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Somehow I noticed a slight green tinge color in movies that I watch on the note 4. It is most noticeable on people's face.
Does anyone notice this? Is it a problem with OLED?
Nope all clear here
BAD ASS NOTE 4
I ordered mine with free shipping Thursday afternoon and got it yesterday.
+Good build
+Comes with a hard case (device is already in it, along with sd card)
+Fairly straight forward process
Before putting the device on head:
1. Dragged the Gear sd card folders to my 128gb card
2. Installed the VRintro APK to get the software install process started (the main apps are installed)
3. The process requires a simple registration to access the Oculus market
4. I skipped the card process since already dragged the content to my 128.
5. Once registered, the Oculus Cinema installs
6. Then the fun starts! Put the N4 in the Gear and adjust the gear to fit head
7. Then a brief simple calibration process and tutorial
Quick perspective / review:
1. More immersive than expected
2. Games are good for demos, but I mainly got it for movies
3. The 3D & 360 are surprisingly good
4. The Oculus Cinema ROCKS!!!
5. 2D movies worked fine. The only thing I could not get to work was an older concert from Youtube that was in FLV format and one avi. AVI, MP4, WMV and MKV worked fine.
6. The best Cinema options IMO are Cinema and Void. Void is nice since you can lay down and re- orientate the device view Void also provides the most display real-estate , so highest resolution. That said, I prefer Cinema a tad more due to the immersion.
7. Speaking of resolution, it is best described as between around 720p or a tad less. Before you balk at that, the experience more than compensates and the sense of large scale is impressive and the image quality is very good. Screen door goes away in your mind after a minute or two.
8. Device got real warm, but Void mode was less so, since just a black background.
9. Battery life for me was a tad over four hours watching video. Void mode might add 30 minutes.
10. Did not test a controller yet, but forum reports are any bluetooth controller should work.
11. Also did not test many images, but the immersion was great there too.
I can see this becoming HUGE for Note 4 owners and others companies jumping on the bandwagon. Also eating my words on Qhd being overkill. I now want HIGHER res on the Note 5 so video looks even better
If you are a Note 4 owner and video fan: Buy This Now
mine comes in Thursday. can't wait!
Mine is in 9n Friday and I am PUMPED. Only thing that concerns me is future support. I would really like samsung and Oculus to continue support and place a lot of effort in nourishing a healthy developer environment.
rushless said:
6. The best Cinema options IMO are Cinema and Void. Void is nice since you can lay down and re- orientate the device view Void also provides the most display real-estate , so highest resolution. That said, I prefer Cinema a tad more due to the immersion.
7. Speaking of resolution, it is best described as between around 720p or a tad less. Before you balk at that, the experience more than compensates and the sense of large scale is impressive and the image quality is very good. Screen door goes away in your mind after a minute or two.
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I too want this mostly for movie watching. I'm wondering how crazy I'd look on a plane with this. :laugh:
Can you describe a bit more about the movie experience? Is it like watching a 60" tv from a few feet away, a movie theater screen from far away, etc?
Awesome review! +1
PS - 3 New games came out on the Gear VR Store. Check it out.
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
loaferkan said:
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
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Wonder if 2k video improves pixel issue... have you tried watching 4k in cinema mode?
Even with the Note 4 high resolution its still not enough not to notice pixels. I heard that you need like a 16k display which sounds impossible. And it is normal for the phone to get hot and that's per the operator's manual.
But not everyone can physically handle this type of experience. That's the reason why Samsung did not allow this product to be sold in stores like bestbuy. This product is not targeted to the casual user. The majority of experiences will be us geeks showing it off to other people which will drum up interest. And it also gives Samsung and Oculus time to fine tune it for Note 5. Gear VR is a step above the development kits but slightly below a consumer ready product.
Bruce lee roy said:
Wonder if 2k video improves pixel issue... have you tried watching 4k in cinema mode?
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yes the 2k videos look great, and even the 3D does a better job......
EvanWasHere said:
I too want this mostly for movie watching. I'm wondering how crazy I'd look on a plane with this. :laugh:
Can you describe a bit more about the movie experience? Is it like watching a 60" tv from a few feet away, a movie theater screen from far away, etc?
