One of the greatest things ever made by Samsung is their virtual reality headset, a high-end model, available at a more-than-pocket-friendly price. And you know what’s the coolest part about it? You can also watch 3D movies on Samsung Gear VR, since it’s not just for games!
There are quite a few great ways to watch movies on it, but we bet that just a few of you know about all off them! Considering this, we’ve put together a guide on how to watch Gear VR 3D movies easily. Sounds good? Let’s get it started?
Use the Oculus Store to download movies
Being made in partnership with the folks over at Oculus, it’s obvious that you can enjoy some….well Oculus-made content on the Gear VR.
Just head over to the Gear VR experiences in the Oculus Store and download any title you like. Also, in the Oculus video app, which the headset is bundled with, click on “Video”. This will give you the possibility to choose from a selection of Vime, Facebook 360 videos and Twitch streams.
However, there’s one big minus: most of the content you will find here is 2D, including the 360-degree stuff. But don’t worry, you can watch VR 3D movies on the headset, as you will find out shortly.
Watch 3D movies stored on your phone
Technically speaking, this should be the easiest way to watch 3D movies on Gear VR, since everything you need to do is transfer movies on your phone’s memory, then watch them in virtual reality.
And no, you can’t download them directly. It’s pretty hard to find an app that allows you to download a 3D movies, then play it on any device you want.
Considering this, the easiest way of doing this is storing movies locally, on your phone’s flash memory, then watch them using the headset.
However, there’s a catch over here. You just can’t find a lot of supported Gear VR 3D movies online, so, in the end, it’s all up to you.
The headset supports a lot of common file formats, like .mp4, .avi, .flv, and so on. However, it doesn’t go along with 3D formats.
You need to convert some of your favorite titles, in order to make them compatible with the handset. More exactly, you need to convert them to SBS 3D .mp4/.mkv, so you can watch them on the Gear VR, using one of the supported smartphones.
For this, you need some special software, like 3D Video Converter, an all-in-one-video app able to convert .avi, .wmv, .mpg, as well as more complex video files, like Blu Ray, to compatible Gear VR movies. Basically, it transforms digital copy into side by side copy.
In order to do so, you need to follow these steps:
- Download 3D Video Converter and install it. It’s available for both Windows and Mac.
- Open the software
- Open the video file you want to convert
- Select the Gear VR supported output (SBS or TB)
- Start the converting process
- Import the converted video on your phone
- Enjoy it!
Watch 3D videos from YouTube
You know what’s the coolest part of YouTube? Well, one of the coolest. You can find all formats of content on it, including 360-degree 3D movies, which can be accessed from the Gear VR.
In order to access them, you need the Samsung Internet app, available in the Oculus Store, and some headphones. If you don’t want everybody to hear what you should, that is! However, there’s a twist: you need to know the type of 3D video you want to watch.
The app is able to distinguish between a few types of videos: standard 3D, 180-degree SBS (side by side) 3D, 180-degree TB (top-bottom) 3D, 360-degree SBS 3D, 360-degree TB 3D.
In order to watch content in 3D from YouTube on the Samsung Gear VR, you need to follow these steps:
- From the Suggested Links, select YouTube
- Search for 3D videos
- Tap on the results and select a video
- Tap on the video icon, beneath the playbar
- Select the 360 option and tap the video icon again
- Select the type of 3D video of your choice
After selecting the type of 3D, the effect will show up instantly. However, take notice that YouTube doesn’t remember this setting, so you need to repeat these steps every time you play 3D videos from YouTube. But it’s definitely worth it!
Use dedicated apps
Finally, there’s one more very easy way you can use to watch 3D movies on Gear VR, thanks to some magnificent team of developers.
Unlike other headsets, it has a few extra options for watching 3D movies. Some of the most notably are Netflix, Hulu, Samsung VR, and the built-in Video app. All of them are available in the Oculus store, so they’re just a few taps away.
Another cool app I highly recommend is Skybox, which streams content from a PC to a Gear VR. It’s definitely the app to go for anybody who prefers an experience with less wires.
Warnings
Finally, there’s one more very important aspect we need to talk about, before you start enjoying some of the best 3D movies for Gear VR.
You are about to use a virtual reality headset for a longer period. Sure, the experience is out of this world, but Oculus recommends avoiding prolonged use, as it can have a negative impact on hand-eye coordination, balance, and multi-tasking ability. This goes for all categories of users, not just children.
It’s also highly recommended to take a 10-15 minute break every 30 minutes, even though you don’t think you need it, if you’re watching a 2 hour movie.
All recommendations made by Oculus regarding the use of the Samsung Gear VR can be checked here.
Wrap-up
And there you have it, ladies and gents. This is a complete guide on how to watch 3D movies on Samsung Gear VR in just a few simple moves. No matter the source of the movie, there’s definitely a way of enjoying it in a totally immersive way!
Have you tried 3D movies on the headset? How was the overall experience? Also, if you know some titles which are definitely worth giving a shot, do tell us about them, using the comments section below.
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