Here's how to watch iPhone 15 Pro 3D videos on Meta Quest
With the latest iOS beta, you can shoot 3D video with iPhone 15 Pro. And you don't need a Vision Pro to watch them.
At the iPhone event in September, Apple announced a new video format: Spatial Video. Users of an iPhone 15 Pro (Max) will be able "to capture precious moments in three dimensions and relive those memories with incredible depth on Apple Vision Pro", the company said. The mixed reality headset launches in the U.S. in early 2024.
Photos are taken using the iPhone 15 Pro's main and ultra-wide cameras. The smartphone must be held horizontally when shooting; vertical shots are not possible. Apple Vision Pro can also be used as a 3D camera, but it is easier and more natural to use an iPhone that is always with you.
Spatial Video is just stereoscopic 3D
Last week, iOS 17.2 beta 2 was released with support for Spatial Video, and Apple invited a select group of journalists to demo the feature.
The cameras used to record the 3D videos. | Image: Apple
There, new details about the new video format came to light: the "spatial" recordings are actually just stereoscopic videos, with a FullHD resolution being recorded for each eye at 30 FPS. Volumetric shots with a moving perspective are not supportd. The 3D videos are saved in a new stereo video format and played back on Vision Pro in a floating window.
How to watch the 3D videos on Meta Quest
The Apple Vision Pro is a rather expensive playback device: the headset costs 3,500 US dollars and will initially only be sold in the USA. But thanks to a developer, the videos can now also be viewed with other, cheaper headsets such as Meta Quest.
3D Videos Are About To Go Mainstream! (New iPhone 15 Pro to SBS 3D Recording)
The new iPhone 15 Pro Beta has built-in 3D video recording capabilities (Apple being Apple had to call it something different though, "Spatial video" ?). pic.twitter.com/WSonKIY9eH
- Flat2VR (@Flat2VR) November 14, 2023
His iPhone app is called Spatialify and can be installed via TestFlight. The app converts Apple's spatial videos into a stereoscopic format that can be played with conventional headsets. You then need to copy the converted videos from the iPhone to a Mac or PC and from there back to a headset of your choice. In the case of Meta Quest, Sidequest is recommended for data transfer, as the software supports both Macs and Windows PCs. The 3D video can be played with the standard Quest player or a video player of your choice. Don't forget to select the correct playback format (SBS) if necessary.
The iPhone 15 Pro is not the first smartphone to record 3D video without a special accessory, but it will likely be the first to be widely used. And there is a good chance that subsequent iPhone generations will also support Spatial Video. That would make the iPhone the first mainstream 3D camera.
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