3D MTS to 2D

[bernardo-b]

Hello everyone =]
I shot some 3D video with Sony's HDR-TD10. The files are MTS. How do I convert them to 2D? I tried Aiseesoft's 3D Converter, but it always cropped the image. Aiseesoft's 3D Converter only gave me options to choose a 3D source of side by side or top and bottom with different aspect ratios.
I assume my video alternates a full frame between left and right eyes, instead of being side by side or any other format with a frame split between two images. When I play it on VLC, for instance, it just shows 2D.
Thank you for your time and attention.

[Cornucopia]

The format Sony uses in that camcorder is listed as AVCHD 2.0-compatible ("AVCHD 3D") MVC in an TS container. MVC is an extension of AVC where there are 2 parts within the file: Part1 is equivalent to standard AVC (and can be decoded in 2D as such) and is known as the MAIN stream, Part2 is known as the DEPENDENT (or "Difference") stream. It is similar to the B & P frames within a GOP - but without the I frame, so can't be directly decoded. The B & P frames of a normal GOP refer to temporal differences within the same spatial domain, whereas the frames in the Dependent stream refer to spatial differences within the same temporal domain in the corresponding main stream.

To see/use this kind of file as 2D is easy: just treat it as an AVC-encoded file using any tool that accepts it. Of course some tools may not like working with AVC in a TS container, but you can always demux to raw AVC stream (although we know that internally it is actually MVC) and/or remux to MP4, MKV, etc. Any player and/or recorder that is not "3D-aware" or "3D-enhanced" will just ignore the Dependent stream portion and treat the file as standard 2D AVC. Done!

The video doesn't alternate temporally, no. That is rarely used as a recording/storage format, mainly as a transmission or display format (and often generated in realtime from sources such as yours by specific players, such as Stereoscopic Player, to be sent to 120Hz-accepting 3D projectors). Your camcorder will do a similar thing when sending a 3D signal out HDMI 1.4 to a 3D tv. It can choose between FramePacking (which uses both streams in full rez in a "super-frame" at NORMAL framerates) or SbS (which uses 1/2 horizontal rez in a standard framesize).

Should you need to convert your MVC to another form of 3D (in order to work with it by non-MVC-aware editors, etc), you would need to first decode the 2 streams and extract L+R from it (usually as separate files). The maker of SP mentioned above has a MVC-to-AVI utility that can do that for you.

Scott

[peleust]

you would need to first decode the 2 streams and extract L+R from it (usually as separate files).

Thanks for that. But which software is capable of doing this please? I was looking for some free ones to start.

[Cornucopia]

Mvc2avi is at http://www.3dtv.at/Downloads/Index_en.aspx

You could probably do this with ffmpeg also, I just haven't tried.

Scott

[bernardo-b]

Thanks for your thorough explanation, Cornucopia! =] Do you know what software I could use that can read AVC and demux the MTS? Thanks again for your time.

[Cornucopia]

What I would do is:

1. tsDemux: demux the raw/elementary AVC (mvc) stream from the TS container
2. MVC2AVI: extract & decode the L+R streams from the MVC stream and encode to AVI (using whatever Directshow or VFW encoder you choose - depending upon your workflow). I'd use a lossless intermediate (HuffYUV, Lagarith, etc). BTW, MVC2AVI does cost $29 for personal license
3. Use them in the compatible/appropriate player/editor/processor/compositor of your choice.

Scott

[bernardo-b]

Thank you, Scott =]

[fkasparek]

Thank you, Scott =]

Or use FRIM SW package ... it does similar decoding as MVC2AVI, but is completely free

[Cornucopia]

Yes, looks like a good option (haven't tried it out yet myself), but the OP should be aware the apps are CLI not GUI.

Scott

[truthseekers666]

Just thought I would let you guys know there is a really simple to use tool called MVC to AVI which takes 3d avchd files and splits them correctly into L and R eyes avi files... which can then be loaded into most editing software...
I have a Panasonic HC-X900m with 3d adapter and it shoots in 50p normally but then gets wierd because it shifts to interlaced AVCHD-3d for 3d stuff. No problem for MVC to AVI - it produced me 2 perfect interlace files so i get 50fps per eye... full HD per eye.
Worth a look if your trying to edit.
Find the software here: http://www.3dtv.at/Index_en.aspx - its not too expensive either... trial it and then its £20 to remove all watermark if you buy.

NOTE: This can export the file to Cineform format so is great quality. No dumping down to lossy mp4!

[Cornucopia]

This was already mentioned in posts #4 & #6...
Understand that it DOES re-encode.

Scott

[truthseekers666]

Thanks I spotted that post after I posted mine. Doh. Yes I know it is not simply demuxing streams...

Is there a way to extract the streams without re-encoding. I had read that the MCV was a full left eye channel and the right eye was movement BP data from the IBP format... so most systems would need to reassemble into a new frame I thought. I am curious what you can tell on this.

[Cornucopia]

As mentioned earlier, MVC uses a main/base stream and a dependent/enhancement stream. The main is equivalent to a standard 2D AVC stream. And it is usually comprised of the straight Left-hand view. The dependent stream incorporates a DIFFERENCE signal (as this was determined as being the most efficient and compact). So to properly recover the 2nd/Right-hand view, it has to be derived from the transformation of the difference upon the main.
Thus, while one view can be extracted losslessly/without re-encoding, both cannot.

Scott

[truthseekers666]

Visually it looks very good. When your passing like 50fps you dont notice too much of any artefacts in there at all. Looks very nice, I must say. I did notice just a hint of interlace bleeding on right eye that wasnt in the left eye, but once your looking at 2 eyes in 3d on a 3dTV at 50fps its just peachy.

Ive been taking the MTS files which are avchd3d shot at 25i - 50hz per eye... and converting to 50p so more compatable for youtube. I can now edit these files in premiere CC and conform them to SBS. Its a great work-flow now. Currently I have no use putting them back to AVCHD3d... and will have to investigate FRIM to see if I can get that working to output from Premiere. I dont like the idea of having to go to command lines to make PremiereCC work though so I hope it gets developed so its all GUI driven at some point.

Heres a quick upload I did to test it all out on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZUaQFoxf40