Qoocam EGO samples posted – how to view YouTube 3D videos on Oculus Quest (UPDATE: how to add 3D metadata)

Kandao has finally uploaded 3D sample photos and sample videos from the Qoocam EGO to YouTube.  Here is how to view the YouTube 3D videos if you have an Oculus Quest or Quest 2, and how to add 3D metadata to a YouTube video.

Qoocam EGO (specs here) is Kandao’s new 3D camera for consumers, which features an innovative removable viewer and is designed for ease of use.   They launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that was funded in minutes.

Kandao had posted the specs, which showed a video resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 60fps and photo resolution of 4000 x 3000, but there had been no sample photos and videos, which left everyone wondering what the image quality would be like.

A few hours ago, Kandao finally posted sample photos and videos to their YouTube account.  The samples are also available for download from Google Drive.  The samples included both photos and videos.  The videos were in 16:9 side-by-side format (i.e., 32:9) and were uploaded to YouTube at a resolution of 7680 x 2160p @60fps.  The photo samples were in 4:3 side-by-side format (i.e., 8:3) uploaded at a resolution of 7680 x 2880.

How to view Qoocam EGO samples in 3D: 4 ways

There are 4 ways to view the Qoocam EGO samples in 3D.

1. Oculus Quest or other VR headset with correct metadata:  If the correct metadata has been added to the 3D video, then the video will appear 3D in the official YouTube app or YouTube VR app for Quest.  To add 3D metadata, see instructions below.  These early samples provided by Kandao do not yet have the correct 3D metadata but I hope that the release version will have metadata automatically added.

2. Oculus Quest or other VR headset without correct metadata:  The current version of the Qoocam EGO does not have the correct YouTube 3D metadata yet, and the official YouTube VR app doesn’t seem to have an option for viewing side-by-side 3D videos, so instead I used the Oculus Browser to go to youtube.com.

a.  Click on maximize (full screen) on the bottom right corner.

b. Click on the drop down box on the right side to choose 3D Side by Side.

c.  When you press play, the video will appear 3D.  However, the Oculus Browser will show a curved screen.

I also tried the Firefox Reality browser on Quest which can view the photos and videos without curving the screen but the ratio will be stretched to twice the normal width.  (This is because many SBS 3D videos are saved as 16:9 with a compressed width.)

1. 3D viewer:  If you have a 3D viewer, such as this Loreo PIXI 3D Viewer, you can watch the side by side photos and videos in 3D on your phone or monitor.

2. Freeviewing:  If you know how to look at 3D photos and videos in parallel (L/R) side by side format without glasses, you can see the photos and videos in 3D that way.

Qoocam EGO Sample Photos and Videos; Image quality

Here is a playlist of the samples.  The first sample is a montage by Thomas Hübner, with the correct 3D metadata added.  Therefore it can be viewed in 2D or in 3D, on a desktop, phone, or VR headset.

The video detail looks pretty good to me and looks much sharper than the video from consumer 360 cameras and VR180 cameras.  The photos also look sharp.  In terms of alignment, the alignment seems to be a little bit off.  As for the synchronization between left and right eye, I’m not sure yet.  The wiggle animation above seems to show that the left and right eye might not be perfectly in sync.  When I get the unit, I’ll test sync with more precise methods.

How to add 3D metadata to a YouTube video

3D metadata can be added on some video editors such as Sony Vegas but many video editors such as Adobe Premiere don’t have a simple checkbox to specify that it is in 3D.  Instead, you can add 3D metadata through ffmpeg or handbrake.

Option 1: FFMPEG

One way to add 3D metadata is through ffmpeg.  First, download ffmpeg essentials.  Copy ffmpeg.exe to the folder where your video is stored, then launch a command prompt (shift + right click, then choose command prompt or powershell).  Then type this command:

ffmpeg -i input_filename.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -x264opts "frame-packing=3" -vf setdar=16/9 output_filename.mp4

(Change input_filename.mp4 and output_filename.mp4 to your filenames)

Option 2: HANDBRAKE

The second way is to use the open source app handbrake.  After installing handbrake, open the video file or folder of all the files you want to edit.

First, you need to change the aspect ratio.  By default, the EGO’s video files are 3840 x 1080, and when viewed on the YouTube VR app, they will appear stretched.  To correct this, the file has to be changed to 1920 x 1080.  Under “Dimensions” change the Final Dimensions at the bottom and uncheck Automatic.  In the display size, type 1920.  This should change the aspect ratio to 16:9

Next, under the video tab, change the framerate to “Same as source.”  Then under Advanced Options, type: frame-packing=3 .  Choose the new file name and save location at the bottom and you can then click on the Start Encode button on top:

You may want to save these encode settings as a preset by clicking on Save New Preset.

After uploading the video with 3D metadata to YouTube, you can try viewing the video in the YouTube app and you should see a “3D” icon on the bottom right, which lets you choose the 3D display mode.

The video will now be viewable as 2D or 3D on a regular monitor, phone app, or on a VR headset with the YouTube VR app.

How do the Qoocam EGO 3D videos and photos look in VR?

The big question is, how do the 3D photos and videos look in VR?  No one expected that Kandao would choose to create a 3D camera instead of a VR180 camera.  Kandao representatives said that they chose 3D because it would result in higher resolution than a 360 camera or VR 180 camera.  Indeed, but would they look good?

You can view the photos and videos in 3D on Oculus Quest (reviewed here) or Quest 2 (reviewed here) or other VR headsets.  When viewed in VR, the photos and videos look very detailed, similar to the detail of a high quality 8K 3D 360 camera.  In terms of immersiveness, the photos and videos viewed in VR look like floating TV screens with depth.  To me they look pretty good.  In fact, if I move my head side to side in a VR headset, you can even see a little bit of a parallax 3D effect within the VR headset.   Unlike VR180 photos and videos, they don’t encompass your entire field of view, but I think they still look quite good, and I think consumers might want to shoot their photos and videos in 3D for viewing in a VR headset.

My biggest criticism so far is that the process for viewing the 3D photos and videos in VR is not straightforward (see above).  I believe it would be much more convenient if the EGO has the correct 3D metadata and also has an option to export in 3D equirectangular top/bottom format (there would just be a 16:9 frame surrounded by empty space).

• Videos in 3D 360 or 3D 180 top/bottom format are viewable automatically in the YouTube VR app.  No need to choose 3D or top bottom or side by side or any special setting.
• For those who are viewing the video without 3D glasses or a VR headset, the video appears as a regular 1920 x 1080 video.  This makes it very easy to watch for someone who doesn’t have a VR headset, unlike a side-by-side video which looks awkward without 3D glasses.
• Adobe Premiere supports editing equirectangular 3D 360 videos.

Here is one of the Qoocam EGO sample videos converted into 8K 3D 360 for ease of viewing.

Here is a Qoocam EGO sample photo converted into 8K 3D 360, which you can upload to Kuula.co, which both support stereoscopic 360 photos. Alternatively, you can upload the 3d photos to Orbix360, which can automatically arrange the 3D photos in a 3D 360 carousel, like this: