Namielus has been working on such a cinema for the Rift for a long time, he soon is going to launch a Kickstarter for his VR lounge on which there is going to be a tier for instant acces to the cinema.
I myself am going to wait for Namielus's cinema because it is compatible with more files and streaming services like YouTube, it even has a multiplayer feature.
usb247 wrote:awesome not sure if it's the best app but I'm looking forward to trying it.
next up virtual iMax.
I meant, the best app to start with the rift.
I uploaded the 'Pacific Rim' 3D Trailer in the correct format here: http://dfiles.eu/files/xr6srf40u
( if this is not allowed please give me a short Info, and I delete the Link )
Last edited by metulski on Sun May 19, 2013 5:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
usb247 wrote:awesome not sure if it's the best app but I'm looking forward to trying it.
next up virtual iMax.
I meant, the best app to start with the rift.
I uploaded the 'Pacific Rim' 3D in the correct Format here: http://dfiles.eu/files/xr6srf40u
( if this is not allowed please give me a short Info, and I delete the Link )
Have you tried this on the rift yet? I'm surprised that the video is sbs for each eye. Also wondering how is the resolution...
VRcinema will be great for an online gathering place for people, instead of having people on cam, they could just pick a 3D model, put a VOIP option so they can chat, and log in. It's way better than just a static empty movie theater, a meeting place for people, and with the Rift already going strong, it's a matter of how long the programming will take.
I highly doubt that's what will be done with this. as far as i'm aware this is just a fancy (read: awesome) video player app. Besides Namielus is already doing that and more with his virtual lounge.
Forget that it's another theater/video player. What blows my mind about this demo, probably more so than any demo I've tried yet is that due to it's perfect recreation of scale and environment it really fools the brain into feeling like you are actual someplace else, in this case a movie theater. It has a great little user interface too, pulled up by right-clicking. This is a must try for anyone with a Rift dev kit.
If you watch a 3D movie it's in my opinion better than 3D theatre experience due to the perfect separation of the images (aside from the dev kit's low pixel resolution of course).
I'll provide a couple of SBS sample movie clips you can try at http://dotalore.com/SBSclips.zip
(Please only download this file if you have a Rift, they won't be much use outside of this demo and are only a couple of minutes long.)
You can download more form youtube (filter for 3D content) using VLC to download the file and Pazera mp4 to avi converter to convert it into an AVI file.
Have you watched a full length movie yet?
I want to know if you find it better than watching at an actual theater and if its better than watching on a big tv.
will you use this to watch all your movies now or just a gimmick one off thing?
This following write up is all based on theory as i dont have my rift yet, but i still think it will help you make a decision.
There are inherently going to be pros and cons when it comes to an app like this, so i'll start off by listing what makes aspects of going to a theater, or watching on your big screen tv better. The first, and most obvious drawback is the resolution of the rift's lcd screen. When you play a movie in VRCinema3D, you're already playing it on a lower resolution screen, and on top of that you are using even less of the screen space, because much of it is being filled with the actual theater environment itself: the curtains, walls, seats, what have you. Secondly you'll be missing out on the social aspect of watching movies, whether at home, or in an actual theater. You are alone, in a virtual room who's sole inhabitant is you. And lastly, although this will be adjustable in the near future, the brightness level of the theater itself is somewhat distracting. But as the actual creator mentioned in the developer forums, you will be able to dim the theater lights in the next update, as well as open multiple file types from a built in file browser.
Now what makes VRCinema3D better? It's a f**cking movie theater strapped to your face with a massive screen lol. If you're home alone, or lying in bed next to your sleeping significant other and want to watch a movie without disturbing anyone or being disturbed, you can do it in a realistic theater setting with a screen that's probably bigger than your house, and it will most definitely feel that way. Secondly, when was the last time you were able to pause the movie you went out to see so you could have a bathroom break without missing anything? And lastly, when was the last time that you thought to yourself "Man, this movie was so fun when I watched it in theaters, I wish I could have that experience again." Now you can, and without much hassle.
Final thoughts. VRCinema3D is NOT the real deal, it is missing much of what could make it the best way to watch movies, but you know what, it's damn close enough for me, and getting even closer as the dev continues to work on it. I cant wait for the next update, and I cant wait to revisit my favorite movies on the silver screen from the comfort of my recliner. *Thumbs Up*
As Ryuuken24 pointed out, adding multiplayer/viewer to this should be fairly easy and would fix the social aspect. In fact, it could be more social in some ways, as you could watch a movie with a group of friends from across the world, chatting about the scenes as you watch them together.
I haven't tested this app yet, but will give it a shot tonight, sounds like it could be another one for the demo folder!
mattyeatsmatts wrote:Have you watched a full length movie yet?
