BD3D2MK3D: Convert 3D BDs or MKV to 3D SBS, TAB or FS MKV - Support thread

[r0lZ]

Hi r0lZ,

As a heads-up, latest matroska specs state that multiple tracks can have the default track flag set, to make them candidate for default playback. It's different from earlier days where only one track could be set.
Therefor, I wonder if it would be proper to replace the "default" radiobuttons in the "2: Select streams" tab with "default" checkboxes?

FYI: https://gitlab.com/mbunkus/mkvtoolnix/-/wikis/Default-and-forced-flags-and-default-yes-no-in-the-GUI

Cheers

I see. But for the user of BD3D2MK3D, I wonder if defining several tracks as default could be useful. Normally, the user sets the default flag on the track he wants to hear by default, in his language. Furthermore, currently, BD3D2MK3D "pushes" the track marked as default to the top of the list, because most players ignore the default flag but play the first track by default. If it is allowed to set several default flags in the GUI, it will not be possible any more to determine the track to set in pole position.

Also, note the Settings -> Auto Streams Selection option, that allow you to define your preferred language. It sets one default audio and if necessary subtitle stream only.

Also, there are now several new flags in MkvToolnix, such as Hearing and Visual Impaired, Text Description and Commentary. The tracks with one of these flags should normally be considered by any player as secondary, and certainly not as default, unless the default flag is also set. Therefore, all other tracks, without that special flags, should be considered as "good to play by default", with or without the default flag.

And finally, obviously, all players play always the FIRST track in the preferred language of the user. So, IMO, there is no need to define all primary tracks in all languages as default.

However, I agree that there are several things to improve in tab 2 of BD3D2MK3D. Perhaps I should add the new special flags (plus the Original Language flag, probably the most useful flag), and a way to manually re-organize the order of the tracks in the list, but that requires some radical changes for a relatively small benefit. Maybe I'll do it, but I cannot promise...

[Ennio]

I understand your points. Personally I couldn't care about multiple default flags.
I threw the headsup in case you did not know about latest flags usage and you'd feel compelled to implement it.

Cheers

[r0lZ]

I agree, and I noted the difference. Thanks for the info.

[ebruce]

I don't know. If BD3D2MK3D doesn't show the THD source, it's for a good reason. But you can try to demux the THD source manually with, for example, gMkvExtractGUI, and process the video alone with BD3D2MK3D (ignoring the No Audio warning). Finally, you will have to remux the new MKV and the THD audio together to create the final MKV with audio with MkvToolnix. If the demux of the audio works correctly, the rest should be straightforward.

Oops, no, it's even simpler. You don't need gMkvExtractGUI. Just install MkvToolnix, and create the SBS MKV without audio with BD3D2MK3D. When it is finished, load it in the MkvToolnixGUI, and add the original MKV in the MkvToolnixGUI as a new source. Deselect the video and subtitle tracks you don't need, and leave only all tracks from the SBS and the audio from the original MKV. Save. Again, if the audio is accepted, that should work.

Thank you very very much. So helpful.

[vanleeuwen]

Hi,

hopefully a simple question Is there a way to select the bit rate/quality of the output video ? I start with a ~30GB Blu-ray but end up with a ~5GB 3D MKV file and the picture quality doesn't look that great compared to the original. I am i doing something wrong ? I can see any quality options other that to do at 720p (which i don't select).

Thanks

[Ennio]

At the "Options and Go!" tab there is a part with encoder options. Assuming you are encoding with x264, you can set CRF to a lower value for higher quality (try 18 for example). To set bitrate manually, choose 2 Pass or ABR (avergae bitrate) mode.

[vanleeuwen]

Great thanks, i will give this a go

[miketunes]

Is there a way to convert a 1080p MVC to a 4K SBS format to avoid loosing so much resolution?

[r0lZ]

Just untick the "Half" option in the last tab. You will encode at Full-SBS (3840x1080) or Full-TAB (1920x2160).

But be warned ! Most TVs do not support Full-SBS/TAB.

[Ennio]

Is there a way to convert a 1080p MVC to a 4K SBS format to avoid loosing so much resolution?

