‘Bigscreen’ Brings ‘Rick & Morty’, ‘The Eric Andre Show’ & More to Free TV Selection

Bigscreen, the social viewing platform for VR headsets, just launched a number of new free TV channels including Rick and Morty, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Samurai Jack, Robot Chicken, The Venture Bros, and The Eric Andre Show.

Bigscreen first added its TV livestream back in July 2019, which at the time brought over 50 channels to the free app. With its recent additions, users can now select from 172 channels—all of which are available for free in public rooms. Some channels are region-specific, but a majority can be viewed from anywhere.

“Today’s new TV channels all have an age restriction on it, requiring users to consent that they are 18 or older before entering,” the studio says in an update. “Bigscreen’s built-in Parental Controls also allow parents to prevent their children from entering any of these 18+ rooms, public rooms, or social situations.”

Besides being able to chat with others face-to-face, Bigscreen also lets users rent 3D movies, watch your own local media through its internal video player, and mirror your desktop into a room—letting you watch and share practically anything you want in VR.

The studio says there’s plenty of new features coming down the pipeline for 2021 too. A Friends System is still in the works along with built-in YouTube support, and the ability to make private TV-viewing rooms. The studio is also set to roll out new servers which it says will “dramatically improve the video/audio streaming quality.”

Something users have been asking for a while now is a Remote Desktop feature, which will allow you to stream your Windows desktop to Quest. Thankfully, that’s also slated to arrive sometime in 2021.

The update is now live across all supported platforms which includes SteamVR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Go.

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New Bigscreen TV Channels Feature Rick And Morty, Eric Andre Show And More

Bigscreen announced that is is launching additional free TV channels today, featuring streams of popular shows such as Rick and Morty, The Eric Andre Show and more.

The new channels will join the ever-growing list of free TV streams available on Bigscreen as part of Bigscreen TV. These rooms use ad-supported public streams from sites such as YouTube and Twitch and play them in public social rooms, allowing users to join a public TV channel room and enjoy the show with the company of other users.

The new channels added today will be screening Rick and Morty, The Eric Andre Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Samurai Jack, Robot Chicken, The Venture Bros and many other shows. This brings the total number of free TV channels available on Bigscreen up to 172. The new channels  will also require users to confirm that they are over 18 years of age before entering the room.

bigscreen rick and morty

Currently, TV channel streams are only available in public social rooms on Bigscreen. However, the developers noted that they are working on a feature that will soon allow users to bring up any of the free TV channels in their own private room as well, to be enjoyed alone or with friends.

Speaking of friends, the Bigscreen devs are also developing a friends system for the app that they expect to arrive sometime this year, alongside “new servers that dramatically improve the video/audio streaming quality, a new Remote Desktop feature with ultra-low latency desktop streaming to the Quest, and more!”

Things look set to be a big year for Bigscreen — the devs recently spoke about the impact of the Quest 2 launch on their app, stating it had a ‘massive’ knock-on effect.

Bigscreen Introduces Free Rick and Morty, Samurai Jack & Robot Chicken TV Channels

Bigscreen

Bigscreen launched its TV feature back in 2019, continually adding more features and content since then. Today, Bigscreen TV is expanding that roster of channels to cater to all viewers, especially if you enjoy animation.

Bigscreen

14 new channels have been introduced such as Rick and Morty, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Samurai Jack, Robot Chicken, The Venture Bros, and The Eric Andre Show. All in all, that means Bigscreen now has more than 172 free TV channels available.

If you’ve not tried the service yet Bigscreen doesn’t host these channels, instead, they’re free internet live streams from websites such as Twitch and YouTube. As such, the content is usually ad-supported and can be region-restricted, so it’s possible you won’t be able to access all the channels depending on where you live. These new channels require consent that users are 18 or older before entering with Parental Controls available so parents can stop their kids from accessing these areas.

All of Bigscreen TV’s channels are designed to be social experiences, so you can watch some of your favourite shows with other fans. Currently in development is the ability to host TV channels in private rooms. Bigscreen hasn’t said when this might become available.

Bigscreen TV Robot Chicken

There are more updates planned for Bigscreen during the course of 2021 including a Friends System, new servers that improve the video/audio streaming quality, and a new Remote Desktop feature with ultra-low latency desktop streaming to the Oculus Quest. When it comes to the long-awaited PlayStation VR port, that is still on the roadmap, but Bigscreen hasn’t settled on a date yet.

Alongside the TV channels, Bigscreen users can also rent 3D movies, watch their own video files using the Videoplayer, or use the app for its original purpose and stream a Windows desktop screen into a virtual room.

Bigscreen is free to download for HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest. For further updates, keep reading  VRFocus.

Bigscreen Beta Halloween Update Adds 10 Themed Channels & Retro Cinema

Today, Bigscreen Beta continues its push to add more content and expand its platform whilst getting into the Halloween spirit. Launching a ‘Spooky Update’ for the social entertainment app, users will receive new TV channels, theatre environment and several small tweaks and improvements.