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It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
loaferkan said:
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
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If you look for the pixels and focus on them, it could detract, but the point is the total experience and the screen door fades from focus. Kind of like anything else if you focus on it Case in point, I notice and could count pixels in movies theaters and plasma sets. Especially the bigger digital screen systems. Everything is relative
The best view is Void if you want to minimize the pixel issue (also reduces device heat and extends battery). The home theater mode makes the pixels stand out and is like 480p due to less space for the video.
Just imagine a 1080p device with a Gear VR. That would be like an old school bar projector . Samsung knew what they were doing using Qhd. Next years S6 and Note 5 apparently up the resolution and likely the VR products are part of their reasoning for the higher res.
My N4 did not get hot as you describe, but I could see intense 3D games doing that, but I will not be playing them. Did not get the headache issues either, but depends on the person of course.
I got mine yesterday and played around with it a bit last night. My opinion is it is really cool and shows where VR could eventually go but definitely don't expect everything to be perfect yet. It all comes down to your attitude going into the experience.
1) Yes the pixels are noticeable and it is a bit worse than watching a hockey game sitting behind the netting behind the goal. You absolutely see and notice the "screen door" but you also can choose to overlook it based on the very cool experience. You also can imagine that in 2-4 years that issue will go away.
2) I wouldn't call things blurry as is being discussed in another thread yet rather the whole viewing image is not in focus. If I look straight at text it is reasonably clear but anything above, below, left or right of where my eyes are focusing will be slightly out of focus. If I move my eyes (and head) just slightly to look at a different area that becomes more in focus as compared to what I had been looking at. For the large images you don't really notice the whole effect so much but when there is a lot of different text on the screen in different areas you will certainly notice it.
3) When you first put the headset on you notice that you are looking through lenses and somewhat notice the blackness associated where your eyes are getting covered up. After a short while you stop really thinking about this and get taken into the experience.
You might read all of this as me not thinking highly of the VR or that this is just another gimmick. Let me come full out and say that isn't how I feel and I was pretty much blown away by the whole thing. I can't wait to see where VR goes from here. The first time you are watching the demo and then hear something to the right and turn your head and see something on your right that you had no idea was there you will get sucked in. From there you keep looking to your left, right and behind you and become pretty amazed.
So my take is that there are certainly issues and VR is not "there" yet but from this experience you really start to understand where VR could go and it no longer feels like an impossible technological hurdle to climb. It is no longer a question of if VR is really possible but more a question of when we are going to get there.
They need more pixels in order to increase the FOV and reduce the screen door. The Note 5 should be even better. Just hoping they keep the form factor of the Note 5 the same as the Note 5 to fit the Gear VR. That said, I will get $200 worth of fun out of this in a year, regardless.
None the less, the Gear VR is a worthy purchase for video fans IMO.
rushless said:
It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
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If true, this is freaking amazing.
Bruce lee roy said:
If true, this is freaking amazing.
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The catch is the resolution is less in that mode. Does look cool though.
I have played with my Gear VR for a few days and I totally agree with the review. The experience is amazing. This tech is gonna go really far. It has an insane potential.
Killemalll said:
I have played with my Gear VR for a few days and I totally agree with the review. The experience is amazing. This tech is gonna go really far. It has an insane potential.
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Yeah, im in the same boat, this thing literally blew me away. Showed a lot of folks at work this thing and they were amazed as well. It's definitely the new form of entertainment. The key word is immersive. I think with the sensons onboard the gear vr, it really helps with that. I know the Note 4 has a better screen than the oculus version but I feel we'll need at least 8k or 10k displays to eliminate the screen door effect. But overall, daaaaaammmn.
well i just received mine and all i can say is that i am blown away by it. what am amazing experience. finally, VR for the masses is set to be a reality. i let the wife and kids try it and they were all giggly over it too. one complaint: wearing eyeglasses with it sucks
rushless said:
It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
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I have a 100" projector screen in my bedroom and it's no where close to the experience you get when you watch the cinema selection. The screen is bigger than many movie theaters I go to. And the wide video is just crazy. No home theater can touch that.