Should you play back on a 4K mediaplayer, chances are that x265 is also supported.
Usually I don't recode 3D. But because I had a new mediaplayer I tried Full-SBS in x265 for fun. It worked like a charm. Where I do find x265 efficacy really kick in at preset slower, which will take more time of course. If you care to save much harddrive space, maybe you wanna give it a go?

[kremlin77]

Hello! I've been encoding a couple 3D MKVs to Full side by side to play on my quest and so far everything was going fine. I was able to do it right for about 5 movies, and now I'm getting some kind of error.

I left the program overnight, and here's a picture of what I came to. Its the second time I get this screen. Here's a screenshot of it, and also of my settings.

I closed the program after seeing this, but now that I think about it, was it just the final step? Maybe it was frozen, and I was just to impatient or clever to wait a couple minutes to see if the progress would have finished?

I got some file that is broken, doesn't work.

I tried to click again on the MUX_3D Windows command prompt, and it quickly made a file that also doesn't work. It seems like the window closed at 98%.

What's going on here?

If the encoding is finished like it says, is there a way to mux it without restarting from the beginning? Is my file just corrupt?



Thanks for the help!

[vanleeuwen]

At the "Options and Go!" tab there is a part with encoder options. Assuming you are encoding with x264, you can set CRF to a lower value for higher quality (try 18 for example). To set bitrate manually, choose 2 Pass or ABR (avergae bitrate) mode.

This has worked but i am now getting an overlay (a dark transparent line) of around 1-2cm on the left and right of the screen. It seems to get bigger and smaller and move from left to right as the video plays. It looks fine when viewing side by side but in 3D it has the overlay. Any idea what is causing this ?

[Ennio]

With 3D video, indeed small black side-columns are used in both left-eye and right-eye views. They're essential for padding the small parts that otherwise would be displayed for one eye only. Usually, you'd not notice them. These columns change width throughout the video, depending on the intended "depth" of the outer part of that particular frame/scene.

Thinking about why you'd have these wide(r) transparent overlays, my first jump to mind would be anamorphic encoding and/or change of resolution. Can you say what settings you used for the encoder? Also MediaInfo data of the file may be helpful.

[r0lZ]

... i am now getting an overlay (a dark transparent line) of around 1-2cm on the left and right of the screen.

Indeed, as Ennio wrote, some (but not all) movies have black borders added to the left or/and right borders of the screen, of different width for each view, so that when the 3D movie is played, the foremost objects are not "cut" by the border of the screen. That borders should be present only when an object touches the left or right border and appears in front of the surface of the screen.

I suppose that it's what you have experienced, but I'm not sure. Can you post a SBS image (extracted from the video, not a screenshot!) where the problem is clearly visible ? We should be able to confirm...

[r0lZ]

was it just the final step? Maybe it was frozen, and I was just to impatient or clever to wait a couple minutes to see if the progress would have finished?

Indeed, the screenshot shows the message displayed during the muxing operation. That operation should not take more than a couple of minutes, except perhaps if you have encoded with settings that produce a huge file size, or if your hard disc is particularly slow. Anyway, the muxing should not stop abruptly at some point. I suspect a problem with your hard disc. Could it be full ? Or damaged ?

I tried to click again on the MUX_3D Windows command prompt, and it quickly made a file that also doesn't work. It seems like the window closed at 98%.

What's going on here?

If the encoding is finished like it says, is there a way to mux it without restarting from the beginning? Is my file just corrupt?

The __MUX_3D.cmd file is indeed what you need to launch to redo the muxing operation without re-encoding everything. You can also try to mux the streams manually yourself with the mkvtoolnix GUI, but it's mkvtoolnix (without its GUI) that is used internally by BD3D2MK3D, so I suppose it will not work better.

If you have several hard discs, you can try to save the final MKV on another disc or partition. Just edit the __MUX_3D_OPTIONS.json file with any text editor (like notepad) and change the line near the beginning of the file, just after the "--output" line. It contains the path to save the file to. Note that you must use forward slashes "/" or two backslashes "\\" to separate the folder names in the path.

Verify also that there are no accented or foreign characters in the file name or the path. They cause often some problems (but I don't think it's the case here, as otherwise, the mux should not begin at all).

Let us know if the problem is solved.

[kremlin77]

Thanks for your reply!

I was starting the encoding before going to bed and I was going to my computer in the morning. Seeing the progress bar still there made me think there was something wrong, but it actually was still working and I was too impatient.

Now I have another issue, although much simpler.

I am encoding my movies in Full side by side to play on my quest 2.

The problem is I did this with 2 movies that have subtitles. I just did the default settings, and I ended up with 2d Subtitles for both. Now on my quest 2, I am seeing the subtitles correctly, but, they seem to interlap with the 3d. They are not popping out, they are deep in the image, if that makes sense. Now I don't really want to encode those movies again, so I'll try to extract the subtitles with gMKVextract GUI and convert them to 3d using the tool inside BD3D2MK3D. I'm not really sure what to do since my movies are encoded in FSBS. Those 2 blu-rays were borrowed from a friend so I don't have access to them right now. Is there any guide for 3d subtitles conversion, or could you guide me?

Thanks for the help!

[r0lZ]

OK, so if I understand correctly, the problem of the muxing stopping abruptly doesn't exist. Right ?

For the subtitles, unfortunately, 3D subtitles for FSBS are impossible to produce. This is because the format of the subtitles is limited to full-HD (1920x1080), including for UHD 2D movies. But to display single subtitles on the two FSBS views at the same time, it is necessary to combine two times the same subtitle side by side, to cover the whole combined view (3840x1080). That's currently not possible. Using wider (or higher for FTAB) subtitles is prohibited, and may often crash the player.

Also, note that to display correctly the 3D subtitle stream over the video (in HSBS or HTAB), it is necessary to use a player that can "print" the 3D subtitle over the video BEFORE splitting the two views. Most players are unable to do that. And, additionally, some players do not respect the placement information from the stream, or resize the subtitles, modifying, often dramatically, the 3D depth of the individual subtitles !

It's for that reasons that there is an option to "burn" the subtitles on the video before the encoding. BD3D2MK3D can generate two subtitle streams with the correct 3D offsets, and use them during the encoding to burn them on the respective views. The combination of the two views in SBS format is made after that step, and therefore, the subtitles are anyway at the right location. That method has the advantage that the subtitles are always correctly displayed in 3D, with the right depth, regardless of the limitations of the player. But the price to pay is that it is not possible to watch the movie without the subtitles. And, for you, that means also that you will have to re-encode the video, this time with the "hardcode subtitle" option in the last tab enabled.

Sorry, but it's the only solution for FSBS (and, IMO, it's also the best solution for HSBS, at least if you want to watch the movie always with the same subtitles).

[Ennio]

I'd like to add to r0lZ's excellent post. Where he explains about the subtitles format being limited and therefor creation of Full SBS/TAB 3D SUPs not being possible.

SUPs for UHD bluray are also authored to 1920x1080 screensize. UHDBD players and nowadays 4K mediaplayers of course know about this and process these subtitles correctly. Where the SUP images are upscaled to 200% before being overlayed on the native 3840x2160 video.

As UHDBD and 4K go for quite some years now, awareness of usage of "half-sized" SUPs within 4K video may have risen. Likely, more and more 4K/3D players may also handle HSBS/HTAB 3D SUPs properly for FSBS/FTAB video. I tried for my mediaplayer and (then, to my surprise) the subtitles were handled perfectly.

Should you want to try, go to Settings and check "Generate 3D subtitle anyway". With FSBS/FTAB video output, this will force BD3D2MK3D to create HSBS/HTAB 3D SUPs instead of the 2D ones.

[r0lZ]

Ennio, I'm glad to see that some users know my program better than me ! I have completely forgiven that option to force the HSBS 3D subtitles anyway !

kremlin77, if you want to try that idea with an already encoded project, just use the Subtitle Tools menu to generate the 3D subtitle stream for HSBS, and then modify the section for the 2D subtitle stream in __MUX_3D_OPTIONS.json to replace it with the new 3D stream, and remux with __MUX_3D.cmd. Of course, you don't need to re-encode the video stream. If that works for you, you will be lucky ! Cross your fingers !

[vanleeuwen]

With 3D video, indeed small black side-columns are used in both left-eye and right-eye views. They're essential for padding the small parts that otherwise would be displayed for one eye only. Usually, you'd not notice them. These columns change width throughout the video, depending on the intended "depth" of the outer part of that particular frame/scene.

