Hi

It's been requested a few times to have thumbnails show up in the explorer. In this update I've added a system that allows you to switch to a thumbnail view.

So this is the first version of this to be released. I think it's working ok, it does go through each file so if you have a very large number of files in a folder it might have problems. I'm hoping that all you can let me know what you think, what problems you have and what improvements I can make.

Here are some screenshots that illustrate the update:





So as I said it's the first iteration of this and will probably have problems. So be careful not to throw too much at it to begin with. I very much want to here everyone's feedback on this :)

Hope you like it :)

Phil

Hi everyone

So after the default update I've been working on all your feedback and bug reports and done my best to fix any issues with the latest version. This is now available as a beta whirligig_early_access_v.4.886 for people to give it a go before it gets pushed to the main build.

What issues have I addressed. Well I've struggled a lot with the VR SDK's and Unity3D so I've spent a lot of time trying to get the Oculus SDK and the SteamVR SDK working nicely together. Hopefully this should fix issues with VR not always working. It should also mean that the SteamVR control panel should only open when using a non Oculus headset. Oculus will use it's own SDK. Apart from that update (which was a pain in the arse to get working) I've worked on getting issues fixed where countries where they use "," for a decimal (this is mainly resume feature issues), small fixes, general stability and any issues that people have had since the last default update.

I've also removed the different loading options at start up as I don't think they were helping and were causing more problems that solving.

If you've not tried the betas before then here is a tutorial to help you get start, hint, it's really easy to try the betas in Steam:
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

So please give it a try and let me know if you have any problems. I'll be updating the default with this very soon so if I can quash any bugs before then the better.

Happy watching

Phil

One last thing. If you have Whirligig on the Oculus store and want to try the beta on Steam email phileday@yahoo.co.uk and I'll send over a code. The reverse is true as well. I am very close to updating that version as well. This is the last push before I hit go on the Oculus Store version.

Hi everyone

Welcome to the long overdue update to Whirligig's default build. I've put this off for far too long, which means there are a lot of updates.

Backend updates:

• Unity3D updated to 2919.4.23f1.
  
• AVPro Video plugin updated to AVPro 2.x.
  
• Oculus SDK updated to latest build.
  
• SteamVR updated to latest build.
  
• Performance improvements in UI and video playback for Media Foundation.
  
• Improvements to the UI control system.

Features:

• Desktop Mirroring updated and moved to the explorer menu as a tab
  
• Webcam support added to the Explorer menu.
  
• Sharpness added to Image Adjustment Menu.
  
• Added support for external VLC installation.
  
• Added extra movement options to key assigns.
  
• Added thumbnails to save slots.
  
• Proper none VR support.
  
• Disable VR mirroring has been improved and now also displays a Whirligig mirroring disabled.
  
• Command -forcesteam if you wish to force Oculus to use Steam instead of Oculus SDK.
  
• compatibility with Quest/2 link cable.
  
• Virtual Desktop support remote play supported through -forcesteam

Bug fixes:
There has been numinous bug fixes and to be honest to much to mention. If you find more let me know. They seem to keep breeding regardless of how many I squash.

I've tried very hard to make this update not break Whirligig for people already using it. However it is important to note that it's very difficult to know how this update will effect all uses. Here are some suggestions that might help if you run into problems.

Return to previous default version
If you find that you are having problems with the update you can easy return the previous default build which will remain in the betas section in Whirligig Steam properties. I've created a tutorial to help people who haven't done this before, although I will say it's very easy to do. The build to return to is whirligig_early_access_v.4.762. Here is the tutorial:
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

Reset Whirligig to factory settings
Whirligig doesn't hold any information in the registry and saves all it's files out to ini files contain in a folder called Whirligig in the roaming folder of windows. By deleting this folder Whirligig is effectively return to factory settings. Here are instructions to remove this folder:

Close Whirligig.
Navigate here :
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming
Find the folder called 'Whirligig' and rename or delete it.
Restart Whirligig.

That should reset Whirligig back to factory settings. To fully be sure that it's a clean install uninstall Whirligig from Steam and check it's install folder to make sure the Whirligig folder has been removed. My install location is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Whirligig" but yours my be installed in a different location. Steam when uninstalling a program should remove the install folder but I've had a couple of reports where this hasn't happened properly and when updating old files aren't overwritten which causes problems.

Contact me
If you are having a problem with the update and wish to help me fix it please contact me or post on the Whirligig Steam forum. I'll do my best to find the problem and post a fix or help with getting Whirligig working for you again. The more bugs I can find and fix the better for everyone.

Email: phileday@yahoo.co.uk

Steam Forum: https://steamcommunity.com/app/451650/discussions/0/


This update has been a long time coming and will hopefully help me move forward with more features, more improvements and more bug fixing in the future. I've been making Whirligig since 2016 and although there are several video players on the market now, I think that Whirligig still has a place for a certain type of user who just want that little extra control, projection format options or Whirligig has a specific function that isn't present in the other apps.

