New feature in VRdirect Studio: Save storage space and optimize your data load by integrating external videos

July 20, 2020
New feature in VRdirect Studio: Save storage space and optimize your data load by integrating external videos
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VRdirect Studio opens the door for external content. With the new update, you’ll be able to integrate videos, that are hosted online, into your VR project. Check out this blog article and learn how to use the new feature.

VRdirect Studio now enables creators to integrate external videos, that are hosted online. 

For the integration, all you need is the video URL. By using the web address and linking to the video you are saving storage as well as keeping the experience smaller. This also means that you don’t have to re-upload and publish the VR project when updating the videos. Please note that the display of the external videos relies on a stable and working internet connection. It cannot be used offline.

How the feature works:

Play Video about VRdirect Studio: External videos tutorial

 Video URL format must

What video URLs can I insert?

The video file must be uploaded and hosted on a web hosting server (e.g. IONOS, GoDaddy, Hostinger, bluehost). Systems like Google Drive, Sharepoint, Dropbox etc. are file-sharing services and therefore will not work. Also Youtube videos and WordPress URLs are currently not supported.

Please make sure that access to 3rd party services is allowed on the web hosting server of your choice. When using the external videos feature in VRdirect, the VRdirect server is sending the request and therefore acts as a 3rd party service.

Some web hosting servers allow this kind of access, some have a built-in blocker by default. If your web hosting server blocks the VRdirect request then you must manually allow access.
To do so, the configuration file (where all configurations and settings are stored) of the web hosting server has to be modified. We highly recommend contacting your internal IT department to proceed with such modifications.

Please note that thorough testing on all platforms (web, smartphone, VR headset) is very essential when using this feature! Make sure to always test the published VR project, not only a Studio preview of the project.

Example IONOS:

When using IONOS as a web hosting server, the configuration file (.htaccess file) has to be modified to allow access to VRdirect. To do so, a new response header has to be added. This response header is “access-control-allow-origin”.
After adding the response modification, the IONOS server allows VRdirect to send requests. Therefore, the external video will successfully be played via the VRdirect server.

IMPORTANT:
Assets from WordPress sites cannot currently be included for legal reasons, for this we can recommend adding the assets directly in your VR project.

Livestream videos

It is also possible to integrate livestream videos. Simply add an HLS (.m3u8) enabled streaming URL provided by your live stream provider into the VRdirect Studio. Watch this how-to video to learn more about integrating a live stream URL.

About VRdirect

The VRdirect platform is the easiest solution to create and publish Virtual Reality projects. There are no expert skills needed. Moreover, Virtual Reality projects created with VRdirect can be published instantly via any VR enabled device, smartphone or web-browser and you can update them easily and in real-time.

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