How to: Convert 2D/3D Videos to Oculus Rift VR

3D and Virtual Reality (VR) are becoming popular. Virtual reality is a technology that lets you walk and look through a modeled environment as if you were really there. One such device that offers both 3D and VR viewing is the Oculus Rift; a reality (VR), head-mounted display developed by Oculus VR. The Oculus Rift’s main sights are set on video games, but it also plans to impact the way we consumer all media, including movies. The Oculus Rift supports 3D movies and a 360-degree viewing experience.

VR 360 degree movies are still very much in their infancy. So when you get a new Oculus Rift VR, you must be eager for the movies that can be played on VR Headsets? With video converters, you can convert any video like 2D, 3D, MP4, AVI, etc. to play perfectly on Oculus Rift VR.

Can any video be viewed on Oculus Rift? No. Only the video format that supported by Oculus Rift can be played. Here is a small list of the types of videos you can view on your Oculus device.

• 2D Video Supported MKV, MP4, AVI, WMV
• 3D Video Supported 3D SBS Video (MKV, MP4, AVI, WMV)

Oculus Rift VR supports 180 and 360 videos in 2D and 3D formats. In 3D videos, 2 polarized images are placed side by side (SBS) such that one image reaches one eye at a time. By controlling what the left eye sees and what the right eye sees, a depth perception is achieved. There is also the Top-Bottom display approach which is not used on Oculus Rift VR devices.

This article is going to show you how you can create 2D and 3D (including 2D-3D conversion) videos for your Oculus Rift VR device. You can also create 180 and 360 degree videos if you desire.

Method 1: Use Video Converter Ultimate to convert videos to Oculus Rift VR supported videos

Video Converter Ultimate is one of the best Oculus Rift Video Converter for Windows and Mac. It is designed to convert non-VR 2D/3D videos, DVD, ISO to Oculus Rift 3D SBS format, but it can also convert almost all video formats downloaded from any VR content providers like YouTube, Facebook and more for playback on iPad, iPhone, Android, etc.

1. Download the Oculus Rift video converter from here and double click to install it
2. Open Video Converter Ultimate
3. Click the “Add file” or “Add folder” to import the videos you want to convert to the program. Both 2D and 3D video are supported. You can also use the “Drag & drop” method to add files.
4. Click “Edit” > “3D” > “left-right” > “OK”. What’s more, you can also use the useful build-in video editor in this Video Converter Ultimate to polish your video to get a better 3D visual entertainment.
5. Once you have gained proper information about video types then it is time to set a mode as per your video type so that it can work perfectly on your Oculus Rift VR headset.
6. For Normal Video, make selection for normal and choose 180 or 360 as needed; Hit OK Button.
7. For Stereo Video (3D video: Top/Bottom or Left/Right); choose stereo and then select 180 top/bottom, 180 left/right, 360 top/bottom or 360 left/right as needed. Select the 180 or 360 Left/Right (these option implement the Side-by-Side approach) options for our Oculus Rift VR. Finally hit OK button.
8. On the right hand panel, go to “Output Format” > “Device” > “VR” and select Oculus Rift VR device. The output format has been adjusted for your VR Headset requirement.
9. When you have finished all the above settings, you can simply click the Convert button and let the software do the Oculus Rift video conversion for you.
10. After the conversion has completed, go to the output folder by clicking on ‘Open Folder.’ This is where the converted files are stored. Transfer them to Oculus Rift headset for viewing.

Method 2: Use Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate to convert 2D to 3D videos

Pavtube is another popular application for creating 3D videos. Since Oculus Rift VR supports 3D SBS videos, that is what we are going to create. To create 2D videos, see the supported formats we listed.

1. Download pavtube video converter ultimate from here
2. Install the program by double clicking on the downloaded file
3. After installing, open pavtube video converter from your programs
4. Click on file and select “load from folder” or “load from IFO/ISO”. If you have a DVD, choose to “load from disc”
5. Browse for the files you want to add and click “Open.” You can add multiple files
6. Go to Format Menu (on the bottom left) click on the menu list and find the 3D video category. Click on ‘MP4 side-by-side 3D video’ or ‘MKV side-by-side 3D video’
7. On the right side of the format menu, click on ‘settings’ to open the 3D profile settings to set the depth and resolution. Select side by side half – width or side by side full – width. You can also choose to switch the order of display for the 3D SBS movies by clicking on the ‘switch left right’ checkbox. Click OK when you are done
8. Click on ‘Convert’ to begin the conversion. You will find your files in the output folder after the conversion is complete. Transfer your files to your Oculus VR for viewing.

Labeling your videos

The name you assign to your video matters. Here is the naming convention used to label your 3D panoramic video:

“_TB.mp4” or “_360_TB.mp4” – Top / bottom 3D

“_BT.mp4” or “_360_BT.mp4” – Bottom / top 3D

“_LR.mp4” or “_360_LR.mp4” – Left / right side by side 3D

“_RL.mp4” or “_360_RL.mp4” – Right / left side by side 3D

Please add the proper naming convention to the end of your video file name for it to be identified correctly by your VR device. For Example: If your video file was MyAppualsVideo.mp4, label it as MyAppualsVideo_360_LR.mp4.

For your normal/2D 360 video to be compatible with Oculus, add “_360” to the end of your file name. For Example: If your video file was MyAppualsVideo.mp4, label it as MyAppualsVideo_360.mp4.

Loading your videos

The Oculus Video app for Rift pulls video files from your default Windows video folder. To transfer your video files to the Windows Video folder:

1. Open your Windows System drive (this is generally your C: drive).
2. Open the Users folder.
3. Select your user profile.
4. Locate and open the Videos folder and move your videos here. They will then be synced into your Oculus Rift VR device.

There are other numerous converters like the MacXDVD but we have selected the most popular ones for you. Video Converter Ultimate and Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate also have conversions that are compatible with the Samsung Gear GV, Samsung TVs, LG TVs and Panasonic TVs among other devices.