The Samsung Gear VR is the most sold VR headset thus far. It uses a Galaxy series smartphone in combination with VR headset to provide a simple and smooth VR experience. In this article we’ll talk about how use the Gear VR for a VR presentation and will cover the following:

Selecting the right content for the Samsung Gear VR
Selecting the right Gear VR and Galaxy smartphone
Preparing the Gear VR and content
Preparing your VR presentation
Executing your VR presentation with the Samsung Gear VR

Selecting the right content for the Samsung Gear VR

More often that not the content you use in your VR presentation is determined by the client and is almost always 360 video content. If this it this case always check if the content matches the recommended specification featured below. To be a 100% sure always test the content on Gear VR itself.

• Resolution 3840 x 1920
• Codecs H.264 en h.265
• Filesize 700 mb
• Length 10 minutes
• Bitrate 16 Mb/s
• FPS 6030

We recommend content should not be longer that 5 minutes because most people are pretty much done with being immersed after a couple of minutes. If the content is longer consider cutting it into multiple segments. This also puts less stress on the GearVR.  

Selecting the right Gear VR and Galaxy smartphone

The Gear VR has been along for couple of years and has multiple versions. While the Gear VR hasn’t changed much the Galaxy line has become a bit better throughout the years. The most important improvements from the S6 to the S7 and S8 relate to resolution and battery live. The resolution has increased slightly and the battery capacity has gone from 2500mha to 3000mha. Resulting in a slightly sharper image and about 20/25 minutes extra battery live when using VR.

Since most VR presentations don’t last that long and the screen upgrade is hardly noticeable we advise using the S6. It saves a lot of money in purchase as well as rent. 

Preparing the Gear VR and 360 content

After you’ve making sure that the content matches the specs we advise doing a stress test to see how the Gear VR holds up. This means playing the content on multiple devices for an extended period of time.  You can use synchronization software like our own VR Sync to easily push the content to the devices and then control playback with our remote. Check the battery status and if the device has issues like overheating. If the Gear VR has issue with the battery make sure you have backup power during the event like power chords with charge or a power bank. When there’s issues with overheating reduce the specs by for exampling lowering the bitrate. After the stress test you can push the content to all devices with VR Sync. Install our Android app on the Galaxy phones, upload the content using our contentmanager and then push it wirelessly to all devices.

Preparing the VR presentation

For events of this scale we advise using a local network.  With our Sync Box you only need an power connection to operate. Plug in the Sync box, connect your VR devices and you’re good to go. You can then use our web based remote to connect to the Sync box and control and monitor your devices.

Also make sure other aspects like power supply, cleaning supplies and accessories like phone charges are taken care off. Briefing the staff at the event is also crucial. Make sure they know what to do when something goes wrong and who to talk to. If you like more information, check out our checklist for a large synchronized VR event.

After all devices have been set up and the staff is ready do a dress rehearsal where you run through the entire presentation.

Executing the VR presentation

If you’re well prepared and tested executing should be the easy part. If you have the opportunity instruct participants about the use of the headset. If not, you can always show a short instructional video before the actual content starts.

Using synchronization software like VR Sync will make playback straightforward. Just press play to play the content to all devices at once. Using the remote you’re able to monitor playback and see the battery levels of each device. If a device fails you can immediately take action. Now just sit back and enjoy the show.