TL:DR Warning. But Worth it!
O. K.
With all of its updates, improvements, and ease of use, after all the work described below, MaxVR is now my current DK2 Video Player. Buy it. It works in Direct mode with incredible, easy to use options; and removes all the hassles.
I had to make that statement after creating the following for a response to a personal Rift Player question:
==========================================================
"hi mate
can you please tell me how you got your vlc rift player working
i have my
samsung 27" 1080p as primary
rift 1080p as secondary
i can get video showing on the primary but there is no option to tell vlc to switch playback to show on secondary i.e rift?
if i change the rift to primary, it's impossible to navigate the desktop as it is zoomed in grrrr
so frustrating
can you please help by providing a step by step tut on how you got it showing on ur dk2?
thanks
My Response,
You need to learn how to navigate your system when in the extended mode!
And you especially need to learn (for the time being) how to do so when you have the Rift set as the "Primary" display.
Here's a related piece I posted for the Star Wars game "Battle of Endor" that covers part of the above issues. After this I'll get back to specifics on the VLC Rift Player, and I'll recommend a much easier player for you:
"Re: Star Wars: Battle of Endor
Postby WillHart1 » Mon Aug 25, 2014 8:49 am
It was a real puzzle to get this to run on the Rift on my system; but it felt like Victory when I finally did!
(Scroll Way Down to quickly get to the The Short Version)
The Long Explanation:
One thing I'm just learning, is the difference in Windows (8.1) between the numbers assigned to monitors, their Adapter numbers, and
the importance of which monitor is assigned as the "Primary" monitor.
From what I currently understand, when my Rift is in Extended Mode, and I right-click on Screen Resolution, it is extremely important to have the Rift (no matter what number is on its screen display), moved to the left-most position, as that is what the force Adapter command added to Shortcuts, " -adapter 1" calls Adapter 1.
It is also crucial in many cases to use your graphics card controls in Extended Mode to set the Rift as the Primary display; even though this does get confusing when you have to have to try and find the next little window that wants you to confirm this setting.
I've found that right after you click on Apply, pressing Tab, then Enter, will confirm the setting, even though you might not be able to see this little window through one of your Rift lenses after it has become the "Primary" display.
It also helps at moments like this to know you can sometimes use the Windows key plus the Right or Left Arrow keys (sometimes holding the Shift-Key at the same time) to move some of the active windows from display to display; and that you have to drag your mouse
pointer far off to the right or left to get it to show up on your non-Rift monitor, or on your Rift screen if you are looking through one of the lenses.
And don't forget, if things get too confusing after you have made your Rift the Primary monitor, turning off the Rift will make Windows revert back to full-control on your regular monitor.
It also helps greatly to have Bilago's OculusServiceManager running so you can restart your Oculus Rift Drivers and Services so you can put your Rift back into Direct mode too.
The Short Version:
All that being said, when I want to run Battle of Endor, according to my notes, I put my Rift in Extended Mode, I make sure under Screen Resolution that the Rift Monitor Image is to the left, I use Bilago's OculusServiceManager to stop the Oculus Services (and leave the Watchdog off), in my Nvidia GTX 660 graphics card settings, I make the Rift my Primary display, and lastly, I click on the Shortcut I made for Battle of Endor, which includes the Adapter Force " -adapter 1" on the end of it, and the fun begins.
And if I want to start Battle of Endor from the very beginning as a demo for anyone, rather than jumping back into the game where I left off, I rename the "output_log.txt" file in the Battle of Endor data folder to something like "OLD output_log.txt" so the game will start from the beginning again.
I hope this helps somebody get this and other programs running faster than I did!
Will Hart
Fullerton, California
ps
Make sure you look all around behind you while the opening text is scrolling!
And have your X-Box controller plugged in.
WillHart1"
O.K. Now while your head is spinning, back to the VLC Rift Player:
Create a Shortcut for your VLC Rift Player.exe file (for now, put it on your desktop).
Then open the Shortcut Properties and add the DirectX11 force command to the filename in the Properties, so the end of the name will look like this .exe" -force-d3d11.
And make sure that Shortcut is kind of in the middle of your Windows desktop, or visible in a small window that you move to the middle of your desktop.
You then need to make sure all of your Rift services and drivers are running.
Use the Oculus Service Manager by Bilago, with the Watchdog function turned on for constant services.
Go into Extended Mode in your Oculus controls so your graphics card and Windows will see your Rift as a monitor.
Use your Windows Screen Resolution controls to make sure your Rift is the left-most position.
Then tell your graphics card to make the Rift your Primary display, and select Apply; and to make it easier to confirm this choice, since you can't see the little window asking you to confirm this, just press Tab, then Enter, and you will have confirmed the Primary choice.
Here's where you need to master your new-found screen viewing skills.
If you look through one of your Rift lenses (on mine, it's the left one), you should be able to see the shortcut you created for the Player, but you may have to watch carefully as you move your mouse around to find the pointer to click on it.
Just remember, your Rift is now your left-most monitor, so you have to move your pointer way off to the left to see it; and then to see your pointer on your other monitor, you have to move the pointer way off to the right.
You also now have to practice two other skills.
Move your pointer way over to the middle of your regular monitor, and notice what windows are showing as active on your Taskbar; and try pressing Windows plus your Right Arrow a few times to find out what it is like to move active windows over to your regular monitor where you can easily see them. You can use Alt-Tab to make different windows active, and try moving them back and forth between your Rift and your Monitor using Windows plus the Arrow Keys (with and without the Shift Key).
When you first run the VLC Rift Player, you may only see a White Screen in your Rift, but if you look at your Task Bar on your Monitor, you will see two Player Items, one on top of the other. Use Alt Tab to select the other Player item as the Active Window, then use your Windows plus Right Arrow to move that over to you Monitor, and you will see the Open Items dialog window from the Rift Player, so you can select whatever video you want to watch.
And when you feel totally lost in the Extended Rift Primary mode, don't forget you can turn your Rift off, which will put everything back on your regular monitor. And from there you can use the Oculus Service Manager by Bilago to turn your services and drivers back on (if you have had them off), and you can switch the Oculus Services back to Direct, just before you turn the Rift back on.
All of this sounds really convoluted, but it just takes moments once you learn it, and it takes far, far, longer trying to explain it!
AND NOW THE TIP OF THE DAY!
Don't worry about doing any of the above!
Spend $5.99 or so, and just download the latest MaxVR; which has been updated 5 times in the last 24 hours!
You don't have to do anything special to get it running!
Leave your drivers running in Direct mode, and just start MaxVR and enjoy yourself!
You videos and drop down videos will be on your regular monitor, and your Rift will just show you your videos and a slider and pause/play control.
The Tab key lets you cycle through all of the 2D and 3D modes.
The S Key lets you cycle through the screen styles, Flat, Curved, 180, etc.
And - and + let you move toward or back from the screen.
MaxVR is a no-brainer that has become a massive, easy-to-use treat!
Will Hart
ps
I'll post this publicly to help others too.
