Rift with movies?

"Breymac" wrote:
I'm just wondering if the Rift had the ability to make movies, such as Avatar, 3d. If it cannot, is there a way that someone would be able to make it so 3d movies with the rift are possible? I'm not talking about head movement in movies (that would be amazing) but I mean just for the 3d effect.
Thanks.

In the context of movies, the word "make" means to record or to render. The current model of the Rift can only PLAY movies, using multiple available video player apps available for it (both with and without head tracking). The Rift DK does not contain integrated camera(s), so it cannot record movies. The integrated embedded processor is not user programmable, so it cannot render computer animated movies either. Perhaps a future version with cameras could make movies, but not the Rift DK, which can only play pre-made movies that were already recorded or rendered using external equipment.

So if you intended to say "play" instead of "make", then yes, the Rift can play movies.

If you want to make movies for the Rift, there are threads for that, using head-mounted cameras and binaural microphones. You can also create computer animation using various software programs such as blender, or you can record simple computer animation that was generated using various video game engines.

ah, thank you for being detailed, yes i meant play movies, sorry.
In that case i cannot wait to see avatar in 3d for the first time! Can you recommend any players that can use the rift for 3d?

There's a player at http://3dtv.at that has Rift support. I've tried it out with some 3D movies and it's passable.

Here are some free players, which have dedicated threads:

VR Player:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=112

RiftMax Theater- 4D Cinema Experience (Online/Hydra Enabled):
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=1636

vrcinema3D:
viewtopic.php?f=42&t=1140

And this one is not free, but is being developed by a local member, and has an active indiegogo campaign that needs more backers:
Virtual Cinema & Conference Room:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=316

Alrighty ill bookmark some of those. I just ordered a blu-ray 3d Avatar, so i hope it works!

You can also view movies (and other Windows desktop content) with Deskope, in case the other players do not play what you want to view:

Deskope - Work in Windows with the Rift:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=1505

Do 3D video streams carry any geometric data (e.g. depth maps), or just the 2 video feeds in stereo?
If not, I'm sure it's computationally feasible to approximate a 3D geometry for every stereo frame of a 3D movie (Heck, I just got a real-time 2D-to-3D converter that works passably). And if you can do that, then perhaps you can incorporate some limited head tracking to allow you a new degree of presence in the scene, rather than be fixed to the camera position. Filler content may need to be generated behind object edges, but just by being able to move a few inches from the camera position, or rotate a couple of degrees, you present yourself with more perspectives to confirm the depth of the scene. Moving any further will expose the artifice and weaken the illusion.

"Lindblum" wrote:
Do 3D video streams carry any geometric data (e.g. depth maps), or just the 2 video feeds in stereo?
If not, I'm sure it's computationally feasible to approximate a 3D geometry for every stereo frame of a 3D movie (Heck, I just got a real-time 2D-to-3D converter that works passably). And if you can do that, then perhaps you can incorporate some limited head tracking to allow you a new degree of presence in the scene, rather than be fixed to the camera position. Filler content may need to be generated behind object edges, but just by being able to move a few inches from the camera position, or rotate a couple of degrees, you present yourself with more perspectives to confirm the depth of the scene. Moving any further will expose the artifice and weaken the illusion.

NORMAL video streams only carry a stereoscopic pair of images, often in SBS (side-by-side) format (although interlaced was common in the past). No geometry metadata.

Deskope from AngelJ wraps the video around you on a curved screen. You should try it. Very immersive. Orientation tracking only, just like most other (non-Hydra) Rift apps, so no significant position-induced artifacts.

Bleh, tried 4 different computer stores and none of them had a 3D USB blu-ray player so i could use my rift with it... any suggestions for one online?

"Breymac" wrote:
Bleh, tried 4 different computer stores and none of them had a 3D USB blu-ray player so i could use my rift with it... any suggestions for one online?

Are you looking for a blu-ray drive that you can plug into your computer through usb? You shouldn't have any trouble finding one of those online.

If you're looking for a standalone blu ray player to plug your Rift into you ought to quit while you're ahead. Maybe you've misunderstood some of the posts in this thread, but watching a movie with the Rift is unfortunately not that simple.