video camera lets you see everything in front of you, but not anything off to the side of your field of vision. A 360-degrees camera lets you see everything around you, including things behind you.
Click the eye icon
Choose “Stereo”, either “Over Under” (180) or “Side By Side” (360).
Choose – Mono and 180 or 180 for non-3D
Watch Streamed VR videos on the HTC Vive
You can either download a movie or just watch it online without downloading anything.
You can watch videos on YouTube through the official YouTube app, which was developed by Google. If you don’t like the videos available on YouTube, you can use third-party applications like Jaunt VR or the Disney Movie VR app.
Streaming VR video tips
Streaming videos in VR tend not to be as good as the ones you’ve already downloaded.
Streaming video files are usually quite large. If you don’t have enough bandwidth for streaming videos, then you might experience lower quality.
Conclusion
The HTC Vive is one of the best headsets available today and is certainly worth considering when purchasing a new PC.
Its powerful hardware, combined with the software provided, makes it easy to get started.
We hope that this article was helpful. If you have any queries feel free to reach out in the comments section below.