HTCMario said:
well i just received mine and all i can say is that i am blown away by it. what am amazing experience. finally, VR for the masses is set to be a reality. i let the wife and kids try it and they were all giggly over it too. one complaint: wearing eyeglasses with it sucks
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Wearing glasses with Gear VR is pretty uncormfortable i assume, can the focus wheel not adjust to your eyesight without glasses properly?
I bought Gear VR for Note 4 based on positive review, but after using it for two nights, I decide to send it back due to low resolution. Here's my illustration of how resolution is archived and my thought on it:
Movie watching experience: Low resolution ruins it. It's bad to watch anything on a 480p screen at a size of 200". Plus No DTS/AC3 support, no smb support in Oculus cinema.
Kodi supports DTS or AC3, but it also reveals that the field of view from Gear VR only covers part of Note 4's screen. See my illustration in attachment. The header, footer as well as 4 corners are not covered, which means that only central part of a movie is viewable.
Ideally, 720p (1280x720) resolution for each eye can be achieved from Note 4's 2560x1440 screen if the rectangle of half screen inscribed in the the field of view like some cardboard does. But the way Samsung's implementation of it's Gear VR makes it unable to fully take advantage of Note 4's screen. The best movie resolution that Gear VR can archive is 972x546. I understand that Samsung's take is good for VR for there is no unilluminated area within it's field of view.
I wish Samsung would come up with a new product that allow the rectangle of half screen inscribed in the field of view instead of the other way around. I think this can be archived by another set of lenes with less multiply factors than current ones. Even at 720p, the screen doesn't need to be 200". 150" would suits the pixel better.
When it comes to VR, Samsung Gear VR also suffers from low resolution. Plus 360 degree video makes me dizzy. I downloaded and watched almost all 360 degree video from youtube but I'm not impressed enough. The people figures are larger than real life. Everyone looks like giants in these videos. Among videos, I prefer those taken from a steady position. First person action view just makes me dizzy. I think it's due to my brain can't process it when the vr scene is moving around but my head is not.
360 degree picture is quite a pleasure to view though.
Sold mine to a colleague due to the exact same reasons
shadowcliffs said:
I bought Gear VR for Note 4 based on positive review, but after using it for two nights, I decide to send it back due to low resolution. Here's my illustration of how resolution is archived and my thought on it:
Movie watching experience: Low resolution ruins it. It's bad to watch anything on a 480p screen at a size of 150". Plus No DTS/AC3 support, no smb support in Oculus cinema.
Kodi supports DTS or AC3, but it also reveals that that the field of view from Gear VR only covers part of Note 4's screen. See my illustration in attachment. The header, footer as well as 4 corners are not covered, which means that only central part of a movie is viewable.
Ideally, 720p (1280x720) resolution for each eye can be archived from Note 4's 2560x1440 screen if the rectangle of half screen inscribed in the the field of view like some cardboard does. But the way Samsung implements it's Gear VR makes it unable to fully take advantage of Note 4's screen. The best movie resolution that Gear VR can archive is 972x546. I understand that Samsung's take is good for VR for there is no unilluminated area within it's field of view.
I wish Samsung would come up with a new product that focuses on watching movies .
When it comes to VR, Samsung Gear VR also suffers from low resolution. Plus 360 degree video makes me dizzy. I downloaded and watched almost all 360 degree video from youtube but not impressed enough. The people figures are lager than real life. Everyone looks like giants in these videos. Among videos, I prefer those taken from a steady position. First person action view just makes me dizzy. I think it's due to my brain can't process it when the vr scene is moving around but my head is not.
360 degree picture is quite a pleasure to view.
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Not questioning the validity pic you put up, but can I ask how you came to the conclusion that it only uses 972x546 pixels of the screen? Is it official information, or did you measure it somehow?
Toss3 said:
Not questioning the validity pic you put up, but can I ask how you came to the conclusion that it only uses 972x546 pixels of the screen? Is it official information, or did you measure it somehow?
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That's based on my calculation given my understanding of how it works (as illustrated) is correct. Samsung claims the resolution for each eye is 1440x1280, which is misleading IMO. Same reason as explained in the illustration.
shadowcliffs said:
That's based on my calculation given my understanding of how it works (as illustrated) is correct.
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Just put my N4 in my Gear VR holding my thumb to the proximity sensor, so that I could see observe the screen when connected and they are not using a completely square image - it looks more like this (except there's a gap in the middle):
It also doesn't the entire width available, but it looks like it's using more than what you have in your picture. The gap between the images is about 4mm and the gap between the image and the sides is about half that (2mm). The top and bottom gaps are about 5mm. So it's definitely using more than 720 pixels for the height, but less than 1280 pixels for the width.
EDIT: I measured it using a tape measure (not any exact numbers, but more accurate than those I came up with).
So based on these measurements the screen would use about 1190 pixels at its widest point, and 1240 pixels at its highest.
The graph shows the best scenario, where movie screen fills your entire FOV. But this is not comfortable for most viewers, and you are likely to "sit back" a little. Since you're looking through the same matrix of pixels, you are then effectively losing screen resolution, going somewhere to 480p like OP mentioned.
What's also sad, when we reach the Holy Grail of 4K (with Note 5), the movie screen would still be only 1460x820.
If you want best experience with 2D HD content, you're better off moving your chair closer to a TV than strapping Gear onto your head.
Nickoz said:
The graph shows the best scenario, where movie screen fills your entire FOV. But this is not comfortable for most viewers, and you are likely to "sit back" a little. Since you're looking through the same matrix of pixels, you are then effectively losing screen resolution, going somewhere to 480p like OP mentioned.
What's also sad, when we reach the Holy Grail of 4K (with Note 5), the movie screen would still be only 1460x820.
If you want best experience with 2D HD content, you're better off moving your chair closer to a TV than strapping Gear onto your head.
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Actually just tried to measure the screen in the cinema mode, and came up with ≈ 45mm. The screen width is 125mm, which means that half that would be 62,5mm, which would give us an approximate horizontal resolution of 45/62,5*1280 = 921pixels. Pretty much explains everything right there. Even with a 4k screen the horizontal resolution in a comfortable mode would only be 1382 px.
The screen height (screen is not a perfect rectangle) at its highest point is ≈25mm. So with a screen height of 70mm that gives us a vertical resolution of 25/70*1440≈514px.
So based on my measurements the resolution you get is pretty much 921x514 (screen is not a perfect rectangle) at the widest and highest parts.
When it comes to watching movies, the screen will be cropped to the aspect ratio of close to 1.78:1, that's how I estimated it at an effective resolution of 972x546 (the biggest 1.78:1 rectangle inscribed in the FOV circle).
You just showed that the actual FOV is not exactly a circle. Now the question is, is the actual FOV inscribed in the theoretical FOV, or the other way around. I guess a way to find out is to look through gear vr at a picture with measurement markers.
And again, in best scenario the effective movie-watching-resolution based on Note 4 screen is 720p (1280x720) considering the aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This best scenario is achieved when the rectangle of half screen (1440*1280) inscribed in the FOV. This is the case in my Chinese version of Google cardboard where the movie screen is smaller (equal to 150" from 10 feet away, more or less) and the pixel is less obvious. So the difference of this Chinese version of Google cardboard vs Samsung Gear VR is like 150" 720p screen vs 200" 5xxp screen.
Not sure about the original Google cardboard for I don't have one.
Toss3 said:
Just put my N4 in my Gear VR holding my thumb to the proximity sensor, so that I could see observe the screen when connected and they are not using a completely square image - it looks more like this (except there's a gap in the middle):
It also doesn't the entire width available, but it looks like it's using more than what you have in your picture. The gap between the images is about 4mm and the gap between the image and the sides is about half that (2mm). The top and bottom gaps are about 5mm. So it's definitely using more than 720 pixels for the height, but less than 1280 pixels for the width.
EDIT: I measured it using a tape measure (not any exact numbers, but more accurate than those I came up with).
So based on these measurements the screen would use about 1190 pixels at its widest point, and 1240 pixels at its highest.
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Click to collapse
Nickoz said:
The graph shows the best scenario, where movie screen fills your entire FOV. But this is not comfortable for most viewers, and you are likely to "sit back" a little. Since you're looking through the same matrix of pixels, you are then effectively losing screen resolution, going somewhere to 480p like OP mentioned.
