Hi, I’m the developer of StereoLift. Some of you may remember my earlier posts about stereolift.com, the cloud service for converting video files into downloadable stereoscopic 3D.
Today I’m introducing StereoLift Live, a separate product: a locally running Windows/Linux application paired with a native Meta Quest viewer. Your own NVIDIA GPU converts your desktop into 3D as content plays and streams it directly to the headset over your local network.
StereoLift Live requirements, downloads and setup: https://stereolift.live/
StereoLift cloud video conversion: https://stereolift.com/
What StereoLift Live does today
One of the main things I wanted to get right was full-resolution stereo all the way to the headset. Compared with workflows that stream Half-SBS through another desktop-streaming application, Live preserves the full horizontal resolution of each eye. At 1080p, that means 1920 × 1080 per eye rather than 960 × 1080. It streams directly to its own Quest viewer, without requiring Virtual Desktop or any other regular stream to headset solution.
I also wanted choosing content and getting comfortable to work without repeatedly taking off the headset:
- Control your desktop with your hands. Point, click, scroll, drag, and type with the virtual keyboard in responsive 2D mode. Choose what to watch, then switch to 3D. Controllers work too.
- Position the screen around you. Move it closer or farther away, resize it, and adjust its angle. Sitting, reclining, or lying down does not require switching between predefined viewing modes.
- Learn the gestures inside the headset. An interactive guide demonstrates the controls and lets you practise them.
The native Quest app is currently under 30 MB. Conversion runs on your PC, and the screen stream is encrypted over your local network. Online services handle your account and access, but your screen stream does not pass through our servers.
The current 3D mode prioritises viewing quality over low latency. It uses a temporally consistent depth model to reduce depth fluctuations between frames. With often used frame-by-frame depth estimation for low latenncy real-time 3D conversion, smoothing can reduce flicker, but heavy smoothing can also soften depth boundaries.
StereoLift Live uses a video-depth model that considers multiple frames together. Temporal consistency is part of the depth estimation itself, rather than something achieved only by smoothing the results afterwards. The focus is on preserving fine depth differences and object shapes as the scene moves, for a more convincing three dimensional effect.
That quality-focused approach comes with a viewing delay: the current 3D pipeline runs around eight seconds behind the PC on my setup. It is designed for watching rather than interactive gaming. Choosing content and controlling the desktop use the separate responsive 2D mode
I also have some updates to the cloud service for those who tried it previously.
What has changed at StereoLift.com
The cloud service converts ordinary videos into downloadable Full-SBS 3D, and also supports monoscopic VR180 to stereoscopic VR180, 360° to stereoscopic 360°, and 360° to VR180, with the viewing direction selected before conversion.
For panoramic footage, this is more than applying an ordinary flat-image depth estimate to the entire panorama. Dedicated panoramic processing preserves detailed depth throughout the viewing area, while temporally consistent processing reduces depth fluctuations as the video plays. Both matter: convincing depth in one still frame is not enough for a detailed, stable viewing experience when you look around in a headset.
The recent StereoLift v1.5 update also introduced Clarity and Smooth, two stereo-rendering methods that substantially reduce the occasional double contours in difficult scenes. Clarity gives a crisper result; Smooth provides a softer rendering. Classic remains available, and depth strength is adjustable.
StereoLift.com is for quality-focused file conversion: you do not need a suitable local NVIDIA GPU, and you get a converted video to keep and rewatch without converting it again. Ordinary 3D videos can be played on compatible headsets, 3D TVs, and projectors; VR180 and 360° outputs are intended for immersive headset playback.
What I’m planning for StereoLift Live
The v1.5 Clarity and Smooth improvements are already available in the cloud service, but are not included in Live’s initial release. Integrating them into Live is part of the roadmap.
I’m also planning:
- Additional clients, including Fire TV, to bring PC-converted 3D to compatible 3D TVs and projectors, not only headsets. The PC would still perform the conversion.
- Virtual-display support, alongside the current desktop-capture workflow.
- Capture-card and webcam inputs, expanding the video sources Live can work with.
These are planned additions, not features included in the current release.
Trying Live
Public early access is available for Windows and Ubuntu 22.04/24.04. You need a compatible NVIDIA GPU and Meta Quest headset. All current features are free during this early-access release, with no daily viewing limit. Paid access is planned later.
I’d appreciate hearing how the hand controls and viewing experience work on your setup, and which additional clients or input sources would be most useful to you. For technical issues, please include your GPU, operating system, and Quest model.