I want to know if you find it better than watching at an actual theater and if its better than watching on a big tv.
will you use this to watch all your movies now or just a gimmick one off thing?
If you start saying something is really good on the Oculus Rift, there are some people you can sense start to get on edge. I think some are a little over sensitive about it but for the most part I agree with their reasoning. It would be bad to mislead someone into buying a Dev Kit if they aren't a developer or serious VR enthusiast with disposable cash. And I agree, I don't want to mislead people into thinking the Rift and demo apps out there are finished consumer ready products yet. But If you keep that in mind, this is a really awesome demo of what the capabilities of the consumer version Rift will be.
The biggest issue for me is you have to do some work to get some content for this demo currently. I can't just pop in a DVD or Blueray of Tron Legacy and watch it (yet at least). I would probably say once you can view any file, DVD, Bluray on the 1080p or better resolution consumer Rift I would pretty much *always* prefer to watch a movie on the Rift vs a 3D TV. This does not feel gimmicky at all.
Would I watch full movies on the Dev Kit with the lower res too? Absolutely. The visual quality and sense of being isolated in a big theater really impresses me even at much lower res. I would watch any number of big budget (e.g. action, fantasy, sci-fi, Actually probably mostly only things in 3D however, as that makes up for the low res in my opinion. Again The catch is I'd have to rip/convert currently to get them into the movie.avi file. My laziness would get me there.
Watching Avatar looks so amazing on this. If you have a Rift check out my instructions posted above, grab this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxmKdlnUpQ and watch it in VR Cinema3D and tell me what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdnuZVwMHS0
What has me so excited is this isn't really what the Rift is all about .. it's just kind of a bonus and but it's even going to be great at watching movies. (and already is in my opinion).
Thanks for the response, It has me excited. Cant wait for my rift to come to try this out and really want to see what Namielus has up his sleeves.
I have always fantasized of playing my console games on a theater screen so hopefuilly down the line I'll be able to somehow plug my console in and play it in the VRtheater.
Now I almost regret using 3500 dollars on a 55" Samsung 3D TV last year.
I have been fantasizing about this as a use for the rift since I first saw Namielus's first youtube about it.
And since the consumer rift will have higher def, this application of the rift will probably be full of win.
I thin Namielus's program has higher potential though. I can see my self playing all the different arcade games in the next room as well, using a PS3 controller or something.
This works surprisingly well. I find that once I'm engrossed I stop noticing the low resolution, though that goes for rift apps in general and may not be the same for everyone. Weirdly, I actually find the same is true for blurays - I only really notice that I'm watching a high resolution video for the first few minutes. Once I'm zoned out my brain doesn't really care anymore.
I not sure I can see the average person favouring a VR cinema over a real one any time soon, but I may never go the cinema again.
Currently working on Flagship - a first-person RTS for the Oculus Rift.
braddas wrote:This works surprisingly well. I find that once I'm engrossed I stop noticing the low resolution, though that goes for rift apps in general and may not be the same for everyone. Weirdly, I actually find the same is true for blurays - I only really notice that I'm watching a high resolution video for the first few minutes. Once I'm zoned out my brain doesn't really care anymore.
I not sure I can see the average person favouring a VR cinema over a real one any time soon, but I may never go the cinema again.
Lol i can still see some great reasons to go to the cinema, especially in regards to seeing new motion pictures, however whenever I want to zone out and watch a movie of my own, this is likely going to be my preferred method that's for sure, especially after the next update.
Can someone else just confirm this. I am running this software without a rift plugged in as I am streaming the output from my pc to a smartphone. Nearly everything works fine, it is all in 3d, I can walk around the cinema etc but when I input a SBS movie (one of the ones linked above) The movie plays in SBS format rather than in 3D. Can anyone else confirm that without the rift plugged in the movies do not play in 3d?
It's such a shame that all this VRc ontent is starting to come out but a lot of only kicks into 3d mode if the rift is attached . I tried playing the roller coaster demo and that did the same thing, won't go into SBS mode without the rift.
At least from what I have seen the unity demos all seem to work in SBS without a rift plugged in but I just have the video problem with this one.
Croccy22 wrote:The movie plays in SBS format rather than in 3D
I assume you picked the 3D option from the right click menu? Movies play in 2D by default.
EDIT: Oops, IGameArt beat me to the punch!
Erm yeah I knew about the right click menu really, hehe. Thanks!
Can't believe how well it works streaming it to a smartphone. Would love to see this on a real Rift. Think i'm gonna have to build one, can't wait any longer
This sort of thing has existed in SecondLife forever (with multi user support as well). The OR has already been integrated in SL, at least in prototype mode.
Just google "cinemas in secondlife", check out the images tab.
Hopefully Linden Labs will release the OR support officially pretty soon.
Note you can get an opensim running on your own server if you don't want to rent land from LindenLabs.