Encoding immersive videos for Meta Quest 2
To create the most effective VR media experiences, videos must be encoded within supported formats and resolutions, which ensures smooth playback and allows videos to be uploaded to Meta Quest Media Studio.
Read Time: 5 Minutes
Introduction
Getting the best balance of quality and performance in immersive video is key to the final experience. Factors like resolution and frame rate will be dictated by the camera used in capture, while others can be set using a video editor’s export options. Encoding video with the proper settings ensures that playback on the target device is at high quality.
Even when targeting a publishing platform that re-encode videos as part of the process, it is important to start out with a high-quality deliverable. A bitrate that is too low can leave your immersive media looking over-compressed and lacking detail, while something with too high a bitrate could be unnecessarily large and take a very long time to upload, be over the platform or device’s maximum file size, or simply not play smoothly.
Resolutions
For sideloaded playback or playback within any app on Meta Quest and Meta Quest 2, videos must comply with the following maximum specs regardless of immersive format type.
Codec | Pixel dimensions | fps |
|---|---|---|
h.264 | 6200x3100 / 4300x4300 | 60 |
8192x4096 / 5760x5760 | 30 | |
(With h.264, if using ffmpeg set mvrange <= 511 for all resolutions greater than 4K.) | ||
h.265 (8-bit or 10-bit) | 8192x4096 / 5760x5760 | 60 |
VP9 (8-bit or 10-bit) | 8000x4000 / 5600x5600 | 60 |
8192x4096 / 5760x5760 | 30 | |
In all cases, vertical video with swapped dimensions are also supported (for example 4096 x 8192).
Recommended resolutions by immersive video format | ||
|---|---|---|
360 | 7200x3600 | Max |
3840x1920 | Min | |
3D-360 | 5760x5760 | Max |
3840x3840 | Min | |
180 | 3600x3600 | Max |
1920x1920 | Min | |
3D-180 | 7200x3600 | Max |
3840x1920 | Min | |
What resolution for rectilinear video?
1920x1080 is plenty of resolution for rectilinear videos in today’s VR headsets. Traditional video playback in VR is almost always done on a virtual screen in an immersive environment. A 1920x1080 video is enough to saturate Meta Quest 2’s display of a virtual screen that is more than 90 degrees wide.
A large movie theater screen is often around 60-72 degrees field of view, so a reasonable target resolution could be even lower than 1080p. To do your own calculation, you can use Meta Quest 2’s display density, which is approximately 20 pixels per degree (PPD). A 72-degree FOV would require 72 * 20 = 1440 pixels.
Containers, codecs and color spaces
Containers: MP4 (recommended), MPK (sideload only)
Codecs: h.264 or h.265
Bitrate: Recommended max 100Mbps
Bit depth: 8-bit
Color: 4:2:0 chroma subsampling
Color space: Rec.709
* As of Meta Quest 2 v44, the default color space for Meta Quest TV is DCI-P3, so videos in Rec.709 color space will look a bit more vibrant. Videos might look different in different apps, so it’s important to test playback in headset before final distribution.
Audio
Meta Quest TV supports Facebook 360 Audio (TBE8 and TBE8.2), 1st order ambisonics, and stereo, in AAC and MP3.
Third party players and upload destinations each have their own specs for audio formats.
File size
There is no intrinsic maximum file size for sideloaded playback. However, if you plan to upload to Meta Quest Media Studio, see 360/180 Video Requirements in Media Studio.
Learn about the tools, techniques, work flows and best practices required for producing and delivering immersive 180 and 360 video for VR.