Thinking about why you'd have these wide(r) transparent overlays, my first jump to mind would be anamorphic encoding and/or change of resolution. Can you say what settings you used for the encoder? Also MediaInfo data of the file may be helpful.

Thanks for the info, i have attached logs, mediainfo, screenshot of settings and captures from one of the movies. I can see there is black bars on the left and right on most parts of the movie although some don't have any like the last capture (Indian dancing). So looks like i know what it is but how do i get rid of it ?


ohh would using over/under fix it by any chance ?

Thanks again

[Ennio]

At the "Options and Go!" tab there is a part with encoder options. Assuming you are encoding with x264, you can set CRF to a lower value for higher quality (try 18 for example). To set bitrate manually, choose 2 Pass or ABR (avergae bitrate) mode.

This has worked but i am now getting an overlay (a dark transparent line) of around 1-2cm on the left and right of the screen. It seems to get bigger and smaller and move from left to right as the video plays. It looks fine when viewing side by side but in 3D it has the overlay. Any idea what is causing this ?

This would read as you don't have them in the original video, which I wdoubt. Unless there is something odd with your recodes, the black bars are the same as in the source video. Be it with half horizontal resolution of course, which will be stretched during playback to its original size. Maybe you want to check screenshot of the source video.

I can't imagine your used settings can invoke encoding with a wrong resolution, they seem ok.

Take a closer look at the Indian Dancing screenshot, which I'd find troublesome. Comparing the two frames, there is a significant difference in the utter right parts. For instance, look at the face of the guy on the right. These are examples of where I'd expect artefacts. You may wanna check the original video too. If I was 3D author, I'd pad the extra right footage like something as in the edited screenshot, if you know what I mean. Now, one eye sees more of the guy's face than the other.



[Attachment 63835 - Click to enlarge]

If you don't have the artifacts in the original, maybe playback equipment handles SBS not properly. For both player and tv, you may want to check scaling settings like "overscan" or "tv safe area". Which you want to disable.

Just to be sure, can you post MediaInfo data of a troubled recode?

[r0lZ]

Thanks for the info, i have attached logs, mediainfo, screenshot of settings and captures from one of the movies. I can see there is black bars on the left and right on most parts of the movie although some don't have any like the last capture (Indian dancing).

IMO, there is nothing wrong with your settings and your video captures. The black bars are absolutely normal, as Ennio explained.

The absence of a black bar on the last screenshot is probably due to a bad authoring, very common in India. So, if there is a problem, it's with that movie, not with the others.

However, I can't be sure that your player plays the 3D movies correctly. Verify the settings, and be sure to disable any "enhancement", especially with the aspect ratio or centering of the image on screen.

So looks like i know what it is but how do i get rid of it ?

You should certainly NOT get rid of the black bars. As explained, they are there on purpose, and removing them will degrade the quality of the 3D. (And, although it is theoretically possible to remove the black bars, that will require a complex editing of the video, and a resize will be necessary, with the related degradation of the quality of the image.)

ohh would using over/under fix it by any chance ?

Certainly not. You get exactly what is in your original BD (except, of course, the vertical or horizontal resolution divided by 2 if you encode in Half-SBS or Half-TAB). If you want to verify by yourself, do what Ennio has suggested: post here a capture of the two original images (from the BD) of one of the scenes posted above, and you will see the same black borders.

[vanleeuwen]

Thanks for all the info, i am learning a lot LOL

For background, I can play (without issue) all 3D rips pre encoded as mkv. Its just the ones i get as a blu-ray iso and convert using bd3d2mk3d that i am having the issues with (although i am pretty sure one IMAX one i converted works without the bars issue). I have also tried converting to mkv with make mkv then using bd3d2mk3d but i get the same result.

So all the screen captures previously provided are from the same movie (even the Indian dancing one). I checked the source video and i can see the black bars when playing as one eye only (although only on the left side of the screen, i assume the other eye will have the right side bars).

I don't really know how the side by side is made but i assume its using 2 streams in the Blu-ray. One has one eye and audio etc (00915.m2ts) and the other just the other eye (00919.m2ts). Although the video streams are not the same Bit rate which i find odd. I cant play the video only stream (00919) for some reason but its the same length as the main movie file.

In bd3d2mk3d on the select playlists tab the streams of the 2 files video files (00919 & 00915) are not listed as an option. i get 3 streams file names but only the main video audio is listed (the other 2 are just a warning and black video) see capture image attached
[Attachment 63841 - Click to enlarge]. also attached are the media info files of the 2 streams.

The mediainfo logs for two resulting mkv files are above thor.txt & eternals.txt (this is the movie the captures are from).

The downloaded mkvs of 3D movies i have dont show any black bars (in 3D mode, one eye or side by side) only the files i have created show them.

This doesn't seem complicated so no idea why i am the only one having an issue are there any other tools i can try to see if i get the same result is this cant be fixed ?

[r0lZ]

I don't really know how the side by side is made but i assume its using 2 streams in the Blu-ray. One has one eye and audio etc (00915.m2ts) and the other just the other eye (00919.m2ts). Although the video streams are not the same Bit rate which i find odd. I cant play the video only stream (00919) for some reason but its the same length as the main movie file.

Correct. The main M2TS (00915.m2ts) corresponds to the main view, usually (but not always) the left eye. The encoder used is AVC (Advanced Video Codec, aka h264), the same encoder that is used for all 2D BDs (except UHD, encoded in h265). It's that file that is played if you play the movie in 2D, and it's why it contains also the audio and subtitle tracks. The other M2TS is called "dependent view", because it is encoded in MVC (Multi View Codec), a special encoding that encodes only the difference between the two views. It's why its file size is so small, and also why you can't play it directly, as decoding it requires to decode the AVC stream at the same time. Of course, since it cannot be played alone, there is no need to mux the audio and subtitles with that M2TS. A 3D player can read the two M2TS at the same time, decode the main view, and then it recreates the other view with the main view + the differences from the MVC stream. BD3D2MK3D can decode the two streams the same way, and it re-encodes the two views side by side in AVC format (or h265 if you prefer), so that all players can play the resulting video (although not necessarily in 3D). Anyway, the black bars are not created by BD3D2MK3D.

In bd3d2mk3d on the select playlists tab the streams of the 2 files video files (00919 & 00915) are not listed as an option. i get 3 streams file names but only the main video audio is listed (the other 2 are just a warning and black video) see capture image attached
[Attachment 63841 - Click to enlarge]. also attached are the media info files of the 2 streams.

Not sure what you mean, but BD3D2MK3D lists the two streams in the first tab because that information can be useful to some power users, but it cannot use only the main M2TS (or it will be able to create only a 2D movie), or only the dependent M2Ts (that is useless without the main one).

This doesn't seem complicated so no idea why i am the only one having an issue are there any other tools i can try to see if i get the same result is this cant be fixed ?

I don't understand why you persist to say that there is an issue. The black bars are normal. The only problem that can still exist is a problem with your 3D player, unable to display correctly the files created by BD3D2MK3D. What player do you use ? Does it display artifacts ? Where exactly ? Can you post a photo of the screen where the problem is clearly visible ?

Anyway, if there is a display problem with the files created by BD3D2MK3D, it's most probably a bug in your player, as, as you wrote, you are "the only one having an issue".

[vanleeuwen]

I use WMP/WMC with shark codec pack. I will do an update and check some things on that side and see how i go.

When you say the black bar are normal, is that in the final MKV file ? (none of my scene created 3D mkv files have it) As the way i understand it is the two side by side images are basically on top of each other (when tv is in 3D mode) so if one eye has a black bar and the other not then you will notice a dark overlay as it a solid black in one eye over the image in the other eye. If they are normal and within the 1080x1920 screen how will you not notice them ?

Attached is a small clip of the issue. is a recording of the tv in 3d mode. You see the bar/dark overlay on the left then on the right then back on the left again.

[r0lZ]

I use WMP/WMC with shark codec pack. I will do an update and check some things on that side and see how i go.

Try PotPlayer. IMO, it's the best player, at least for 3D video (and WMP is probably the worst one !)

When you say the black bar are normal, is that in the final MKV file ? (none of my scene created 3D mkv files have it)

Yes, it's normal, in the original BD, and, of course, in the output MKV. BD3D2MK3D cannot invent them !

As the way i understand it is the two side by side images are basically on top of each other (when tv is in 3D mode) so if one eye has a black bar and the other not then you will notice a dark overlay as it a solid black in one eye over the image in the other eye.

It's exactly the opposite ! You will notice a bizarre overlay at the left and/or right sides of the pictures when the black borders are NOT present. They are there on purpose, exactly to limit the unpleasant effect of the picture being cut at different positions in the two images. You should keep in mind that to create the 3D effect, the two images are NEVER exactly on top of each other. If, for example, an object appears in front of the screen to the right side of the image, it is slightly shifted to the right in the image of the left eye, and to the left in the image for the other eye (and the opposite when the object appears beneath the screen). Only objects appearing exactly on the surface of the screen are at the same position in the two images. Therefore, if an object occupies a large part of the right border and is not on the surface of the screen, and if you don't have the black bar, then it will be truncated by the border of the screen at different positions. (Read the note by Ennio about the head cut at different position in the capture of the India scene.) It's extremely unpleasant, and it's why a good 3D movie MUST have that black borders, just to compensate that unpleasant effect as far as possible.

Attached is a small clip of the issue. is a recording of the tv in 3d mode. You see the bar/dark overlay on the left then on the right then back on the left again.

Indeed, in your capture, the black bars are very visible, but it's normal. If you watch the movie without 3D lenses, you see the two images at the same time with the two eyes. And in that case, of course, the black bar on one of the two images gives the impression that something is missing. But if you watch the image in 3D, with the lenses, the problem disappears, and you see the two images as a single big picture, without problem on the edges.

Anyway, the movie has been perfectly encoded, and everything is normal. And no, it is not exact to say that the other movies do not have that "problem". As I wrote previously, some movies do not have that black bars (especially the movies produced a long time ago, and the movies from the '50's) but currently, almost all well authored 3D movies have that black bars, and it's certainly a very good thing. BD3D2MK3D does just what it should do: duplicate exactly the original images.

[r0lZ]

(none of my scene created 3D mkv files have it)

Not sure what "scene created 3D mkv files" means, but if you think at 3D movies created by a personal 3D camera or at 2D movies converted to 3D by a 3D TV or a software, then you can be almost sure that indeed, they do not have the black bars. But it's only because that movies are not well authored. Adding the black bars where they need to be is a difficult and long job, that only big authoring companies do. It's why I wrote above that cheap or oriental movies often do not have that bars. But it's a pity !

[vanleeuwen]

Thanks for the explanation. Is what you are saying the case for commercially created & filmed for 3D movies ? I thought it was filmed with a 3D camera so both streams are full screen just taken at different depths/angles to create the 3D effect. I would understand if your converting a non 3D movie to 3D then you need to shift the videos for the 2 eyes so there will be gaps on the sides (and i would have thought top and bottom).

Just to confirm are you saying you can see the black bars at every stage until you put the 3D glasses on ? (so in 3D mode without glasses you see them, then glasses on and no overlay or bars)

with "Scene created" i mean downloaded 3D blu-ray rips already ripped as SBS. I have over 90 3D blu-ray rips that look fine (no black bars).

I tried PotPlayer but didn't make any difference. Also looking at the screen with the glasses is little impact on the bars. if i close one eye i see the full black bar and the other the image but with both its still a dark overlay.

I display the full SBS video on my screen then press the 3D button on my TV remote to select SBS and it overlays the 2 sides for 3D to display.

I think i am going to give up on this, its probably needs a different 3D tv to make it work as mine is showing 1 image to one eye and the other to the other eye (via active glasses) so one eye will always be able to see the bars. The system would need to crop the image or show the non black bar image to both eyes for me not to be able to see the bars.

The example of one eye's stream showing more of a head than the other would always happen with or without black bars. If the whole screen is showing depth then no matter where its cut there will always be more of the image in on one side of one eye as the image needs to be shifted to show depth. e.g. if you zoomed into a face, image A would be further to one side than image B to create the effect so if you keep zooming and look at the frame it will need to show more of the face on the left and the other more of the face on the right.

If you know on any sites that explain how this al works please let me know as i am very interested to understand it now

Just read this https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=155853&page=2 and i think its my TV as others have it with watching the blu ray discs on some TVs

[r0lZ]

Currently, all commercial 3D movies are post-processed digitally, and especially the movies with much effects or computer images (like Eternals). The 3D cameras exist, indeed, but they are never used alone to create a 3D movie (except for ultra-cheap productions like some oriental movies, and in the past, like for the 3D movies of the '50's). So, for a good 3D movie, you must expect the black bars, especially added by humans for your convenience.

