Hi all. I have an odd issue that I ran into over the weekend. We have a VR project that uses some 360 video and ambisonic audio. It runs great on an Android device set up for Google Cardboard, but on the same hardware the video won’t play at all when plugged into Gear VR hardware. I can play any files at 720p, but nothing above that unless it’s under about 300mb. Normally I would think the video in question was too big of a resource for the device, but since the same content plays reliably in another project there must be something else going on.
If anyone could give me some insights as to what is happening I would greatly appreciate it! I get exactly the same results with any combination of the particulars listed below.
Hardware:
- Galaxy Note 4, and an S7
- Gear VR (the white one)
Software
- Unity 5.3.2f1
- Unity 5.3.4p1
- Unity 5.3.4f1
- AVPro 1.1.0, 1.2.0
Note - I have tried all combinations of the above both with and without any of the Oculus software (utilities and Unity package). When not using Oculus software I am using Unity built in VR.
Video
- One movie file at 3840x1920, about 500mb
Note - I have tried a wide range of encoded sizes/settings, and the only constant result I get is that I can play anything at 720p, or most anything above 720p but only for very short durations. Again, let me stress that the 500mb file DOES PLAY successfully when set up for google cardboard on the same android hardware, but not when set up for the gear vr.
I'm about to go through the same process, being a newbie, I'm keen to get a clear understanding of this work flow. Having made a 360 video - i'm wondering what the best method of placing this on my Samsung Gear VR/S7. Ideally I'd like to create a simple experience that doesn't require navigating through a lot of menus. Apologies for kind of hijacking your post - it seems we're on same path, I'm just a few steps behind you! I'm keen to understand the process of using Unity to create a viewer.
>What are you using to play those videos? Unity? Easy Movie Texture?
As I listed in my post above, it's AVPro
>What kind of error do you have in logs?
None! That's part of why I can't track this down.
>Have you tried to split file to .apk and .obb?
Yes. It doesn't change anything. Although this does help get around a maximum application size limit imposed on some Android systems. The apk ends up small enough to be installed while leaving access the resources. Wether those resources reliably load is another matter!
We're seeing the same issue on our end. I'm using Easy Movie Texture. I have a 10 second video and a 5 minute video. Both are encoded exactly the same. Both videos work in Cardboard builds, but Gear VR only plays the 10 second video. The 5 minute video remains black.
I'm having the same problem, at least I think it's the same. I'm using the Gear360 to record equirectangular 1:1 ratio mp4 files. In order for them to show up as 360º files in Oculus Video, I download it to my Mac, change the filename to end with _er_360.mp4, and re-upload them to the appropriate directory on the GearVR Android device. The video will show up but will not play after the first frame which is displays in still.
Having the same issue. It looks like the conclusion from this similar thread on the Unity forums is probably correct - it appears to be a RAM limit issue. I'm testing now to confirm. Unity stores StreamingAssets data as JAR files which must be fully loaded into RAM before they can be read by the app. If your file size maxes out the device's RAM, the video won't play. Solutions 1) split video into multiple vids 2) store video on the SD card instead via persistent data path - https://forum.unity3d.com/threads/large-videos-not-playing-on-gear-vr-but-do-play-on-google-cardboard-any-ideas.395779/
Hi! After installing updates in the last few weeks, my two Gear VR with Note 4 won't play large videos that I made with Gear 360 camera & and edited. The videos are about 750MB - 3min' lengths. My Gear VR headsets do play other videos made with Gear 360, either shorter or unedited. Have any of you above solved the issues? My headsets are earlier versions used with Note 4. Thanks!
