I just got my quest3, and i’ve migrated from using steamvr/deovr on my local PC to play 6k/8k video files. I’ve set up XBVR and heresphere on my quest, but the video quality seems noticeably different compared to when i was watching it on a much worse system(HTC vive) . I’m sure if i transferred the files directly to the quest , the 8k file would be better? but obv not enough space for all that.
Is this just how the xbvr/heresphere link is supposed to work and it’s basically just 4k max because thats the native resolution of the quest? or am i missing something here. SLR 6k/8k videos look absolutely amazing with DeoVR, so I want to say its just the way xbvr is loading into heresphere?
I’m not clear if you’re using the XBVR/Heresphere through the Steam version on your PC (and streaming it to the Quest 3 via Airlink or Virtual Desktop), or you are using the native Quest Heresphere version and playing files locally.
If you are streaming the content to the headset, have you checked the bitrate? That would be my first suspect. Crank that thing up as much as you can without losing stable performance. Also, make it fixed. Dynamic bitrate screws everything.
If you use Virtual Desktop, increase the streaming quality in the options. I don’t remember if there is a similar option in Airlink or is just the bitrate. This depends on the power of your GPU. In my case I use an RTX 3080.
Also, in Heresphere you can tweak the resolution (or was it the MSAA? I don’t remember) in the advanced video settings. You do this in “X’s” rates, like (1.1x, 1.2x, 1.3x and so on). Once again, increase it little by little.
Move the sharpening slider up in Heresphere if the video is blurry. It’s never gonna be an upscaler, but it helps a lot.
Finally, I’ve never had an HTC Vive, only the Quest 2 before the Quest 3, but I can confidently say that the XBVR/Heresphere/VirtualDesktop combo is the most versatile and high quality setup I’ve ever tested. Watching the latest Melody Marks scene in VRBangers in the Quest 3, in 8K, with this setup, was absolutely mind blowing; and as I mentioned somewhere else, it’s the first time I feel like I’m watching HD content in VR.
Heresphere can be daunting if you come from a user friendly player like Deo, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll probably never come back to other players.
Sorry i should have specified, I’m using the native quest Heresphere version and “connecting” to a player in XBVR and streaming it that way.
From what you’re saying, i must be missing a piece of the puzzle. I would assume by playing locally you mean downloading the video files and playing them from the quest ? I’m not currently doing that, too much stuff .
SO this means that asking the quest to stream from heresphere would be the problem here?
because I dont know how i can mess with the bitrate through whatever interface i’m given in heresphere
Ah, you are connecting the native Heresphere app from the Quest 3 to the PC in that direction and not streaming the feed from the PC to the headset through Airlink/VD. Then it’s not an issue of bitrate, because just like you say, you cannot change it in that configuration. In fact, If I’m not wrong, that would count as native playback because the video is being decoded in the headset itself, that’s why bitrate is not in the equation.
In that case I’m puzzled, sorry. I’ve tested both ways, and although it does look better indeed by streaming the video from the PC -leveraging the external power of your GPU if you have a capable one-, it’s not like the native app from the Quest store looks bad by any means. Try to tweak the settings in the video settings in Heresphere (Resolution, Sharpness, Contrast, Gain, etc).
I might as well mess with the VD playback . If troubleshooting some of the setup isn’t too much to ask , i’d really appreciate it.
I’ve got virtual desktop installed via steam already. From there you just run Heresphere via steam. So what purpose does VD have if i’m just airlinking my desktop anyway?
EDIT. NVM i’ve can definitely play virtual desktop smoothly via the quest. Now the main question is where does heresphere come in and how do i get it playing scripts while playing videos via virtual desktop?
VD and Airlink do the same thing, you don’t use the two of them in tandem. I prefer VD because it’s a lot more versatile and has tons of options.
Install VD both in the PC (you already have it) and in the Quest 3 (available through the store).
With VD open in the PC, launch it from the Quest 3 as well. Follow the instructions on the headset (I don’t quite remember them but it’s simple, it’s a login process with a password that you do only once). That should start the streaming process from the PC to the Headset.
Once you are seeing your PC desktop inside your headset, launch SteamVR from VD’s side menu (or you can also just launch Heresphere directly from VD if it shows up in the “games” tab. I prefer the first method despite being one extra step though, but there’s no need to explain why for now, it’s not a big deal anyways).
Launch Heresphere from the SteamVR environment if you didn’t do it directly from VD in the previous step.
Once you are in Heresphere, and assuming you already have XBVR properly set up (I understand you already know how to do this), enter into the Heresphere kind of library interface by pressing the play button up top and then you are golden.
Tweak bitrate, refresh rate, overall quality and other settings directly from VD’s options or mix them at the same time with Heresphere’s own settings to get an image quality that satisfies you.
wow ty. That pretty much got everything working smoothly for me. I really appreciate it. I guess its gonna depend on the video itself more than anything if i see a quality discrepancy.
I knew the swap was gonna lead to some sort of headache, but hopefully its all good now. I’ll have to mess with some of the settings, etc. and know which videos are just better.
Great help working great here . 8k seems.to stutter and freeze. Pc upstairs router downstairs. .the pc is connected via ethernet. Am thinking tho I shouldn’t get any stutter if in same room as the.router??? Obv headset is connecting to router… . All other streams are perfecto
To get a smooth experience you need your headset connected to a 5Ghz Wi-Fi network, and those work best at short ranges. If your router is on another floor that explains the stutter, it’s too far away for heavy files like 8K.
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