Help CyberLink's Crapware for the Gear 360

[The_Chief]

I've about had it, folks, with CyberLink and the junk software they call "Gear 360 Action Director". I assume that Samsung contracted CyberLink (clearly the low bidder) to create a video editing program for the Gear 360.

I have YET to complete a project successfully with this software. Apparently, the Gear 360 (2017) requires version 2 of the software... which I installed. It STILL freezes and crashes, 100% of the time.

After getting the most stupefying response to my support ticket from their tech support, I contacted Samsung directly. I truly hope their big-money lawyers get involved. Here's what I wrote:

Spoiler

Samsung has a problem, and the LEGAL team needs to get involved.

Apparently, Samsung entered an agreement with CyberLink to develop video editing software for the Gear 360. CyberLink did so; and Samsung customer support provided me with a license key for CyberLink's Gear 360 Action Director software.

I need to advise you that the software, bearing your product's name, is absolute garbage. I have YET to complete any project with that software without it crashing or freezing. This isn't a complicated production: no text, no titles, no effects or graphics. All I want to do is combine the three 11-minute HD-resolution videos from the Gear 360 (2017) into one 33-minute video... so people can enjoy the whole thing on their Gear VR headsets.

I managed to get all the way to "Produce" and "Start" without the program crashing: but then it was extremely slow... 1MB/minute. For this 9.5GB project, it would take 6 days and 18 hours of constant processing to finish. I have a Core i7 processor with 24GB of RAM... this should have been done in minutes, not days! Not that it matters: the software made it to 46.2 MB complete, not even 1%, before it froze up and completely stopped.

When I tried to get help from other users in CyberLink's community forum, I found that there wasn't even a forum for this software, even though it's already in version 2. In fact, my account's profile page asks for obsolete things like ICQ, AIM and Yahoo Messenger names. That's stuff from 20 years ago!

Lacking forum support, I contacted their technical support with a detailed message of what version I am using, what kind of PC I'm running it on, and the specific issues. Their reply to me left me shocked: they asked for the DxDiag.txt to make sure my PC really can handle the job; a screenshot of the software version (apparently they thought I was lying)... and then asked me to upload my source video files into a folder on their server! I told them they are out of their minds!

CyberLink is using the name "Gear 360" in the title of this crapware - so I can only assume that there is a legal agreement between Samsung and Cyberlink for them to provide a VR video editing software platform for Samsung's VR camera. If that is the case, then I respectfully request that Samsung's legal department look into my complaints, and likely the complaints of many others, that CyverLink's software does not work with video from the Gear 360. I'm sure the contract has some provision in it that requires the software to actually function.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope that Samsung's legal department can compel CyberLink to release software for the Gear 360 that will actually perform as expected.

Is anyone here besides me having serious issues with this stupid software? Are you having success with it? If so, what's the trick? If not, can anyone here recommend VR editing software that isn't so expensive that I have to sell a kidney to get it?

 

[The_Chief]

And - OF COURSE - right after I sent all that and made an ass of myself, I tried ONE MORE TIME. Guess what? The videos produced. Quickly! All of them... including the Eclipse 2017 in VR that I thought was long gone! So now I have egg on my face...