Changing video formats

[a.warringa1]

Hi, tried the demo and I really like the interface compared to other players. But I can't get it working correctly. I downloaded a bunch of vr videos from youtube (all different kinds of formats. 180, 360, sbs, top/bottom). In other players I can choose modes like 180, 360, Youtube and whatnot.
In HereSphere I tried every possible combination but 99% of the videos don't show up correctly. Most videos are shown in 2 horizontal parts, where the bottom part shows the video sideways. In other videos the video is split into 4 vertical parts.

I don;t have much knowledge about all the formats, in Skybox for example I click on 180, 360, Youtube or whatever until the video shows correctly. In Hemisphere I only see a handfull of choices under Format options and no combination shows the video correctly.

Please help, for the rest I love this program. Will buy it immediately if I can get this working correctly.

[HereSphere]

Most VR videos on Youtube have an HD aspect ratio instead of the standard 2:1 aspect ratio for side-by-side or 1:1 for top-bottom. You'll have to manually override the aspect ratio in the advanced video settings under Format->Aspect Ratio. Set it to 2 for SBS videos, and 1 for TB. You should leave the true FOV at around 180, even for 360 videos. HereSphere uses a lens correction system that can correct for nonlinear lenses, but it will crop the video to the true FOV, so you can't actually see the full 360. Most stereoscopic 360 videos are really around 180 degree FOV anyway.

Make sure the video you have is actually stereoscopic. Sometimes the Youtube download link will only give you a monoscopic video. Also make sure to choose the correct type of projection (equirectangular or fisheye) and stereo mode (side-by-side or top-bottom). If you're having issues with a specific video and have the link, I could try to provide the correct settings for it.

[a.warringa1]

Thanks! I'll experiment with it. Yes all videos I downloaded are steroscopic, that actually took me quite some time to figure out how to do that, most download programs result in non-steroscopic. They all work fine in Skybox but I really like the interface and features of Heresphere, so hoping to get this working correctly :)

[HereSphere]

It could also be the videos are cubemap or equiangular cubemap. HereSphere doesn't support those formats yet, but I could add basic support for it if you'd like. It's just difficult to test because youtube makes downloading VR videos very difficult.

[a.warringa1]

I use SVP which includes SVPTube2 when you choose that option while installing it. All the downloaders i tried so far didn't download the YT videos in steroscopic but SVP finally does :) Going to experiment with your suggestion now to see if I can get it working. I have no idea about videoformats btw so all the cubemap thingies go way over my head ;)

[a.warringa1]

Nah it doesn't work with Youtube videos unfortunately. It's probably that cubemap format, the videos are split in multiple sections, each section is horizontal or vertical. Some videos are split in 2 sections, some in 4. But I'll buy it anyway, it's a great player for 2d and sbs movies.

[a.warringa1]

Last question :) TS format is not supported? Those don't show up when I open a folder in HereSphere. I converted one to mp4 but that seems to lead to quite a quality loss. Have to find a better way to convert them, but is there already a way to play TS files with HereSphere?

[HereSphere]

Originally posted by a.warringa1:

Last question :) TS format is not supported? Those don't show up when I open a folder in HereSphere. I converted one to mp4 but that seems to lead to quite a quality loss. Have to find a better way to convert them, but is there already a way to play TS files with HereSphere?

Can you try renaming it to "mpg" and see if it works? TS files are essentially mpeg2 videos. I'll try to see if I can find some ts files to test. You might need to install the mpeg2 video extension from the Microsoft Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/mpeg-2-video-extension/9n95q1zzpmh4

I'll look into how to implement youtube's cubemap format.

[a.warringa1]

Hey :) I tried another player and that did play all my Youtube VR videos, it's indeed that Cube format. But then I tried to play other mpg files with HereSphere and got the 'you need.. check pinned topic' message. So I installed that but after that I still got that message. I really like this player, the interface and the tons of options, but I can hardly play any VR video while, feel sorry for saying this, I could play them all with the other player. For now I asked a refund. I'll keep checking the demo after updates until you implemented support for the different formats, I'll surely buy it then. And yes I feel bad for saying this, really appreciate it that you respond so quickly.