And yes, the black bars are always visible when you watch the movie in 2D. You have to put the glasses to see the image as it should be seen. Again, look at the picture of the Indian scene. As Ennio wrote, the head of the guy at the right of the image. In the image for the left edge, the head is cut at the middle of the nose. In the other view, it is cut at the middle of the right edge. When you watch the movie in 3D (with the glasses), it's a torture for your brain, because there is a missing part of the head. It's why a correct authoring of that scene REQUIRES a black bar on the left image, to cut it more or less at the same position than in the other view. Here, the black bar is missing, and it's a relatively poor authoring. (However, note that the black bars are usually used only to cover the missing parts of the objects popping out of the screen. The objects appearing beneath the surface of the screen are less perturbing, because the cut created by the edge of the screen acts like a window, and creates the well known "aquarium effect", not very impressive, but not perturbing for the brain.)

The fact that you have never noticed the black bars on the other movies can come from two things: either the movie is poorly authored (and as I wrote above, that was often the case in the past, including with most 3D movies following the beginning of the current wave, or with cheap productions), or you have not noticed the bars because you have watched the movie in 3D with the glasses, and they were barely visible.

You can buy as many other TVs or 3D display as you wish, the black bars ART THERE and you cannot be rid of them. You can be sure that they are LESS visible than the artifact caused by the ABSENCE of black bars. If the authoring has been well done, you may still see a little, dimmed, black bar due to the fact that no 3D system ensure that the left eye cannot see the image for the right eye at all (and the opposite). There is always a little "ghosting" effect, and especially if you don't have a good 3D equipment, that effect can be responsible of the presence of a ghost of the black bar in the other eye. (Note also that the ghosting effect is associated with the "problem" of the black bars by the members of the Blu-Ray.com forum. It's not a coincidence !)

Of course, PotPlayer will not magically remove the black bars. It is just an excellent player for 3D content, and for that reason, it will certainly never crop the image ! That will be the worst thing to do !

The example of one eye's stream showing more of a head than the other would always happen with or without black bars. If the whole screen is showing depth then no matter where its cut there will always be more of the image in on one side of one eye as the image needs to be shifted to show depth. e.g. if you zoomed into a face, image A would be further to one side than image B to create the effect so if you keep zooming and look at the frame it will need to show more of the face on the left and the other more of the face on the right.

I agree partially with this. The black bar covers only the part of the image that is the most visible (for example, the part of the image that has the focus, or the object that pops out of the screen). It's just because nothing is perfect. To remove completely the part that the other eye cannot see, the black bar should not be a bar, but a black area that meanders to follow the differences in depth of the side of the image. That's (currently) impossible to do, so using a straight bar is what gives the best result for a raisonnable price. (BTW, I have a video where the black bar is a progressive gradient, which allows not to have a sharp transition and to partially avoid the problem. But IMO the result is worse than with a sharp bar.)

On the Blu-Ray.com forum, IMO, this post is the only good post to remember. It has been written by a pro, who knows the problems of the 3D. He warns you about the settings (the -default 3D shift to -5) and he is perfectly correct. Using an additional shifting is indeed an indirect way to crop the video, and it is correct that it's the worst thing to do. The other posts are less interesting, but they point out that ghosting is hardware dependent and is responsible for many problems. That's also probably correct.

Anyway, insisting to misunderstand the necessity for that black bars will certainly not help to not see them (as the users complaining in the forum do !) And anyway, BD3D2MK3D is NOT responsible of the presence of that black bars, and cannot remove them. If you don't like them, watch another, preferably badly authored movie. Dot. Since this thread is dedicated to my program, it is useless to continue to criticise the authoring of the 3D movies by the major American studios. So, I agree at least with you on one point: it is time to give up.

[t19922006]

Please replace MVCPlanes2OFS.exe in new version(https://github.com/TheGreatMcPain/OFSExtractor/releases/tag/1.0)
Exiting BD3D2MK3D extract 3D-planes is malfunction
After i replace with OFSExtractor64.exe->MVCPlanes2OFS.exe, extract 3D-planes work again