Bigscreen Beta

From tomorrow until 31st October, you’ll find ten new horror-themed channels in Bigscreen TV like Fear Factor, Disney Channel, The Addams Family, the Asylum, Criss Angel: Mind Freak, Thrillers, Terror, and more. These are only available for Halloween week so enjoy them while they’re available.

Much more permanent is the addition of the movie theatre theme, with Bigscreen Inc. launch a Retro Cinema. Designed as a throwback to those classic 70s and 80s theatres, it’ll complement the Modern Cinema which arrived over the summer.

In conjunction with the update, Bigscreen Inc. also mentioned future plans, such as PlayStation VR support coming in 2020 and 3D movie screenings. The latter first appeared way back in 2017 when Bigscreen Beta partnered with movie studio Paramount Pictures to offer free virtual reality (VR) screenings of Tom Cruise’s iconic action movie Top Gun in 3D. The app will begin screening 3D films in December in partnership with some major studios. At present, no details have been released regarding which studios they might be or the potential films on offer.

Bigscreen Beta is one of the most widely available apps supporting almost every VR headset for free. Currently, these platforms are HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift/Rift S, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Samsung GearVR.

Over the years BIgscreen Beta has morphed from a PC desktop screen sharing app into a socially driven community hub, where people can hang out, watch a movie, play games on massive movie screens and more. Additions such as Bigscreen TV have helped to expand the content lineup with a variety of shows alongside several regular podcasts.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Bigscreen Beta, reporting back with the latest updates and announcements.

Bigscreen Beta Will Officially Host The International 2019 DOTA 2 Tournament Next Week

Bigscreen Inc. has been rolling out the updates for its popular cross-platform app Bigscreen Beta, with the most significant being July’s Bigscreen TV feature. This has allowed the app to become more than just a screen-sharing social app, evolving it into an entertainment portal in its own right. While there are a bunch of channels to watch, Bigscreen Beta is looking towards the eSports market to attract new users, announcing The International 2019the DOTA 2 eSports tournament will be officially streamed via the platform next week.

The International Dota2 2019 Championship

Taking place in Shanghai, China, The International 2019 has a prize pool of $32 million USD, helping it retain its place as the biggest eSports tournament in the world – the recent Fortnite World Cup had a $30 million prize pool. And for all those fans who can’t head over to China to watch, they don’t need to thanks to Bigscreen Beta.

This isn’t the first time Valve has streamed this competition in virtual reality (VR), originally experimenting with the feature in 2016 for HTC Vive owners. Bringing it to Bigscreen Beta, on the other hand, opens the tournament up to even more viewers thanks to the apps support of multiple platforms such as HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift/Rift S, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Samsung GearVR.

Watching The International 2019 DOTA 2 tournament live via Bigscreen Beta also means you can customise avatars, change virtual environments, and voice chat with friends and other DOTA 2 fans.

The International 2019 DOTA 2 tournament schedule is as follows:

  • 15th – 18th August – Group Stage featuring 18 teams divided into two groups.
  • 20th – 24th August – Main Event
  • 25th August – Finals (First place nets $14 million)

Bigscreen Beta

That’s not all Bigscreen Beta has planned. “As Bigscreen makes a bigger push into eSports, we plan to create an “eStadium” virtual environment where fans can gather together to cheer for their favourite teams,” notes Bigscreen Inc. CEO and founder Darshan Shankar in a blog post.

At the end of the week Bigscreen Beta will be launching a new environment to enjoy, a new modern-themed cinema. The app is free on all the aforementioned headsets, and as further updates are released, VRFocus will let you know.

‘Bigscreen’ Brings 50+ Free Steaming TV Channels to Social VR Viewing Platform

Bigscreenthe social VR platform that lets you stream your computer’s screen to others, just got a substantial update that brings with it 50+ streaming TV channels, including sports, gaming, movies, anime, news, and more.

All streaming TV is served up for free directly from Bigscreen and shown in its public theater rooms around the clock. Some channels may not be available in all areas, however we’ve confirmed that a majority are at least available in Europe.

The update comes to all supported platforms, including HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Samsung Gear VR.

Public Bigscreen TV rooms support up to eight users, although a channel can technically support “thousands of people,” Bigscreen CEO and founder Darshan Shankar writes in a blog post.

To accomplish this, Shankar says the company created a new VR video browser technology that can load video streaming and livestreaming sites such as YouTube, Twitch, Pluto, and Comet. And while the platform’s peer-to-peer screen sharing has been greatly optimized, direct streaming means there’s no upload bandwidth requirements.

The UI has also been modeled after smart TV interfaces, which favors one-click actions instead of laborious text insertion.

