Is this "screen" effect normal ?

Asked: Nov 15 2017 | 12:33 pm EST 2470 Views 6 Answers View Best Answer

Hi forum,

I am sure I will get criticized by some for asking such a "Newbie" question but.......

So I got myself setup for WMR with the following hardware.

Mobo: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0
CPU: AMD FX-6300
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB GDDR5
Headset: Samsung Odyssey

This is my first time ever using VR. I had never even tried it so I had no idea what to expect. I am bugged out a bit by the video quality. Every review I read praised the Samsung Odyssey for its AMOLED high resolution lenses so I guess I expected things to look at least as good as I get on a HDMI desktop screen at 1920x1080.

The resolution when I am in WMR is good (at least I think) but the image is not clear. It's as if I am always looking through a door or window screen.

I came here to ask a very simple question. Is this normal for VR ? Since I had never tried it before I have nothing to compare with so I don't know if there is actually really a problem.

And if it's not normal, what could the problem be ?

By EricGagne

Best Answer

838

Nov 16 2017 | 11:04 am EST krisguy

This is called the "screendoor" effect. Since your eyes are so close to the panels, you will see the black in between the pixels. It looks like looking through an old mesh screen door, hence the name.

Your eyes have to adjust to it, but your brain will filter it out after you get used to it.

This is present in all VR headsets, but some handle it better than others.

More Answers

Nov 16 2017 | 5:06 pm EST EricGagne

Thanks Krisguy,

I appreciate the answer. And you're right, it does seem to get better as I use it

Nov 17 2017 | 7:37 am EST vredison

I never noticed it really on my Vive, but i can see it in solid light colors such as a blue sky in vr, but yep it's the screendoor effect. Pimax 8k vr coming out, I do not think it will have this issue.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using VR Heads mobile app

1,866

Nov 26 2017 | 4:10 pm EST Chemy JMHT

Originally Posted by EricGagne

Thanks Krisguy,

I appreciate the answer. And you're right, it does seem to get better as I use it

Hi, Welcome to the forum, and we all are newbies here because there is not enough time and resources to be an expert these days on VR.

Regarding to your questions, yes it's normal, but you can try to be sure your lens are clean, that also helps to have a better experience with the Headset.

Feb 25 2018 | 3:42 am EST grantson

Also make sure your IPD is set correctly
I didn't adjust mine on my Dell visor & always thought the image looked grainy, I thought I'd left a protective film on the lenses or something.

After measuring and adjusting the image was much clearer and I could use the visor for more that 5 minutes without getting a headache

1,866

Apr 16 2018 | 12:54 pm EDT Chemy JMHT

Sorry for the late answer, and yes, I think you mean the eye to eye distance, also called Pupillary distance (PD) or interpupillary distance (IPD), that's one of the most important adjustments you need to make in any HMD (Head mounted display) to improve the ability of the eyes and brain to focus the images.

I'm Glad you find a way to improve your experience.