3D Playback?

[therock003]

Hello, i'm fairly new to the 3D concept. The only material i have seen yet is Tron Legacy, which isnt even a real 3D recorded movie, but rather has some 2d scenes rendered as 3D. I would just like to ask some questions that are on my mind if i may.

-Are there any specific guidelines when it comes to 3D content?
-Can any pc play it? IS there need for specific softwarre and or codecs/filters to be installed?
-Can you rip a 3D Blu-ray disc into a x264 mkv like you would if it was 2D?
-Are all 3D glasses the same? Even the ones they distribute in Cinemas?

Thank You.

[lowellriggsiam]

There are so many variations of 3-D, or stereoscopic images check out this link....http://www.stereo3d.com/3dhome.htm. The glasses that were used in theaters, to a far lesser extent today were paper ones that used a variation of colored lenses. The new ones are almost too complex to explain in a forum.

[Case]

Are all 3D glasses the same? Even the ones they distribute in Cinemas?

There are at least six different techniques for modern 3D in movie theaters worldwide. All these techniques can be split in two major categories: (1) projection on an expensive special screen, to be used with cheap passive glasses, and (2) projection on a normal existing screen, to be used with expensive active glasses.

[therock003]

I'm talking about modern playback not the ancient ones with the paper glasses. As i said i watched Tron and they gave me glasses that looked like the ones you get wit 3D LCD TV's. Are these glasses expensive?

And as for PC Playback, and software implementation? I want to use a netbook on a store with 3D TV and check 3D video file quality.

[yoda313]

I want to use a netbook on a store with 3D TV and check 3D video file quality.

I don't think netbooks are anywhere near powerful enough. I think dual core is the minimum. Also for pc playback you need certain types of nvidia cards to do it. I don't know if they have any laptop solutions.

Check out nvidia's website for more information.

[therock003]

Are you sure that its not really possible? Even a PS3 has support for 3D blurays nowadays with latest firmware.

[hadoq]

I doubt sony would have *just* started working on 3d right now, it's probably in it since the PS3 got designed in the first place

as I see it now, people focus on the 3D feature rather than quality cinema, the prices also are too expensive for a reasonable home setup. Prices will go down as the quality'll go up. if you want to work with 3D and have enough $$$, go for it, otherwise, just better save up (my 2cents). I don't know that much about video, but I do know about business and right now, it feels like the 1st buyers are paying for the reliability testing, and basically be beta testers.

my 2cnts

[lowellriggsiam]

The PS3 has 3-D support, but has to connected to a compatible TV.

[yoda313]

Even a PS3 has support for 3D blurays nowadays with latest firmware

yes "even" a ps3 has 3d support. However a ps3 uses cell processing which I believe is their terminology for multicore processors. However you mentioned using a netbook. I'm merely stating I don't believe any netbook is powerful enough to do 3d. Netbooks are generally lightweight when it comes to computing power.

I'm sure there are 3d LAPTOPS by now. I just seriously doubt netbooks would be equipped to do it.

[therock003]

Ok let's forget laptops and netbook for a second here. As for containers format and 3D playback what's the situation now? IS 3D only supported in Blu-Ray? Or could you have 3D content on DVDs and even lossy formats like .avi and .mkv? How is the 3D infromation stored is what i'm asking here? Is it stored in layers, or different channels, or is it just incorporated as a blurry image that even .avi files can handle and with use of special 3D glasses can be viewed anywhere?

Cause if its the latter, and you can get a 3D video even on .avi files, i dont see why netbooks or laptops cant handle that...

[mrswla]

3D content is stored on the disc in SSIF files.

Monster House in 3D


Legends of the Guardians The Owls of Ga'Hoole


How to encode these into avi or any other format, I don't know.

[jagabo]

As for containers format and 3D playback what's the situation now? IS 3D only supported in Blu-Ray?

No. Any container can support 3d. Whether or not any particular player has any idea what to do with it is the issue.

How is the 3D infromation stored is what i'm asking here?

It varies. Some programs store the L/R images side by side in one frame, some top/bottom, some alternating scanlines, some as two separate video streams, etc. Blu-ray stores the stereo pair as one stream that has the common elements plus a stream of differences -- thus requiring less space than full left and right streams.

[therock003]

Ok understandable. So for the moment is there any particular way to encode 3d content into mainstream containers like .avi or .mkv and any software player (mediaplayer classic,vlc, kmplayer,zoom player) that knows how to playback those files?

[TreeTops]

3D is just a passing fad. It will go away like it has in the past. Each new generation has to see it for a while and then they drift away. Content is king.

[handyguy]

3D glasses are like $150-$250 per pair. You must be exactly at the right position too.

[jagabo]

Ok understandable. So for the moment is there any particular way to encode 3d content into mainstream containers like .avi or .mkv and any software player (mediaplayer classic,vlc, kmplayer,zoom player) that knows how to playback those files?

Windows Media Player 11 supports 3D. From what I've seen the frames are placed side by side in the WMV file:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-3d-movies.html

This AviSynth script will convert for red/blue anaglyph glasses (red filter on the left eye):

DirectShowSource("Knights_Quest_576p.wmv")
ConvertToRGB()
GrayScale()

left=Crop(0,0,width/2,height)
right=Crop(width/2,0,width/2,height)

red=ShowRed(right)
green=ShowGreen(left)
blue=ShowBlue(left)

MergeRGB(red,green,blue)

[therock003]

Content is king.

What do you mean? That substance is better than presentation? I dont think though that 3d trend will pass so soon. Lots of money and r&d and marketing is coming to play and it is very much improved. It's not the simple look you had with the 3d glasses on the past. So maybe if they play their cards right and utilise it correctly it could be here to stay.

We'll see.

[TreeTops]

"What do you mean? That substance is better than presentation?"

You are kidding aren't you? Substance will ALWAYS be better than presentation! You really need a history lesson kiddo. Please do a history check on 3D presentations/movies etc.

[therock003]

I didnt question that statement, i just wanted to decrypted the phrase "content is king". I was just asking whether this is what you meant, i didnt say i doubt it.

[mrswla]

You must be exactly at the right position too.

Not necessarily true. I can view 3d content on my samsung at extreme angles. To get the best effect, you should view straight on.

[edDV]

Ok understandable. So for the moment is there any particular way to encode 3d content into mainstream containers like .avi or .mkv and any software player (mediaplayer classic,vlc, kmplayer,zoom player) that knows how to playback those files?

For what it's worth, these are the 3D project modes supported in Sony Vegas Pro 10 for creation of 3D.

[Cornucopia]

Hello, i'm fairly new to the 3D concept. The only material i have seen yet is Tron Legacy, which isnt even a real 3D recorded movie, but rather has some 2d scenes rendered as 3D. I would just like to ask some questions that are on my mind if i may.

-Are there any specific guidelines when it comes to 3D content?
-Can any pc play it? IS there need for specific softwarre and or codecs/filters to be installed?
-Can you rip a 3D Blu-ray disc into a x264 mkv like you would if it was 2D?
-Are all 3D glasses the same? Even the ones they distribute in Cinemas?

Thank You.

I was gonna respond to this weeks ago, but got sidetracked by some craziness at work and never got back...

OK, this might take a while...

There are many guidelines as far as CREATION, STORAGE, EDITING, DISTRIBUTION, and EXHIBITION.
For creation, this includes Composition & Shooting choices and the Syntax of 3D vs. 2D.
For (early) storage, editing & compositing, this includes file format, layoutformat and naming, syncing and calibration, monitoring.
For distribution, this includes fileformat & layoutformat & naming, consumer-compatible storage & transmission bandwidth requirements.
For exhibition/display, this includes transmission formats, layout formats, timing/syncing requirements (particularly w/Active Glasses), and venue interplay considerations.

Let me know which of those things you want guidelines about.

My guess is for consumer-level 3DTV exhibition in the home. If this is true, read on.

3D is distributed to consumers via:
1. Web streaming (YouTube, Vimeo, etc) on settops
2. OTA, Cable & Sat settop reception
3. 3D HTPC (which can include 3D Games, web streaming, software 3D movie players, etc)
4. BluRay 3D (aka BD3D, on settop BluRay players, PS3 and 3D HTPC software BD3D players)

These might go into:
A. Earlier Generation DLP TV sets with "Checkerboard" ~60Hz FrameSequential, ActiveShutter-compatible display
B. Current Generation DLP, LED/LCD, Plasma TV sets with 120Hz+ FrameSequential, ActiveShutter-compatible display
C. New Generation DLP, LED/LCD, Plasma TV sets with ~60Hz LineAlternating MicroPolarizers for Passive(RealD)-compatible display
D. New Generation DLP, LED/LCD, Plasma TV sets with 120Hz+ FrameSequential & (Z-screen type)PolarizingSwitcher for Passive(RealD)-compatible display
E. Earlier, Current & New Generation Single Projectors that operate @ 60Hz FrameSequential for ActiveShutter-compatible display
F. Any Generation Dual (2) Projectors that each display 1 standard 2D view (combined onto the screen) for Passive-compatible display
G. Some others...

I say "might" because some of these work with some things and not others.

Some guidelines about matching distribution channel to exhibition type:
#4, BD3D is currently the most "Forward-Thinking" and also the most consistent because it uses/requires the advanced MVC codec, and HDMI 1.4a's SEI signaling.

This (MVC) is a superset of AVC (aka h.264) that also includes support for multiple views of the same scene, and uses differencing similar to P & B frame motion vectors to compress the alternate view(s). BD3D stores the MVC-encoded files as "SSIF" files in the BD folder structure. The regular M2TS files also map to these same SSIF files, in order to avoid saving multiple copies of the 2D (usually Left) view on the same disc. Kind of like a Hard Link/Alias. This uses ~1.3-1.5x of the standard disk space & bandwidth in decoding. Since 2D players see what they understand to be an AVC M2TS file (with some extra UserData stuff muxed in there that they don't understand), they just play that view and ignore the other stuff. 3D players are "aware" of the existence of the 3D views and can read the info that says which view is which, and so can decode to 2 Full HD views.
The internal "compositor" (video mixing app) in the BD3D player then reformats the signal to play out via HDMI (some models might be able to use other outputs, but with MUCH degraded quality). The standard (though not ONLY) format for transmission through HDMI is the "Frame Packing" format, which creates a "Super"-frame that includes both (L+R) views combined one over the other with a gap of 30 (for 720p) or 45 (for 1080i/p) pixels between. This superframe is usually 1920x2205 running at 24p. However, the signalling also includes cues about blanking that make it clear to the display that there are 2 pictures enclosed in that single superframe. There is also the SEI messages which explain which of the various formats is being used.
3DTV sets that accept HDMI 1.4a (usually B, C or D in the list above) read the Frame Packing and the SEI and buffer it, then use their own compositor to reformat it to the display format that they use. The SEI tells them to AUTOMATICALLY switch into 3D mode and set to the exact input format that is being sent via HDMI.

#2, OTA/Cable/Sat programming is currently still using what's known as "Frame-Compatible" backwards compatible with standard (1x) 2D bandwidth. They overlay (usually) either Side-by-Side (anamorphically squeezed in 1/2 horizontally) or Over/Under (anamorphically squeezed in 1/2 vertically). Most settop boxes haven't been upgraded to automatically recognize any signalling, so you manually have to set the TV display to match the type of 3D input. If manufacturers ever get their hardware or firmware upgraded to support 3D natively, they'll probably also upgrade the decode to include what's known as "Service-Compatible" formats, of which MVC and 2D+Depth are some (that'll improve resolution greatly without greatly increasing bandwidth needs). At that point, new models would also support HDMI 1.4a and its SEI signalling for automatic 3D recognition & switching.

#1, Web streaming on settops follows along w/#2 above and it's hardware constraints.

#3, 3D HTPC is W-I-D-E O-P-E-N! in terms of the variety of input & output formats. In particular, 3D Movie players like Stereoscopic Player are designed to accept almost ALL available 3D storage formats (including my favorite Dual-Muxed files) and output through the PC's video card in many ways (Frame Sequential 120Hz being one of the most common). In fact, the newest generation can even support HDMI 1.4a, SEI and Frame Packing (specifically helpful for BD3D player software).

That's enough of that "guidelines summary" for now (ask me if you have any particular questions). On to the other questions...

"Can any PC play it?" I don't know what you mean by IT. If you mean BD3D, then what you need is:

1. BD3D titles (not many currently, but many more in the pipeline)
2. BD3D player software. So far only 4 (all proprietary/commercial) - Corel WinDVD Pro10, Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 Ultra MkII, ArcSoft Total Media Theatre 3, and newly, Sonic/Roxio Cineplayer BD.
3. A BDROM/R/RW drive
4. A F-A-S-T PC (dual or quad core 2.5GHz or better with 2-4Gb RAM), which ties in with
5. A POWERFUL GPU videocard (currently nVidia has the edge here), likely GeForce GT240 or better
6. A monitor or 3DTV that works with the video card & player software playout options

"Can you rip?" Yes, but the steps are much more involved (needing to use beta versions of an MVC decoder, etc) and you'll need AnyDVD, etc to bypass the normal encryption. What you would end up with is 2 files (L+R), which could then be composed to side-by-side or similar layout (using StereoMovieMaker or AVISynth+an Encoder, etc). Then you would use something like Stereoscopic Player to play them out your vid card.

"Are all 3D glasses the same?" NO.

There SHOULD be just 2 main types (for home use) - Active LC Shutter glasses (cost $50/pair-$200/pair) & Passive Polarized Glasses (cost $0.50/pair-$10/pair).
Since there are both fast- and slow- reaction time LC shutters, and there are a number of types of syncing methods (RF, Infrared, wired) & timings, and since Polarized can be Linear Vertical+Horizontal, Linear 45/135 degree, or Circular, there's just too many variables at this stage. It makes sense to go with just the brand of glasses that matches the brand of your TV/display and/or Sync box.
This should change this year a little, as both the MicroPolarized and Z-screen type of TVs will be using standard RealD Circular Polarized glasses, like the kind used in RealD 3D theatres.

You might not have known this, but there are at least 4 different and competing forms of 3D theatre display technologies (more later...)

Scott

[therock003]

Hello, i'm fairly new to the 3D concept. The only material i have seen yet is Tron Legacy, which isnt even a real 3D recorded movie, but rather has some 2d scenes rendered as 3D. I would just like to ask some questions that are on my mind if i may.

-Are there any specific guidelines when it comes to 3D content?
-Can any pc play it? IS there need for specific softwarre and or codecs/filters to be installed?
-Can you rip a 3D Blu-ray disc into a x264 mkv like you would if it was 2D?
-Are all 3D glasses the same? Even the ones they distribute in Cinemas?

Thank You.

I was gonna respond to this weeks ago, but got sidetracked by some craziness at work and never got back...

OK, this might take a while...

There are many guidelines as far as CREATION, STORAGE, EDITING, DISTRIBUTION, and EXHIBITION.
For creation, this includes Composition & Shooting choices and the Syntax of 3D vs. 2D.
For (early) storage, editing & compositing, this includes file format, layoutformat and naming, syncing and calibration, monitoring.
For distribution, this includes fileformat & layoutformat & naming, consumer-compatible storage & transmission bandwidth requirements.
For exhibition/display, this includes transmission formats, layout formats, timing/syncing requirements (particularly w/Active Glasses), and venue interplay considerations.

Let me know which of those things you want guidelines about.

My guess is for consumer-level 3DTV exhibition in the home. If this is true, read on.

3D is distributed to consumers via:
1. Web streaming (YouTube, Vimeo, etc) on settops
2. OTA, Cable & Sat settop reception
3. 3D HTPC (which can include 3D Games, web streaming, software 3D movie players, etc)
4. BluRay 3D (aka BD3D, on settop BluRay players, PS3 and 3D HTPC software BD3D players)

These might go into:
A. Earlier Generation DLP TV sets with "Checkerboard" ~60Hz FrameSequential, ActiveShutter-compatible display
B. Current Generation DLP, LED/LCD, Plasma TV sets with 120Hz+ FrameSequential, ActiveShutter-compatible display
C. New Generation DLP, LED/LCD, Plasma TV sets with ~60Hz LineAlternating MicroPolarizers for Passive(RealD)-compatible display
D. New Generation DLP, LED/LCD, Plasma TV sets with 120Hz+ FrameSequential & (Z-screen type)PolarizingSwitcher for Passive(RealD)-compatible display
E. Earlier, Current & New Generation Single Projectors that operate @ 60Hz FrameSequential for ActiveShutter-compatible display
F. Any Generation Dual (2) Projectors that each display 1 standard 2D view (combined onto the screen) for Passive-compatible display
G. Some others...

I say "might" because some of these work with some things and not others.

Some guidelines about matching distribution channel to exhibition type:
#4, BD3D is currently the most "Forward-Thinking" and also the most consistent because it uses/requires the advanced MVC codec, and HDMI 1.4a's SEI signaling.

This (MVC) is a superset of AVC (aka h.264) that also includes support for multiple views of the same scene, and uses differencing similar to P & B frame motion vectors to compress the alternate view(s). BD3D stores the MVC-encoded files as "SSIF" files in the BD folder structure. The regular M2TS files also map to these same SSIF files, in order to avoid saving multiple copies of the 2D (usually Left) view on the same disc. Kind of like a Hard Link/Alias. This uses ~1.3-1.5x of the standard disk space & bandwidth in decoding. Since 2D players see what they understand to be an AVC M2TS file (with some extra UserData stuff muxed in there that they don't understand), they just play that view and ignore the other stuff. 3D players are "aware" of the existence of the 3D views and can read the info that says which view is which, and so can decode to 2 Full HD views.
The internal "compositor" (video mixing app) in the BD3D player then reformats the signal to play out via HDMI (some models might be able to use other outputs, but with MUCH degraded quality). The standard (though not ONLY) format for transmission through HDMI is the "Frame Packing" format, which creates a "Super"-frame that includes both (L+R) views combined one over the other with a gap of 30 (for 720p) or 45 (for 1080i/p) pixels between. This superframe is usually 1920x2205 running at 24p. However, the signalling also includes cues about blanking that make it clear to the display that there are 2 pictures enclosed in that single superframe. There is also the SEI messages which explain which of the various formats is being used.
3DTV sets that accept HDMI 1.4a (usually B, C or D in the list above) read the Frame Packing and the SEI and buffer it, then use their own compositor to reformat it to the display format that they use. The SEI tells them to AUTOMATICALLY switch into 3D mode and set to the exact input format that is being sent via HDMI.

#2, OTA/Cable/Sat programming is currently still using what's known as "Frame-Compatible" backwards compatible with standard (1x) 2D bandwidth. They overlay (usually) either Side-by-Side (anamorphically squeezed in 1/2 horizontally) or Over/Under (anamorphically squeezed in 1/2 vertically). Most settop boxes haven't been upgraded to automatically recognize any signalling, so you manually have to set the TV display to match the type of 3D input. If manufacturers ever get their hardware or firmware upgraded to support 3D natively, they'll probably also upgrade the decode to include what's known as "Service-Compatible" formats, of which MVC and 2D+Depth are some (that'll improve resolution greatly without greatly increasing bandwidth needs). At that point, new models would also support HDMI 1.4a and its SEI signalling for automatic 3D recognition & switching.

#1, Web streaming on settops follows along w/#2 above and it's hardware constraints.

#3, 3D HTPC is W-I-D-E O-P-E-N! in terms of the variety of input & output formats. In particular, 3D Movie players like Stereoscopic Player are designed to accept almost ALL available 3D storage formats (including my favorite Dual-Muxed files) and output through the PC's video card in many ways (Frame Sequential 120Hz being one of the most common). In fact, the newest generation can even support HDMI 1.4a, SEI and Frame Packing (specifically helpful for BD3D player software).

That's enough of that "guidelines summary" for now (ask me if you have any particular questions). On to the other questions...

"Can any PC play it?" I don't know what you mean by IT. If you mean BD3D, then what you need is:

1. BD3D titles (not many currently, but many more in the pipeline)
2. BD3D player software. So far only 4 (all proprietary/commercial) - Corel WinDVD Pro10, Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 Ultra MkII, ArcSoft Total Media Theatre 3, and newly, Sonic/Roxio Cineplayer BD.
3. A BDROM/R/RW drive
4. A F-A-S-T PC (dual or quad core 2.5GHz or better with 2-4Gb RAM), which ties in with
5. A POWERFUL GPU videocard (currently nVidia has the edge here), likely GeForce GT240 or better
6. A monitor or 3DTV that works with the video card & player software playout options

"Can you rip?" Yes, but the steps are much more involved (needing to use beta versions of an MVC decoder, etc) and you'll need AnyDVD, etc to bypass the normal encryption. What you would end up with is 2 files (L+R), which could then be composed to side-by-side or similar layout (using StereoMovieMaker or AVISynth+an Encoder, etc). Then you would use something like Stereoscopic Player to play them out your vid card.

"Are all 3D glasses the same?" NO.

There SHOULD be just 2 main types (for home use) - Active LC Shutter glasses (cost $50/pair-$200/pair) & Passive Polarized Glasses (cost $0.50/pair-$10/pair).
Since there are both fast- and slow- reaction time LC shutters, and there are a number of types of syncing methods (RF, Infrared, wired) & timings, and since Polarized can be Linear Vertical+Horizontal, Linear 45/135 degree, or Circular, there's just too many variables at this stage. It makes sense to go with just the brand of glasses that matches the brand of your TV/display and/or Sync box.
This should change this year a little, as both the MicroPolarized and Z-screen type of TVs will be using standard RealD Circular Polarized glasses, like the kind used in RealD 3D theatres.

You might not have known this, but there are at least 4 different and competing forms of 3D theatre display technologies (more later...)

Scott

First off, thanx for this amazing detailed response you provided me here. Really appreciate it.

I'm interested for cases 3,4 Playback from HTPC and B3D, on a 3D LED TV (Sony).

Since the TV is not mine, (a friend owns it) and he hasnt got a Blu-ray player, i need to create encoded files in order to use for playback from a computer via HDMI output.

So reading after what you said, i first need to rip it with AnyDVD, then use Stereoscopic MovieMaker to encode. Is there a specific way to encode it (encoding procedure)? Also what kind of encoder? Does x264 support this so called mvc?

Then Can i just play the output result on the 3D LED TV using Stereoscopic Player?

Man, 3D TV's have been out there since last Year, i'm surprised encoding to compressed formats hasnt caught on yet, and this is more like a hit or miss.

[Cornucopia]

In your case, I'd go with:

Decrypting with DVDPasskey or AnyDVD, rip & convert with 3DBDBuster. Will give you a Side-by-side (or Over/Under) in a standard framesize MKV. (Make sure you have MKV encoder/decoder & reader/splitter/muxer installed ahead of time). Then, play out to HDMI with Stereoscopic Player. Seeing as how this is a 2D-frame compatible file, you could even play it with a standard media player. Switch the Sony to 3D and choose SBS or O/U as appropriate. Sit back (with your 3D glasses) and enjoy!

If the encoding & playing computer can handle it smoothly, I'd encode 2pass x264 at a reasonable bitrate (7-15Mbps depending upon program). Since BD3D is 1080p24, make sure the TV supports this size&rate (the new Bravia LED 3DTVs should), otherwise you might neeed to change it to a format it does accept.

So far, x264 doesn't support MVC, plus there aren't many softs that support decoding it yet (just the 3DBD players I mentioned earlier and some experimental stuff, and 3DBDBuster), but some time down the road it could get more common. Remember, this is still early adopter stuff.

