It is slightly pixelated, but not in a noticable way. However, the difference in detail in this video, as well as the fact that it is 360, probably make a significant difference.
Maybe I should describe my scene. Basically, I create a plane in front of the camera, sized apropriately for the video (by THX specifications, diagonal being distance from the viewer multiplied by 0.84). I apply a VideoTexture to this plane, which is the video I wish to display.
I have tested with a couple of my own videos as well as Big Buck Bunny, in various resolutions. What happens is that details such as the trees in the background produce noticable artifacts. I’m sure we all remember these from earlier computer games. As the detail in the trees is higher resolution than the display, you get a fairly jarring pixelation as they move, each pixel seeming to suddenly change and distort. I can’t think of a better way to describe it. This is compounded in VR as it happens even when the scene is not moving but the user’s head does.
I have tested the same videos in the native video player on the Gear VR. While it’s not an exact comparison as the display surface is slightly larger, there are no appreciable artifacts. This is what I was hoping for.
If you wish, I will throw together an example to demonstrate. I can’t really post my current code in it’s present state, (it’s rather complicated and uses some libraries I have built for myself, so would probably confuse at first glance and not make for an easy troubleshooting excercise).