Virtual Reality: FAQs

VR - Virtual Reality

HMD - Head Mounted Display

Latency - Latency in VR refers to the time it takes for the computer to render an image and for that image to appear on the HMD. This needs to be as low as possible so when you turn your head quickly the image displayed will be at the same speed. If it's too slow then the image lags behind your movement and it can make you feel sick.

OLED - Organic Light-Emitting Diode. This refers to the display technology used for the screens.

IPD - Interpupillary distance (IPD) is the distance between the center of the pupils of the two eyes. IPD is critical for the design of binocular viewing systems, where both eyepupils need to be positioned within the exit pupils of the viewing system. If your IPD isn't set correctly it can create eye strain.

Frame Rate/FPS - Frames Per Second. The frequency at which frames in a television picture, film, or video sequence are displayed. For VR, the optimal frame rate recommend by Oculus and HTC is 90fps. As a comparison, film and TV run at 24fps.

1. What is VR?
   Virtual Reality is a fully computer generation environment that gives you an immersive experience of being there by tracking your head movements and updating the view on your headset to correspond in the virtual environment.
    
2. What is 360 video/photos?
   360 video/photos are a way of capturing an image 360 degrees around the camera. This is normally done by stitching together two images from two different lens that both capture a 180 degree image.
    
3. Who can use the VR services?
   The Radcliffe Science Library's VR equipment are available to University of Oxford students, faculty and staff to view VR content or create their own.
    
4. What can I do with the VR services?
   You can use the Gear VR to view VR content, this includes apps, games and 360 videos and photos. The Gear 360 camera can be used to create your own VR content by creating 360 videos and photos.
    
5. How much does it cost?
   The service is free to use for University of Oxford students, faculty and staff.

A great instructional video on how to not shoot 360 video. This is a must watch for everyone new to this technology.

Video created by YouTube Creator Academy
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWYKrePZwkM
More​ info: https://youtube.com/creatoracademy/page/lesson/360-production

If you have any questions or would like to discuss using the service, feel free to contact us at newtech.rsl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.