Your first cinema night.
- Install AuraPlay from the Meta Horizon Store on Quest 3 or 3S.
- Open AuraPlay and allow the permissions needed for the features you use.
- Open a movie from your headset, AuraLink or your home network.
- Choose passthrough or a virtual cinema, set your screen and press play.
AuraPlay does not include films or require an AuraPlay account. Use media you have the right to access.
Your library, three ways.
Local files
Copy your video files to the headset, then browse them inside AuraPlay. Common containers include MP4, MKV, AVI and MOV; codec compatibility varies by file and headset.
PC streaming
Install AuraLink on your computer and share selected movie folders. Your headset and computer need to be reachable on the same network.
NAS and media servers
Use the Network options for SMB shares or DLNA servers. Plex and Universal Media Server can be used where their server configuration provides compatible DLNA playback.
Subtitles
Use the CC control for supported embedded subtitles. For an external .srt, give it the same base filename as your film and keep it beside the video.
Meet AuraLink.
- Download AuraLink for Windows or macOS.
- Add the folders containing your films. Leave AuraLink running while you watch.
- Keep your Quest and computer on the same home network. Allow the local firewall access required for streaming.
- Open AuraPlay’s AuraLink tab, choose your computer and select a film.
For 2D-to-3D conversion, follow the companion app’s conversion setup. It produces a separate 3D video file; requirements and processing time depend on your computer.
AuraLight in your real room.
AuraLight adds reactive coloured illumination to the real walls visible in passthrough. It relies on the Quest’s scene data to know where those walls are.
- Complete a room scan in your headset’s space or environment setup.
- Allow AuraPlay to access the spatial data it needs.
- Look around so the headset can recognise your space.
- Adjust AuraLight’s glow and colour controls to suit your room.
Good room tracking and lighter-coloured walls help the effect. This is different from the new screen-origin lighting for virtual cinemas, which is still being developed.
Make the space yours.
Switch between passthrough, Home Cinema, Luxury Auditorium, IMAX-style Cinema and Retro Cinema. Point at an available seat and use the trigger to move there.
Choose a flat or curved display, fine-tune picture sharpness and lock the screen when it is where you want it. Grab the floating controls to put them in a comfortable position.
Room dimming changes the cinema’s ambience. Menu names and available controls may vary with the edition and installed version.
Find the right dimension.
- MVC: compatible Blu-ray 3D MKV files, with full 1080p per eye.
- Side-by-Side: left and right pictures beside one another.
- Over-Under / Top-Bottom: one eye above the other.
- 180° & 360°: immersive video, including supported stereo layouts.
Filename detection can select the format automatically. If the image looks wrong, select the layout manually. If depth looks inverted, check the left/right eye setting. Adjust depth for comfort.
Sound that stays with the screen.
The released screen-anchored spatial audio positions sound at the picture as you turn your head. Use headphones to help assess positioning.
Where your file contains more than one supported audio track, choose the one you want in the player. Codec and track compatibility depend on the file and installed version.
Headphone-based 5.1/7.1 surround processing is in development. Full room-acoustics simulation is a separate planned stage, not a currently advertised feature.
A few quick checks.
My movie won’t play.
Check the video container and codecs. Try a known-good MP4 to distinguish a file issue from a general playback issue. For network files, also check local playback and connectivity.
I have picture but no sound.
Try a different audio track if your file has one. Send support the video and audio codec details, your headset model and your AuraPlay version.
AuraLight isn’t showing on my walls.
Check spatial permissions, your room scan and tracking. Re-scan in good lighting if the headset no longer recognises your space.
My film looks stretched or the 3D looks inverted.
Check aspect ratio, 3D layout and left/right eye order. Use re-centering for immersive video where needed.
A real person. Real help.
AuraPlay is independently made by David McGuinness. Include your headset model, app version, media format and what you were doing when the issue occurred.