Image courtesy Bigscreen

Here’s a quick list of some of the channels you can jump into today:

  • Movies & TV: Rifftrax, MST3K, Anime, Pokémon, Pluto Movies, Comet, Shout! Factory, and more
  • Gaming & Sports: Red Bull TV, 24/7 Poker, 24/7 Trivia, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Top Twitch (Ninja, Shroud, Sodapoppin, Timthetatman, Lirik, DrDisrespect, DrLupo, Pokimane, Summit1g), and more
  • News & Finance: NBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Sky News, Newsy, Cheddar News, RT America, Weather Nation, Crypto News, and more
  • Random: Monstercat, Lofi Hip Hop Beats Radio, Comedy Central, NASA, SpaceX, 24/7 Cats, and more

In a few weeks, Bigscreen will also be announcing its own Bigscreen TV events, new TV channels, and a new cinema environment. At some point this summer, the platform will also release a friends system, and premium 3D Movie Nights in partnership with major movie studios. Upcoming events include:

  • July 11–14 — Overwatch League Playoffs
  • July 21 — SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch
  • August 25 — The DOTA 2 International Grand Finals

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Access 50+ Channels of Content With Bigscreen TV

Bigscreen Beta has been adding a bunch of updates over the last few months, expanding the app from its original PC screen mirroring solution to a one-stop-shop for social virtual reality (VR) interaction and content consumption. Today, the team has released another big update, with this one seeing the launch of Bigscreen TV, allowing users to watch movies, news, anime, sports, and more with friends.

Bigscreen Home

Bigscreen TV arrives with over 50+ channels to choose from (some content like CBS Sports won’t be available in all countries), all free and live 24/7. Some of the free ones come with ad-supported services integrated, like YouTube, Twitch, Pluto, Comet.

These channels include:

  • Movies & TV: Rifftrax, MST3K, Anime, Pokémon, Pluto Movies, Comet, Shout! Factory, and more
  • Gaming & Sports: Red Bull TV, 24/7 Poker, 24/7 Trivia, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Top Twitch (Ninja, Shroud, Sodapoppin, Timthetatman, Lirik, DrDisrespect, DrLupo, Pokimane, Summit1g), and more
  • News & Finance: NBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Sky News, Newsy, Cheddar News, RT America, Weather Nation, Crypto News, and more
  • Random: Monstercat, Lofi Hip Hop Beats Radio, Comedy Central, NASA, SpaceX, 24/7 Cats, and more

Just like the rest of Bigscreen, Bigscreen TV is designed to be social, with each TV channel supporting thousands of people (in groups of 8 per room). The feature is cross-platform and works on headsets including HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Samsung GearVR.

Bigscreen TV UI

Working in conjunction with Bigscreen TV, a new VR UI has been created so there’s no need to fiddle around trying to type in searches. Channels are only a click away with the menu highlighting channels users may like. And then there’s the new Bigscreen Home, a new modern-themed starting environment to arrive in.

The update also includes bug fixes and UX improvements to make the whole Bigscreen Beta experience smoother. Then in a couple of weeks, the Bigscreen TV events will arrive along with new TV channels, and a new cinema environment. These events are:

  • July 11–14 — Overwatch League Playoffs
  • July 21 — SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch
  • August 25 — The DOTA 2 International Grand Finals

There’s a lot more planned for late summer as well. Bigscreen Beta is free to download, and as further announcements are made, VRFocus will keep you updated.

Bigscreen TV Adds Over 50 Free Live Channels To Social VR Platform

Social VR platform Bigscreen is first and foremost a destination where users can share their desktop screens with friends. Bigscreen TV, however, takes the service in a new direction.

Released today, Bigscreen TV allows up to eight VR users to watch over 50 live channels together. The service will provide free access to channels like Red Bull TV, NBC, Pluto Movies and Bloomberg with integration from platforms like YouTube and Twich. Each channel can host “thousands” of people watching them in groups of eight. Channels are public, so you can meet new people that want to watch similar content to you.

Bigscreen’s cross-platform support is alive and well here, meaning PC VR (Rift, Index, Vive, Windows) users can join Oculus Go, Quest and Gear VR users too. Not every channel will be available in every region, but most will offer 24/7 content.

“We built a new VR video browser technology that can load video streaming and livestreaming sites,” Bigscreen’s Darshan Shankar explained in a blog post. “We have integrated YouTube, Twitch, Pluto, and Comet, with more sites coming soon. Bigscreen TV enables VR users to access content they can already access via a web browser, but with a user experience that’s like an Apple TV.”

Moreover, there will be new Bigscreen TV events, with upcoming offerings include the Overwatch League Playoffs and SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. Elsewhere, today’s update brings a new modern-themed starting environment, UX improvements and bug fixes. A friends system and premium movie nights are still to come.

The release follows a huge 2019 update for the app that arrived in February. Bigscreen remains in beta as a free download.

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