Using Stream to 3D with Valve Steam Frame

Steam Frame has arrived, and Stream to 3D already includes a Steam Frame preset in its Configuration Wizard.

Stream to 3D runs on your Windows PC and produces standard stereoscopic video. A compatible PC VR player supplies the cinema or viewing environment, so there is no separate Steam Frame edition of Stream to 3D and no proprietary Stream to 3D headset player to install.

Does Stream to 3D support Steam Frame?

Yes. Valve Steam Frame is supported in the Stream to 3D Configuration Wizard. Select Valve → Valve Steam Frame when choosing the headset you will use.

Valve describes Steam Frame as a headset built primarily for low-latency streaming from a PC, with SteamVR and OpenXR compatibility. That makes the established Windows PC route the natural starting point. See Valve's Steam Frame documentation for the current PC connection model.

How it works

2D video
    ↓
Stream to 3D
    ↓
SBS / Top-Bottom 3D
    ↓
Bigscreen on SteamVR
    ↓
Valve SteamVR streaming
    ↓
Steam Frame

Stream to 3D converts. Your player plays. Your display displays.

How do I watch 2D video in 3D on Steam Frame?

Bigscreen on Steam is the clearest first route because its current Steam page documents SteamVR headset support and Side-by-Side and Over-Under 3D from the Windows desktop.

1. Connect Steam Frame to the Windows PC and start the normal SteamVR streaming route.
2. Launch Bigscreen Beta on the PC through SteamVR and show the Windows desktop in its VR environment.
3. Open Stream to 3D, choose Play, and select a short, familiar 2D video.
4. In the Configuration Wizard, choose Valve → Valve Steam Frame and keep the recommended settings for the first test.
5. Start playback, then select the matching SBS or Over-Under/Top-Bottom mode in Bigscreen.

Stream to 3D's large controls are intended to remain readable while the Windows desktop is viewed inside a headset. You can therefore select content and control the conversion from within the Bigscreen desktop view instead of repeatedly removing the headset.

Start with one short source and confirm smooth playback, audio and the correct 3D layout before a longer session.

Can I use Bigscreen with Stream to 3D?

Yes. Stream to 3D supplies the stereoscopic Windows output and Bigscreen supplies the VR viewing environment. The two applications have separate jobs. This is an established Stream to 3D workflow: the demonstration below shows real-time 2D-to-3D conversion playing in Bigscreen's SteamVR cinema environment.

Bigscreen on SteamVR setup

1. Install Bigscreen Beta from Steam on the Windows PC.
2. Connect Steam Frame using the normal SteamVR streaming route.
3. Launch Bigscreen Beta through SteamVR. Bigscreen runs on the PC and presents its Windows desktop in the headset.
4. Open Stream to 3D on the PC, choose Play, select the 2D video and use the Valve Steam Frame Wizard preset.
5. Start playback and make the converted video full-screen on the Windows desktop.
6. In Bigscreen, open the desktop's 3D Setting and select SBS or OU to match the Stream to 3D output.

Bigscreen Remote Desktop is not required for this SteamVR workflow. It is the separate Windows companion used when the Bigscreen app runs independently on a standalone Meta Quest headset.

For this desktop route, use Half SBS or Half OU/TB in Stream to 3D. Bigscreen's SBS and OU desktop modes interpret those half-resolution layouts; do not select Full SBS for this workflow. Half SBS is the format used in the established demonstration below.

Bigscreen's on-screen keyboard is available through Tools & Toys. Its Windows Key + Tab control is useful for switching between Stream to 3D and the media player without removing the headset. Return Bigscreen to 2D before switching applications so the ordinary Windows desktop remains easy to read, then re-enable the matching 3D mode for the video.

The video below shows the complete established workflow: entering Bigscreen's Sci-Fi cinema, playing a video being converted by Stream to 3D, and enabling the SBS desktop view.

For broader playback information, see the original Bigscreen playback demonstration or the dedicated Stream to 3D with Bigscreen guide.

Which SteamVR media players support SBS and Top-Bottom 3D?

The players below document the required PC VR interface and stereoscopic formats.

Player features and headset compatibility can change. Check the player's current Steam page before purchase or setup, and test a representative short source before converting a library.

Play, Stream or Convert

• Play: convert immediately on the PC and view the stereoscopic Windows desktop through a compatible PC VR environment such as Bigscreen.
• Stream: send converted stereoscopic video to a compatible player or device over the local network.
• Convert: create a reusable SBS or Top-Bottom file for a compatible player.

Steam Frame does not change these workflows. It adds another compatible display target to an approach that already separates conversion from playback.

Temporal or Depth Guided

Release 6 provides the established Temporal method and the newer AI-assisted Depth Guided method. For real-time use, let the Configuration Wizard assess the selected source and PC. For offline conversion, choose the method whose result you prefer. See Choosing Temporal or Depth Guided Conversion.

Before you start

• Use the Steam Frame preset as a starting point, not as an automatic headset connection.
• Begin with a short source and a Half SBS or Half Top-Bottom layout.
• Select the same 3D layout in Stream to 3D and the viewing app.
• If the result stutters, use the Wizard recommendation or create a reusable file with Convert.

Related guides

• Why Stream to 3D?
• Release 5.5: Steam Frame preset and expanded device catalogue
• Release 6 overview
• Release 6.1 performance update
• Configuration Wizard
• 2D-to-3D examples
• Compare editions and purchase options