[Tricks]

JDownloader 2 can download 360 Youtube vids easily. Copy the link then go into the LinkGrabber tab in JD2, right click and select add link.

I had tried downloading a few YT vids recently but then realised they are not supported because the layout is strange. (and then read Dev's old post here in a 360 video thread, saying only 180 degrees are visible in HereSphere anyway)

see here: https://imgur.com/a/l2AZe18

Maybe this is what OP is talking about.
Yeah I know from that layout the experience won't be stereoscopic.

Example vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKm-SOOMC4c

Not a major concern for me but thought could add some info to the conversation :)

[HereSphere]

Thanks for the feedback. I should be able to add the cubemap formats and full 360 equirectangular in the next update. I've been putting it off because of work on the Quest2 port, but it's probably a good idea to just get these formats to work right now.

For the mpg files, did you install the mpeg-2 extension (not the HEVC extension, which is what the popup in the app refers to): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/mpeg-2-video-extension/9n95q1zzpmh4

Not all mpg files are supported with this extension, but some should work. Media Foundation has good performance for ultra high resolution videos, but it has limited compatibility with older video formats. I'm considering prioritizing work on the mpv playback pipeline this week to finally fix these playback issues.

[a.warringa1]

Originally posted by Tricks:

JDownloader 2 can download 360 Youtube vids easily. Copy the link then go into the LinkGrabber tab in JD2, right click and select add link.

Thank you, I tried several downloaders but not that one :) But SVP works great too, when you copy the url a popup appears and you can save it.
I especially enjoy VR music videos and there are quite a lot on Youtube, so I was glad I found a way to save them and play them with a player - but that other player had an annoying interface.

Love Heresphere so dev if you're able to add those formats I'll definately switch to Heresphere.

[a.warringa1]

Originally posted by HereSphere:

Thanks for the feedback. I should be able to add the cubemap formats and full 360 equirectangular in the next update. I've been putting it off because of work on the Quest2 port, but it's probably a good idea to just get these formats to work right now.

For the mpg files, did you install the mpeg-2 extension (not the HEVC extension, which is what the popup in the app refers to): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/mpeg-2-video-extension/9n95q1zzpmh4

Not all mpg files are supported with this extension, but some should work. Media Foundation has good performance for ultra high resolution videos, but it has limited compatibility with older video formats. I'm considering prioritizing work on the mpv playback pipeline this week to finally fix these playback issues.

Hey, yes I did, some videos worked but quite a lot mpegs didn't. That other player is defaulted to media Foundation and the same videos didn't work in that player, but that one has the option to switch to a couple of other.. engines, or whatever it is called ;) One of them was called VLC 64 bit and that one played everything I tested, including the TS files.

I don't mention names of the other players on purpose here but if you want to I can let you know which player does play all videos I tried.

[HereSphere]

The latest update to the beta branch added support for Equirectangular 360, Cubemap, and Equiangular Cubemap videos. The Youtube videos you're having issues with are probably using the Equiangular Cubemap format. Make sure to select the correct stereo mode when using the new formats. Let me know if these new formats work for you. Thanks.

[a.warringa1]

Thank you, will try it out!

[a.warringa1]

Hi, the good news is that I now can play all Youtube files indeed :) But something felt a bit off. Stereoscopic effect was not as good as with Skybox or Whirlygig. Also when looking around the video seems to zoom it or warp a bit when looking to the sides.
This one for example, if you look to the left you see a logo. Close your left eye, look at that logo and move your head a bit to the left and right. You'll see the logo jumping a bit and the screen zooming in/out a bit. I tested the same video in other players and there I don't have this issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rDz0x1mCb4

On the other hand, this sbs video was a crazy good steroscopic effect, better than the 2 other players I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc6hgAK-YWA

What I would like to have is the option to move 360 videos around by holding the grip button so I can look around while sitting still :)

Hope this info helps!