V5 VR HMD files and How to.

Q&A about the latest versions
BParker
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Here is another link that may be of interest:

http://developer.samsung.com/technical- ... 000000270L

It makes the statement:

3D/360˚ Image Support new
Samsung Internet for Gear VR supports HTML5 Fullscreen mode. When viewing images in Fullscreen with Samsung Internet for Gear VR, users can switch to viewing modes supported for Videos. Try out this feature with your 3D or 360˚ images!

They support the full immersive viewing with videos so I guess this means there should be a way with the latest browser to view 360 panos the same way. I haven't found it yet though.

Ben
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360Texas
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I did read through your Gear VR two pages.

I suspect Gear VR is referencing only movies like .mp4's and not our Pano2vr spherical HTML5 imaging on our website which are sometimes called movies. Oculus refers our Virtual Tours as 360Photo's which is currently limited to only 1 spherical panorama. No multi node VR Tours.

Yes, I learned that it is possible to put Pano2vr multi node /output folder contents on our Galaxy s7 and then it will show up as a Oculus navigation panel. But Oculus viewer looks like a 640 x 480 viewer with no full screen.

Some of us do have Theta's like S and M flavor. Both camera types do take and process .mp4 file format movies.

The Theta S can take .mp4 movies up to I think 26 minutes. The Theta M takes short 3 minute minutes.

The difference is that the S has 8 GB ram. The M has smaller memory RAM capacity.

Both cameras .mp4 movies are extremely large file size and unless your website server capacity and "through put" is UN - limited then you are stuck with possible excessive monthly hosting expenses. Video/mp4 viewer would have to 'streaming' abilities. Meaning the .mp4 would not have to download to the visitors local smartphone before viewing. Some hosting services like YouTube does streaming in the background while seeing only that .mp4 that is currently downloaded. Downloading to a persons smartphone would have to have LOTS of RAM.

That is why creating Pano2vr flavor multi node tours makes sense for smartphone users.

Thanks for providing your Gear VR links. I too am waiting for them to adopt Pano2vr type imaging.
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BParker
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I discovered a new Gear VR browser menu that puts a pano2vr panorama into the 360 degree immersive viewing mode. The bad news is the viewing experience is very poor in the tests I have run. I’ll pass along the details in case you or someone else can figure out the cause of the viewing problems.

Here’s how I was able to reach the new “Change View Mode” menu:

1. I updated to the latest version of the Samsung Internet Gear VR browser.
2. I created and linked a couple “cardboard” style panoramas in Pano2vr (cardboard skin and cardboard html template)
3. I checked the “Double Click: toggle full screen” box in Pano2VR; this is the key step I think
4. When I browse to the first pano in the Gear VR, it comes up in a central box in split screen mode.
5. When I “double tap” the Gear VR touchpad while in the pano, it strangely switches from split screen mode to a single pane format, still in the box.
6. After a second or so, the single pane expands to a bit larger box and a “MODE” option appears above the box.
7. Getting that “MODE” option is tricky sometimes. It fades away after a few seconds. Double or single tapping in the pano tends to bring it back.
8. Pointing at the “MODE” option and tapping the touch pad brings up a “Change View Mode” box, which contains the following six options:

2D
3D SBS
3D TB
360 2D
360 3D SBS
360 3D TB

9. Selecting the “360 2D” option puts the pano into the immersive 360 degree viewing mode.

Unfortunately, in the tests I have run, the head tracking seems to break down at this point and the image quality is very poor. Also there’s a horizontal seam mismatch. On the plus side, if there is one, with a little struggling I was able to activate a hot spot and reach a linked pano.

I used http://lookabout.net/test for testing all this but I think any pano that sets “Double Click: toggle full screen” may be able to get to this new view option.

Ben
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360Texas
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I will certainly will use our Gear vr and take a look your testing and see if I get same. Thanks

My Galaxy s7 "Internet" purple browser indicates it is version 4.0.10-51. I suspect this is most current version.

Please need your definition details. This will help improve understanding for us.

Pano2vr Source reference http://ggnome.com/doc/pano2vr/5/hmd-how/

Hardware:
HMD Head Mounted Display example: Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR & similar headgear

[1] Viewed with Normal Computer Monitor - delivered using HTML5 and Flash backup
[1-2] Left and Right (side by side) eye pieces mounted in headgear device

Node: [ includes cylinder ?] or spherical panorama viewed using a software viewer

Stereo: means 1 panorama displayed in left and right (side by side) screen positions in one view port
2D Popup: image is two dimensional or flat picture like a point and shoot camera snap for embedding in a panorama tour.

Projection:
Single Node Pano [1] in one view port
Mulit-Node Mono Panoramas hotspot linked [1]->[1]->[1] each in one view port
Single Node Stereo Pano[1-2] in one view port
Mulit-Node Stereo Pano hotspot linked [1-2]->[1-2]->[1-2]->[1-2] each in one view port

see more in next comment box above.
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360Texas
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Hi Ben, you wrote "
I used http://lookabout.net/test/ for testing all this but I think any pano that sets “Double Click: toggle full screen” may be able to get to this new view option.
Thank you for your link.