What's also sad, when we reach the Holy Grail of 4K (with Note 5), the movie screen would still be only 1460x820.
If you want best experience with 2D HD content, you're better off moving your chair closer to a TV than strapping Gear onto your head.
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Click to collapse
In theory (if my theory is not faulted), to be 1080p movie ready for each eye, the width of the half screen needs to be 1920, which equal to 3840 in whole screen. The height is already more than enough (1440 available, 1080 needed). So the resolution needed from the phone screen is 3840x(1080 to 2160, the former may make the phone too long, but who knows right? The latter will keep the same aspect ratio as Note 4).
Can the lenses on gear vr be replaced so that it will make the screen through it smaller, for watching movie's sake?
I love mine as a great start to mobile VR and i have watch lots of films via oculus cinema. Can't wait for note 5 and new gear vr but perfect start samsung
hashcheck said:
I love mine as a great start to mobile VR and i have watch lots of films via oculus cinema. Can't wait for note 5 and new gear vr but perfect start samsung
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Here I'm mainly talking about movie-watching ecperience. The experience is ymmv. For a guy used to watch movie on a 120" projector screen, or a 60" 3D Samsung TV, gear vr experience is unbearable, while Chinese version Google cardboard is very impressive except for it's build is not goog enough.
shadowcliffs said:
Here I'm mainly talking about movie-watching ecperience. The experience is ymmv. For a guy used to watch movie on a 120" projector screen, or a 60" 3D Samsung TV, gear vr experience is unbearable, while Chinese version Google cardboard is very impressive except for it's build is not goog enough.
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I have a 120" movie screen (only 1080p though), and I personally don't find the experience "unbearable", just not as good. Still think it beats watching the movie on just your phone though or laptop.
Totally agree Toss3
Toss3 said:
I have a 120" movie screen (only 1080p though), and I personally don't find the experience "unbearable", just not as good. Still think it beats watching the movie on just your phone though or laptop.
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Right, I realized that unbearable is too much of a word. I meant to say that I still prefer to watch movies on 120" projector screen or 60" LED TV over current gear vr. It's a pity because gear vr would have done better. I'm impressed with it's build and the quality of lens, but the lens is not of the correct multiply factor for watching movies.
The gearvr resolution actually gets better overtime as you start not noticing the screen door effect the more you use it. Sure it's not perfect but heaps better then the oculus rift dk2. I'm can't wait for note 5 version
Average viewable res is 540p. Void mode shows more content at about 640p since no VR graphics (depending on video format).
I prefer Void due to more of the video res shown, can view laying down and at least 30% more battery life.
I'm looking for the best VR Glasses for Cell phone to watch movie. Obviously Gear VR isn't the best due to reason explained here.
Gear VR may not be the best but there is nothing better in this price range. Possibly there are some military grade glasses with direct retinal projection but they ate not available to general population. Gear VR for S6 supposedly is little better due to smaller pixels.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Gear VR would be better IMO if the lens view was a little further back. It currently is like sitting in the front two rows of the theater. It would be nicer IMO if eight to ten rows instead. Less screen door then as well.
You can move back rows in the app, but that is digital (not lens based) so means less content per pixel, so even MORE screen door effect. I do not see the value in it, but some think it is nice. I just notice more
screen door that is already border-line too much for movies as it is without software shifting back rows. This will not get better until a 4K display is avialable, or the next Gear allows lens adjustment for the bigger displays.
Apparently the Note 5 will not be 4K since the tech will not be cost effective yet to cover the lead-time of mass production for the Note 5. That is rumor to this point though.
Is any experiencing an issue where the resolution in games extend past the rounded curves of the phone display cutting off the picture in the corners?
Dank Stank said:
Is any experiencing an issue where the resolution in games extend past the rounded curves of the phone display cutting off the picture in the corners?
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I think it is normal the cut, I don't think much of the screen is lost
When looking at my note 9. The RM3 does clip a little of the picture. Example call of duty. Main screen your user icon my note 9 shows it all but my RM3 clips the corner of it. But it's really not an issue when playing.