Need Help Converting Top-Bottom 3D File to SBS

[crevice9]

I have a VIZIO 501d-A2R 3D TV and I need to convert an mp4 file that is top-bottom (1920x2160) to a SBS, to the best resolution possible of course (I don't care if it's a slow conversion). I have somewhat familiar with Handbrake, Cyberlink Power Director and on occasion ffmpeg. I could get access to a computer that has Adobe Premiere but I've not used it before. I don't really know what I'm doing, I'm just looking for the best result. Just FYI I will be streaming this to my TV via DLNA through my Roku device.

I did see someone posted that you could use this but I don't know how, if that works and you could explain I would appreciate it

[Attachment 62872 - Click to enlarge]

Suggestions?

[Cornucopia]

If you value the quality, don't do that.

Iirc, Vizio 3D TV use a similar passive FPR pattern to what my 2 LGs do, which is alternating row. So a Top & Bottom is already at optimal resolution capable, whereas converting to SBS will give you 1/2 that resolution (actually, less in the Z space).

Your vizio should have no issue playing a Top/Bottom file, either locally or via HDMI from some other source. It will (may) just have to have 3D manually engaged. But then you would have to do that anyway even w SBS.


Scott

[crevice9]

If you value the quality, don't do that.

Iirc, Vizio 3D TV use a similar passive FPR pattern to what my 2 LGs do, which is alternating row. So a Top & Bottom is already at optimal resolution capable, whereas converting to SBS will give you 1/2 that resolution (actually, less in the Z space).

Your vizio should have no issue playing a Top/Bottom file, either locally or via HDMI from some other source. It will just have to have 3D manually engaged. But then you would have to do that anyway even w SBS.


Scott

Sorry for the delay. I don't know what to do. I understand what you mean, a TB file would yield higher quality but I can seem to do anything with it. I have some other TB files that work fine. When you view them on a PC there is no gap between the T & B, it also looks stretched but when I watch it on my TV it looks fine.

The one I'm having a problem with has black surrounding everything and when I view it on my TV it squeezes the image (the same way as the one I just mentioned) but this one looks square. I don't know how to fix/convert it to run properly.


This one is 1920x2160 and turns into a square video with large black borders (after I reduce it to a playable 1080).

[Attachment 62884 - Click to enlarge]

This one is 1920 x 1080 and runs fine.

[Attachment 62885 - Click to enlarge]

[Cornucopia]

OK, 2 things about that "strange" one that I immediately see are diff from the normal TAB...

Normal TAB is 1/2 height each + full width each, so when combined is full height + full width (note normal SBS is 1/2 width + full height each).
What you have is full height each + full width each! I would not expect most embedded players to understand this format, and possibly they might not even accept it at all.
(Software players, OTOH, shouldn't have much trouble with this when told which format it really is).
*Note many encoders can have issues with full SBS especially, but also sometimes w full TAB as they aren't expecting such big dimensions (shortsightedness on their part).

The borders are SUPPOSED to be there, however, as this is verly likely not a 16:9 AR title, but rather a 1.85:1 or even more a 2.39:1, etc. So the additional letterboxing is required to maintain the proper final composited AR on fullscreen 3d playback.
The standard TAB needs no letterboxing, as it is already precomposed for 16:9.

To fix your strange title(s), simply reduced height to 1/2 and re-encode.

Hope that helps,


Scott

[Cornucopia]

It should look like this:


[Attachment 62889 - Click to enlarge]

Scott

[Cornucopia]

Sorry I didn't catch that the original was 2160. Realizing that, you COULD go to SBS if you wanted. You will be throwing out 1/2 rez no matter what, and even then the 1/2 height TAB would look sharper on your TV. Times where I think it is preferable for SBS is with interlaced material and if it is going to be repurposed as cross-eye.

Sorry I don't use ffmpeg scripts for conversion much, and especially not for 3D, so hope someone else can give you the best options there.

Scott

[jagabo]

Scaling the TB video to half height is pretty easy in ffmpeg:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -vf scale=iw:ih/2 -aspect 16:18 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 -c:a copy -map 0 output.mkv

I'm not sure if -aspect should be 16:18 (aka 8:9) or 16:9. If you don't specify the aspect ratio the default will be 8:9. I don't know if there are any flags you can set to tell the player the video is TB, half height, 3d.

[crevice9]

Sorry I didn't catch that the original was 2160. Realizing that, you COULD go to SBS if you wanted. You will be throwing out 1/2 rez no matter what, and even then the 1/2 height TAB would look sharper on your TV. Times where I think it is preferable for SBS is with interlaced material and if it is going to be repurposed as cross-eye.

Sorry I don't use ffmpeg scripts for conversion much, and especially not for 3D, so hope someone else can give you the best options there.

Scott

I managed to do it in Power Director. I wanted to use Handbrake because the file size PD outputs is huge but Handbrake would not let me set a custom width and height for the output. It says you can but on the dimensions tab even if you turn off all automatic setting and set everything to custom or none, it would force changes. It makes zero sense and I normally use Handbrake. I just have used it to encode not resize ratios.

Thanks for your help!

[crevice9]

Scaling the TB video to half height is pretty easy in ffmpeg:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -vf scale=iw:ih/2 -aspect 16:18 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 -c:a copy -map 0 output.mkv

I'm not sure if -aspect should be 16:18 (aka 8:9) or 16:9. If you don't specify the aspect ratio the default will be 8:9. I don't know if there are any flags you can set to tell the player the video is TB, half height, 3d.

I guess I dont understand ffmpeg either. I see nowhere to input a code/command. Such as the one you listed or the one I posted.

[jagabo]

I guess I dont understand ffmpeg either. I see nowhere to input a code/command. Such as the one you listed or the one I posted.

You open a Command Prompt then type in the commands. In Windows 10: Start -> Windows System -> Command Prompt.

[jagabo]

Here's a batch file onto which you can drag/drop a video to get a half high version:

"c:\program files\ffmpeg64\bin\ffmpeg.exe" -i %1 -vf scale=iw:ih/2 -aspect 16:9 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 -c:a copy -map 0 %~n1.halfhigh%~x1"
pause

Change the path to ffmpeg.exe to reflect where it is on your system.