To everyone who has support Whirligig over the years I'm eternally grateful and look forward to updating and improving Whirligig in future versions for you all.

You've already supported me by buying Whirligig but if you want to do something else a good review is always gratefully received.

I look forward to hearing your feedback and wish you all the best of health and hopefully a great year ahead.

Until next time, keep watching

Phil

P.S.

I'm also working on a game and games engine (actually based around Whirligig). If you want to see what this is all about check out http://pageone-adventure.co.uk/

Hi everyone

So before Christmas I posted to say that I wanted to update the default build with the current beta and that if anyone was having problems with this version then please get in touch.

Well the version I wanted to use has been through the ringer and many of the changes I made to fix things broke things. The biggest one of these was updating to Unity 2021 (the 3D engine I use) which caused a slow down in playback for many people especially when combine with super-sampling.

So I've reverted back to Unity 2019 and updated everything else. This seems to of either kept or improved the performance so that's good.

So again the cry to arms goes out to everyone especially people who haven't tried the betas before to give this one a go and let me know if you have any problems with the update. I'm hoping there will only be minor bugs left if any (there might be bugs that are in the previous version and this one but hopefully I've not added any new ones).

The betas have been worked on for a long time now so there are lots of improvement including better desktop mirroring, improved performance, sharpening options and a load more.

If you're interested in trying the betas here is a link to a Youtube video helping to explain how to update to the latest beta and back again. It's very easy :)
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

I hope you like the update. If I don't get any complaints about new bugs I'll be updating the default soon. So if you do encounter problems I beg of you please let me know. The more I can get red of the better.

Apart from that I hope you are all well, looking forward to better times and if you're in the northern hemisphere the summer. If you in the southern hemisphere I hope your winter is brief and mild.

Until next time

Phil the one and only developer of Whirligig

Hi everyone

I've uploaded a new beta release 'whirligig_early_access_v.4.87'. I'll be updating the whirligig_early_access_latest_beta soon but this is a big update in sorts so I wanted to get a little feedback before committing to the larger release.

So firstly I've been wanting to update the default build for a while and the last beta update was, I was hoping, going to be the last before that update. However some people had problems and a there have been a few major updates to the Unity3D software and video plugins. In an effort to take advantage of the new tools, performance improvements and new feature I've spent the past few weeks implementing these changes.

'whirligig_early_access_v.4.87' is the first beta to have these changes and with any luck they will pave the way to more updates in the future.

Updates:
Moved to latest Unity3D engine 2020 build. The hope here is that the people at Unity3D will of improved Unity's performance and VR integration and by moving up to this version I'll be able to take advantage of that. Also this helps for future updates and means I can develop with the latest tools and benefits.

AVPro plugin update to version 2. AVPro is the plugin I use to drive the Media Foundation and DirectShow video playback support. The people at Renderhead have been working hard to release this new version of their plugin with increased performance and extra features. By moving to this AVPro v2 I can now take advantage of new features and any improvements they make. The first thing that should now work is support for videos with 3D meta data that fail to run properly before. Regarding new features, they have extra features for surround sound playback and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of these new features in coming updates. There currently is one know bug when loading videos where you will see a white flash. This should be fixed soon.

So what do I want from you?
Please let me know how this update has effected performance and playback and any other bugs you might come across. Anything I can iron out before updating the default build the better. The aim of these up and coming releases are to improve performance, improve stability and fix and underlying problems that are still there.

So any feedback is welcome. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this release :)

I want to tell you this
So I also want to push something else on you. I'm currently making an adventure game called 'Page One' and I've recently released a demo. Please swing on over there and take a look: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356030/Page_One/

I'll be updating this demo soon as well so keep an eye out for that.

If you're interested in the development of 'Page One' I've also got a blog which you can check out here.
http://pageone-adventure.co.uk/

Whirligig has a big part to play in Page One's development and you can read all about it there :)

Hope that's everything. Everyone have a happy new year.

Until next time

Phil

Hi everyone

I'm going to split this up in to 3 sections. The beta to default, SideQuest give away and "Page One" the game.

So if you are a beta user of Whirligig you'll know there have been many changes over the last year, improving speed, fixing bugs, adding features, improving none VR support. I want to take this to the default.

So what do I want from you? Firstly if you haven't tried out the betas please give the latest a go. It's version 4.86 there are loads of updates to if from the default, too much to mention. It should be more stable and run smoother. Here is a tutorial on how to try the betas, it's very easy in Steam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0g9ICfaxbU

If you're already using the betas, please update to the latest version.

Now what I need to know is, are there any deal breakers? If I update the default to the latest beta am I going to break things for people who haven't tried the betas.

If you've moved from the the default to the beta you are very important to me. Did it break anything? If I did this would people who have an automatic update find they are confused or it's broken for them.

I want the update to go smoothly but I've held off for so long that I'm worried I've made changes that will effect people who aren't using the betas. It's totally my fault but what can you do :)

So I've finally managed to get Whirligig released and working on the Quest. Currently it doesn't have DLNA support but I do hope to fix that at some point.

So what am I giving away? Well if you own Whirligig on any of the stores, Steam, Oculus or Viveport then I'll be happy to give you a free key for Whirligig on SideQuest. Just email me phileady@yahoo.co.uk and I'll send one over. This actually goes both ways so if you've just bought Whirligig on SideQuest then I'll happily offer you (although not so happily as it's cheaper on SideQuest) a key to your Store of choice.

This will be for a limited period. I haven't made any decisions how limited but expect it to be to the end of the year at least.

If you buy it on SideQuest or get a code from me and like using Whirligig on the Quest a review is always welcome :)

And thirdly. So I've been working on a game for a while now. A long while. Whirligig isn't just a video player. I've programmed a games engine into it. This games engine is an offshoot from Whirligig and you can download it and find out more from here:
https://pageone-adventure.co.uk/game-creator/

and the game here:
https://pageone-adventure.co.uk/page-one/
and on Steam here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356030/Page_One/

and demo will be released soon so keep an eye out for that.

I've also posted on Reddit with much more info and a discussion is in progress. You can check that out here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/adventuregames/comments/k5bchr/im_making_an_adventure_game_myst_like_and_wonder/

I really want to make "Page One" a thing that I can release and that people will enjoy. I got into making Whirligig because I wanted to work in VR and make a game. I'd like to reignite that passion :)

I'd like to offer everyone who has purchased and commented offering suggestions for features and letting me know about bugs my thanks. I wasn't expecting Whirligig to sell and although I haven't made my millions from it. Everyone who has purchased it allowed me to reduce my hours at my job and work on it to improve it and hopefully making it worth using for those who like to fiddle, tweak and be overwhelmed by options.

Whirligig isn't the most polished VR video player but I think I've managed to make something that a lot of people have got pleasure out of using, from watching their favourite movies and shows to the pleasures of which we will not name.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday, I hope that life gets better for everyone in 2021 (not sure how it could get worse, although I wouldn't put money it not) and lets look to the future with the best example of hope that we can muster.

Until next time, happy watching :)

Phil

Hi all

So I've released Whirligig for the Oculus Quest on SideQuest;

https://sidequestvr.com/app/2171/whirligig-vr-media-player

and I'm offering for a limited time free codes to get it on SideQuest. Just email me phileday@yahoo.co.uk and I'll send you a code for the itch.io store that's linked to SideQuest.

If anyone of you want to take on the offer I'd really apricate feedback. I'm not currently sure if it works on the Oculus Quest 2. I've ordered one which should arrive on Sunday :) So I'll be able to test it then. If any of you have a Quest 2 and want to give it a go let me know.

Apart from that, thanks for your support over the years and hopefully I can continue to support Whirligig for the years to come.

All the best and best of health

Phil

Hi

So there are big updates and small ones in this release. Firstly I’ve spent a good while trying to optimise the code to improve performance. This isn’t something a lot of people will notice but it’s worth it to keep Whirligig running smoothly.

The second update which all should see is that I’ve reintroduced the desktop mirroring option and rearranged the implementation of both the Webcam options and the desktop mirroring.

So under explorer you now have 3 tabs at the top of the of the menu. Explorer, Desktop Mirror and webcam.

When you select desktop mirroring/Webcam you will be presented with four windows representing your selectable monitors. Choose whichever you wish to mirror/show. Webcam will only show available cameras.

These options are still work in progress so there may be bugs and expect extra options such as cropping and remembering the previous sections in the future.

I hope you like this update. Let me me if you have any problems and thanks for your continued support of Whirligig.

[edit] I found how to edit :)

This update might have introduced bugs as all updates do. I do know of at least one. The mirror option in settings/interface/monitoring no longer disables the mirror to screen. I'll fix this for the next update, which won't be long coming as I tidy up the issues with this one.

Happy watching :)

Hi all

So driven by the fact that the Index controllers need support in the main build I've finally got round to updating the default build to the latest beta.

The development of the betas has included a lot of new features, bug fixes, plugin, sdk and Unity version updates. I've gathered as much of the most important ones together for you to peruse below.

[edit]
Whirligig 4.757
So based on the comments and in an effort to fix as much of the issues as possible I've made a few more changes.