Feel free to use our website gallery to view and test pano set typical HTML5 multi node tours with [fullscreen] button and not the gyroscope :http://360texas.com/gallery.html

I looked at your website "Lookabout.net". I remember back 10 years ago... your work has been around for a while ? Your website URL seems familiar.


Well after we got all the software updates completed I was able to get into and click the Galaxy s7 smartphone " purple Internet" browser. I had already used the s7 'Internet' 4.0.10-51 to browser to and bookmark your Pano2vr aroundabout.net/test/ site. Then in Gear vr it asked me to update it again to same 10-51 version. Go figure... might be 2 purple Samsung INTERNET browsers 1 for phone and 1 for Gear VR ?

I now see the mode types. You got them from the Gear VR headset page. I found that putting your finger over the headgear side mouse/finger pad raised center circle " tap to select" that it brought up the [ MODE ] on demand.

Yes, awkward experience in that: our Pan2vr panoramas center of rotation is not the same as Gear VR center of rotation position. Your panoramas are 2 node split screen flavor. "Mulit-Node Stereo Pano hotspot linked [1-2]->[1-2] each in one view port".

Great panorama set by the way.

Gear VR

First Gear VR and its next version Internet browser ( around 7 April 2016) is an improvement. Larger easier to select friendly menu's.

It is now possible to use this browser to go on the internet. Its helpful if you just use your smart phone and the purple INTERNET not Google or Firefox browser to FIRST browse to and bookmark your panorama test sites. I now have 2 favorites - Our 360texas.com Gallery page, and Ben's Lookabout.net/test/ page. After you put on the Gear vr/smartphone head gear, you can locate and select Samsung's Internet browser and import Bookmarks [from Phone] and they will show up as Gear VR's left screen side FAVORITES list.

Observations:
When you are in Samsung Internet Browser (the purple panel) you will notice that software is being projected as a full spherical panorama STAGE. You can rotate around the stage -> Favorites - Menus - Settings --> farther around you see walls , couches, around more you finally arrive back to the Menus.

Tilt up and you see the skylight, down you see the floor. Essentially you are IN a sphere viewing the stage menues etc. This sphere has a center rotation point. I think this stage is unnecessary window dressing as it is probably conflicting with the panoramas center point of rotation.

Clicking on a Favorites URL link (previously created bookmark) visiting Bens web site test page... Bens 2 node pano SIDE BY SIDE view will open as a INTERNET BROWSER default called a 2D panorama tour. He has the gyroscope turned on so you can swivel your chair around, tilt up and down and about his panorama. Rather cool starting point. His now split screen panorama are being displayed on a small STAGE screen. Now you have 2 points of rotation the STAGE and his panoramas.

Double tap the head gears side pad center to expand the screen from normal small size to INTERNET Browser's wide screen THEATER size. Notice that the split screen now is a single view port.
Double tap again.. returns to split screen.

There actually 2 Internet Browser screens

normal looks like split screen 800 x 600 in 1 view window;
1.jpg
1.jpg (30.58 KiB) Viewed 11125 times

double click the split screen and the screen goes to 'Theater wide screen' maybe 1024 x 768.
2.jpg
2.jpg (22.82 KiB) Viewed 11125 times

Then I think if your panorama has a tool bar full screen button gaze to it and tap and it does in fact go full screen monitor size Issue with this is it appears like a cylinder projected to a spherical where the tool bar wraps around the nadir and in our panorama that uses a top left drop down menu.. gets wrapped around the zenith. Tool bars buttons no longer work. So they are trying to display a cylinder in a spherical projection viewer.

Remember, just tap the pads center selection to bring up MODE again and select 2D mode.

Samsungs Internet browser when visiting Ben's test split screen pano and double tap the Gear VR pad.... displays these mode types

Could this first group be for Cylinder or partial panoramas ? Where the very wide panorama image, the left and right edges do not merge ? Like a partial panorama over 180° but less than 360°wide.

2D good for split screen/ and double tap for theater wide screen
3D SBS good for split screen/
3D TB not sure this a new flavor for me... its 3D TB (means screen is now split top and bottom). What camera/ software generates panoramas Top over Bottom ? Two halves of a spherical image top and bottom ? Maybe a THETA s held side way -90° ?

All of our Pano2vr panoramas are 360° and it appears we are using (split screen) 3D Side By Side or 360° 3D SBS

360 2D
360 3D SBS
360 3D TB

I will expand these observation later as my REALLY head hurts right now and need a break. Still have to get my 'head wrapped' around this.
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360Texas
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After few hours looking at looking at our Pano2vr 360° panorama using Samsung's INTERNET Browser delivery process .. I would suggest that the viewing our staged 2d/ 3d panoramas, Samsung should remove the concentric (means our full sphere panoramas display within an outer Oculus STAGE spherical display view) might consider allowing our panoramas just using typical straight HTML web page. Hope someone can relay this to Samsung - Oculus Panorama Team !
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BParker
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Dave:

Looks like you had a busy day with this. No wonder your head hurts!

