With Virtual Reality you are able to visit places you have never been before, in times that might be far in the past. You can even go to locations that are far beyond your reach and even travel to the distant future. However, you will have to travel there alone. It is possible with some Virtual Reality applications and services to connect to other people in the world as you would with regular chat apps, however you are unable to share these adventures with the people around you. But now there is a solution created by VR Owl, software that allows you to synchronize cardboard playback to multiple devices. You control the devices from a central location with simultaneous results. It allows you to stream 360 video to Cardboard VR headsets. This makes it possible for several individuals or large groups to enjoys VR video in unison.

Google Cardboard sync vr video 

The search engine giant Google leaves no stone unturned when it comes to technological innovation. From autonomous cars to mapping the entire world in Street View and bringing Artificial Intelligence to your home, if there’s a technological challenge you can be sure Google will accept it. Android is the mobile operating system from Google that can be used by any manufacturer that is interested in doing so. Using this strategy, Android has become the most widely used mobile operating system by a great margin. In 2014 two Google employees came to the conclusion that those small pocket computers could also work as mobile Virtual Reality devices. They designed a basic cradle for smartphones, equipped with two plastic lenses for a 3D stereoscopic view. Two years later Google had sold over ten million of these inconspicuous brown boxes. The most popular application for this VR headset is YouTube, about a third of time spend in VR is by watching 360 videos. There’s one problem though; you can’t sync Cardboard 360 video to multiple devices.

Play 360 video to Cardboard on multiple devices with VR Sync

How to stream 360 video to Cardboard on multiple devices? That was a question waiting to be answered, and the Virtual Reality company Owl VR figured it out. By using a host application on one device you can sync Cardboard playback to multiple devices. Based on the simplicity of the Google Cardboard VR headset, Owl VR designed software that’s also very easy to use, yet deceptively powerful. The challenge to stream VR 360 video in sync to multiple devices is not easy, but they have managed it nonetheless. If you would rather have a slightly more elegant version of the basic Cardboard holder you could also stream 360 video to Gear VR headsets on multiple devices. This VR headset is more comfortable to wear and looks quite stylish. The Gear VR works exclusively with Samsung Galaxy devices. These are also smartphones based on the Android operating system, but Samsung also uses a special Oculus VR application for high quality Virtual Reality content.

Cardboard Synchronization

So, Owl VR has figured out a way to sync Cardboard video to multiple devices, but how does it work? The software can be installed, or run directly from a web browser. You can use the application on a PC, the web version even works on mobile systems. It is virtually impossible to stream VR video to Cardboard on multiple devices due to bandwidth restrictions.

A 4K 360 video takes up a lot of space, and streaming to dozens of devices would just not be feasible. So Owl VR has found a clever solution; place the video on the smartphones beforehand. This way the hosting app only has to send a simple “play” signal to all available devices and the video will play on every system in perfect sync. You don’t need a fast broadband connection at the location, you only need a Wifi connection for internal use. If a Wifi signal is not available you can use the VRSync box that was developed for this specific purpose.

Synchronized Video Playback on multiple Cardboards

If you play VR video to Cardboard on multiple devices the audience can experience the same content at the same moment in time, just like in a theater. But this time you don’t need a large screen or a projector, and these video’s can be rendered in 360 panorama format in stereoscopic 3D for a truly immersive experience.

There are numerous applications for this technology, for instance in schools for students, in virtual cinemas for entertainment purposes, for lectures or on-stage presentations. A small VR headset will turn into an enormous screen in front of your eyes, and all the other eyes in the same room.

Cardboard Synchronized 360 Video

You can synchronize playing cardboard movies and leave it at that, but that’s a technological solution. In the end the technology should benefit the user. Because the software is so easy to use, and the hardware such as the VR headsets and optional VRSync box are so well designed, everyone can set up a large presentation in a short amount of time.

To make this process easier Owl VR offers additional services and staff to help the user out on location. However, the complete solution is so straightforward that many clients can do it all by themselves. The technology should always be in service of the person, and VR Sync achieves this goal by bringing people together in VR.