[edit][edit]
Whirligig 4.7572
Changed the way that riftcat works so that it should work with gamepads now.
Added another fix for countries that use "," instead of "." for decimals. Hopefully this will fix any problems for people from these countries. Let me know if you still have problems.

• Index controller defaults added. If you are upgrading rather than running for the first time go into inputs and hit defaults.
  
• Steam and Oculus controller code updated to improve the left right handed support and general improve the detection and working of it.
  
• Downgraded from Unity3D 2019 to 2018. 2019 was causing troubles with colour grading in DirectShow and possible other issues.
  
• Added Left and right selection to the input menu and have it stick when you restart Whirligig.
  
• Added grip options for the Oculus touch in the input options.

Now back to the previous updates.

New features and improvements

• Index controller support.
  
• Added memory of previous FOV for Barrel and Fisheye when browsing.
  
• Replaces all the texture loads with a different method which improves load times and removes pauses in VR.
  
• Added Mixed Reality Controller inputs for the joysticks.
  
• Added Polish language option. Very kindly provided by a user :).
  
• Changed SteamVR SDK to v2
  
• Images refresh when replaced while viewing.
  
• Hide timebar option so that it doesn’t show up in the playback when skipping forward and backward. Setting/interface/Show progress bar...
  
• Whirligig now remembers the volume from your previous session.
  
• Text in UI sharpness improved for better legibility.
  
• Playlist option improved and added to settings menu. Still in beta.
  
• Added the ability to delete files through the shortcut menu. Add this shortcut in the input menu.
  
• New environment loft added.

Updates SDK's, Plugin's, Unity

• Oculus SDK
  
• Unity3D
  
• SteamVR
  
• AVpro Video plugin

Bug Fixes

• Double tap of skip forward/backward fixed.
  
• Corrected reversed backwards/forwards on position panel.
  
• Fixed scrolling on input menu.
  
• Fixed double click issue when going from next previous media.
  
• Fixed tilt up not moving smoothly on hotkeys.
  
• Fixed (hopefully) the issue with non English setup machines.
  
• Fixed issue with Windows Mixed Reality controllers.
  
• Fixed warp restore from preset and depth change.
  
• Fixed keyboard shortcut restoring to default on each start.
  
• Fixed Suppressed loading settings checkbox.
  
• Fixed force mono on all videos. Settings/projections/Depth/
  
• Fixed Oculus remote not working.
  
• Fixed fitlers in browser not remember properly.
  
• Made it so you can't select no filters in the explorer.

If you discover bugs

This is quite a big update with a lot of changes to the core structure of Whirligig. Because of this I might of failed to see new bugs that I've added. Please get in touch here or post on the Steam forum or email me phileday@yahoo.co.uk I really want to make sure this is a quality update for all users of Whirligig and build a good bases to go forward. The more feedback I can get the better I can make forthcoming updates.


If you have Issues

There are a couple of things you can try. Try resetting the player completely:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/451650/discussions/0/154642901285181817/

You can also return to the previous default build in the betas. To change between betas follow this guide I made:
https://youtu.be/E0g9ICfaxbU

The version of the previous default is
whirligig_early_access_v.4.72


If things are really bad for everyone I'll need to revert back to the previous default but hopefully with you're help I can fix any of the issues you might be having and we can stick with this version going forward.


And Finally

So these are the updates in this default build release. I hope you like them. I'll be working on some small things in the next update which will occur over the next couple of weeks. These will most likely be small changes to fix some UI bugs and improve the stability. If you have any problems let me know so I can include fixes in these updates as well.

And finally finally, thanks for all your support and I look forward to hearing your thought.

Until next time, happy watching :)

So here we go, another beta. A few things have gone on here. Firstly we have index controller support, then a load of bug fixes, also an update to the image loading code which improves the speed of image loading and doesn't interrupt the VR and a load of bug fixes.

This beta is going to lead onto a default build. This is for a couple of reasons, firstly because I need to release index controller support and secondly I need to release updates to the default build more regularly. So below is more detailed list of updates

• Updated Unity3D
  
• Improved fidelity of main menu.
  
• Index controller support.
  
• Double tap of skip forward/backward fixed.
  
• corrected reversed backwards/forwards on position panel.
  
• Added memory of previous FOV when going through projection options.
  
• Fixed scrolling on input menu.
  
• Fixed some spelling mistakes.
  
• Fixed double click issue when going from next previous media.
  
• Fixed tilt up not moving smoothly on hotkeys.
  
• Replaces all the texture loads with a different method which improves load times and removes pauses in VR.

There's likely to be other things I've done but that's the ones I can remember for now :)


And Finally
So that’s all the updates I can remember. This is going to default soon as the release of the Index means I need to support the controllers in the main build.

As always bug reports, questions and feature requests are always welcome. I hope you like this update and I hope it improves your experience.

Until next time

Keep watching :)