You were asking about my configuration. I use the Gear VR Innovator Edition (the old model) and a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phone. I have pano2VR Pro 5.0 and have been making spherical, multi-node mono panoramas.

Thanks for remembering my site. Seems like 10 years sometimes but actually I’ve only been at this for 4 years, and that strictly part-time as a hobby.

The browser situation is definitely confusing. I think you are right that there are two separate browsers on the phone. The main one (for android) and a second one for use with the Gear VR.

Good tips about bringing up the MODE menu and also about how to import the bookmarks.

Some interesting ideas about the center of rotation and the possible cylindrical rendering. It may be that we’ll need another upgrade from Samsung before this works.

Thanks for all your efforts on this!

Ben
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360Texas
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Added graphics to my yesterdays comments
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skyfocus
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Hi,

I'm preparing a demo setup with VR-glasses for a customer to show his Virtual Tour on an exhibition. Problem is that there is no internet available (no wifi and no 4G). For the iPhone (6) I'm using an app called GoodReader, I can sync a dropbox folder with GoodReader to download a Virtual Tour on the iPhone. The browser within GoodReader is also without the header and footer bars, perfect for the VR-glasses.

But .... my customer does not have an iPhone. How can I download and view a Virtual Tour on a Samsung s6 ? Has anybody done that ? There is no physical room in the VR-glasses to put an external SD-card reader in the phone, so that is not a solution. GoodReader appears to be not in the PlayStore .... is there a substitude ?

Regards,

Arjan
Windows 10 Pro x64, Pano2VR pro V6.1.13 , Browser latest Firefox
Website: https://www.skyfocus.nl/
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360Texas
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It is possible to copy your /output contents to a flash thumb drive. See photo in comment below. Then using Samsung S6 and then go to the S6 'My Files' app and the flash thumb drive will show up as an external hard drive. Browse down to your thumb drive folder with /output contents and tap on yourproject.HTML file. Firefox should start your project.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=10748&hilit=thumb+ ... 845#p43845
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skyfocus
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Yes, but as I said, the cable that's sticking out wont fit in the VR-glasses.
Can I copy the content from the flashdrive to the phones memory (I am a total Samsung noob, always used iPhones)

Arjan
Windows 10 Pro x64, Pano2VR pro V6.1.13 , Browser latest Firefox
Website: https://www.skyfocus.nl/
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360Texas
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Hi Arjan,

Can I copy the content from the flash drive to the phones memory (I am a total Samsung noob, always used iPhones)

You will need to make Firefox smart phone default browser. Panorama should be displayed on smart phone screen. (not glasses)

If your panoramas are in thumb drive browse to look for and tap projects .html file

Sorry we do not use iPhones
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skyfocus
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360Texas wrote:Hi Arjan,

You will need to make Firefox smart phone default browser. Panorama should be displayed on smart phone screen. (not glasses)
With VR-glasses I mean the Google Cardboard lookalike Glasses like the VR-box ( http://www.mavivr.nl/product/vr-box-2/ ), this model works great with iPhones btw.

I found a app called DropSync which can sync a dropbox folder like GoodReader, problem is that is very very slow ... took a wopping 2 hours to download a 90Mb tour.
I'll try to get hold off a OTG kabel to tranfer data directly to the phone .... hopefully this is faster than DropSync.

Regards,

Arjan
Windows 10 Pro x64, Pano2VR pro V6.1.13 , Browser latest Firefox
Website: https://www.skyfocus.nl/
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360Texas
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I changed my comment.

Use Firefox browser on smart phone DEFAULT browser.

project /output contents go to thumb drive. Use computer to transfer /output to smart phone using data/power cable. Should not need Dropbox. 90mb project takes about 2 minutes for our 4 node multi resolution project.

Then Samsung s6 browse to thumb drive folder and tap .html


Use only Firefox version 44.x . I do not think Safari, Google chrome or Samsung 'Internet' browser will allow you to browse to and play project on smart phones local storage. You get only a WHITE SCREEN.

Nice VR-box looks like Samsung Gear VR. Gear VR has micro USB for power only.
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skyfocus
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Hi Texas,

I've managed to get a tour in a map on the phone itselve. I can browse to it and start it in the firefox browser. But there is something strange happening, when switching to the VR modus (sbs screen) and you tilt the camera so the staring-dot raises above the horizon the complete tour flips around and moves in the opposite direction.
This is not because the tour is located on the phone but this also happens when it is located on a webserver.

See http://www.skyfocus.nl/SkyFocus/Tours/H ... ink-VR/vr/

If you can not see this I can make a video of it.

Is this something known? A setting ? This tour does work on iPhone.

Regards,

Arjan
Windows 10 Pro x64, Pano2VR pro V6.1.13 , Browser latest Firefox
Website: https://www.skyfocus.nl/
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