Scott

<disclaimer>This kind of 3d layout is actually only 1/2 the resolution of the full 3dhd original, but it being suggested here for compatibility and simplicity purposes. YMMV.

[therock003]

Thanx for the detailed steps. I will practice them as soon as i get my first 3D Blu-Ray disc.

I would also like to ask some additional method for the primitive 3D technology, that existed before the 3D TVs came out.

-Can polarized glasses be used on the same format anaglyph glasses are used for?
-Can you view anaglyph 3D on any type of Monitor LCD/TFT, or does it require CRT?
-I have a pair of polarized glasses they let me keep from the Cinema when i viewed Sanctum. How will i know if they are circular or plain linear?

[jagabo]

-Can polarized glasses be used on the same format anaglyph glasses are used for?

What do you mean? Can you use either polarized glasses and anaglyph glasses to watch the same screen during playback? No. Can a particular 3d source video be played back in such a way that you could use either polarized glasses or anaglyph glasses? Yes.

-Can you view anaglyph 3D on any type of Monitor LCD/TFT, or does it require CRT?

Any color monitor or TV will do.

[therock003]

-Can polarized glasses be used on the same format anaglyph glasses are used for?

What do you mean? Can you use either polarized glasses and anaglyph glasses to watch the same screen during playback? No. Can a particular 3d source video be played back in such a way that you could use either polarized glasses or anaglyph glasses? Yes.

Yes that's what i meant. So what option do i need to toggle in Stereoscopic Player to allo for polarized glasses?

BTW any idea if what i have is linear or circular?

[jagabo]

Can a particular 3d source video be played back in such a way that you could use either polarized glasses or anaglyph glasses? Yes.

Yes that's what i meant. So what option do i need to toggle in Stereoscopic Player to allo for polarized glasses?[/quote]
If a player supports both output methods I would assume the switch would be obvious. Remember, you need hardware support for the polarizer glasses.

BTW any idea if what i have is linear or circular?

I think they are simple polarizers because that's cheaper. I don't know for sure though.

3D on computers has always been, and still is, a wild west of incompatible systems.

[therock003]

What kind of hardware is need for polarised?

As for anaglyph i know that you only need the plastic glasses and you're set to go. So if you have an SBS video file you can switch output to anaglyph RED-Cyan and you're ready to go, but what is there to do for polarised?

I still dont understand why things are so difficult on the 3D department, even now that manufacturers are trying their best ot make it mainstream.

[jagabo]

What kind of hardware is need for polarised?

You need a special monitor that outputs a polarized picture.

3D requires that each eye see a different picture. To show both pictures on a single monitor you have to have some way of making sure each eye sees only the picture that's meant for that eye.

With anaglyphs one picture is drawn in red, the other in blue (or cyan). Red and blue filters over the eyes make sure that one eye sees only the red picture, the other only the blue picture.

LCD shutter glasses turn one lens opaque while the other is transparent. Then they switch the other way around. The picture on the tv/monitor is timed with the glasses so each eye sees the correct picture at the correct time. These need to operate a high frequencies (eg. 120 Hz, ie. each eye sees 60 images per second) to reduce flicker. Older 3D CRT TV systems used only 60 Hz and were timed with the interlaced TV signal (ie, one eye saw only the top field, the other eye saw only the bottom field, 30 images per second for each eye) and flickered badly.

Simple polarizer glasses require a polarizing screen over the display. For one eye the screen is polarized vertically, the other eye horizontally. That allows the use of simple (cheap) polarizing glasses but the polarizing screen costs a lot, especially for large displays. Like with LCD shutter glasses the switching of the screen has to be fast to eliminate flicker.

I still dont understand why things are so difficult on the 3D department, even now that manufacturers are trying their best ot make it mainstream.

The same reason we have CF, SD, and Memory Stick flash memories. The same reason we had Beta and VHS. The same reason we have MP3, AC3, AAC, and DTS. Each company wants to avoid paying for patents that other companies own. And in some cases a company might play to the strengths of its existing technology. Sony has managed to standardize 3D on Blu-ray discs. But the TVs still use different methods of presenting the left/right images to your eyes.