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  1. A few weeks ago I posted about the possibility of burning a 3d blu ray film onto dvd with the 3d remaining intact(basically I was exploring the viability of getting 3d without having to buy a blu ray player). After reviewing the responses it became clear that even if possible, it was going to be long winded.
    Now I have come up with another cheapskate alternative:
    I have my eye on a 3d tv which can play off external usb drives. If I got hold of a 3d .mkv movie file, could I convert this to one that is compatible with the tv and still be able to play it in 3d? So this means I just need to connect the usb drive to the tv and then play the movie from the tv without the need of a blu ray player.
    If it can be done what video type would be best to convert to from mkv?
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  2. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    most 3d mkv files are side-by-side or over-under. they play fine on 3d tvs. you click the tv's 3d remote button and select which type of file it is. make sure the tv can handle usb hard drives, some can't.
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  3. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    More thoroughly & accurately, the TV has to be able to handle/support:
    1. USB
    2. the Filesystem (FAT32, NTFS, etc)
    3. the Container (MKV, MP4, AVI, etc)
    4. the Video Codec (h.264, Divx/Xvid, MPEG2, DV, etc)
    5. the Audio Codec (AAC, AC3, DTS, MP3, etc)
    6. the Stereoscopic Layout (SbS, T/B, Interlaced, Dual-stream, Dual-File, etc)

    If it does all those for the files you're using, you are good to go. If not, you will need to re-configure & (likely) recompress. If you do, you'll lose quality. Understand also that SbS, T/B, etc are ALREADY less than optimal quality.

    You need to read your TV manual and do tests to figure out just exactly WHICH of those formats in 1-6 your TV supports...

    Scott
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  4. Thanks for the replies.
    I have a friend who already owns the tv model I am after and he says that mkv files are not supported. It is a blaupunkt and sadly there is not much info about which containers/codecs are compatible.
    Cornucopia - Are you saying that if I convert a 3d movie file to a file which is compatible with points 3-5 in your list then I could get 3d movies playing off a usb drive? If that is the case then I'm all set for the challenge and will be travelling up to see my friend to employ a bit of trial and error.
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  5. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    sorry - like corny said i may have provided too little info. it's more likely for a 3d mkv to play on a 3d tv if it's sent over hdmi from a blu-ray player or media player. they handle many more formats than a tv can.

    your best bet over usb direct to tv is low complexity mp4 with no high quality dts or ac3 6 ch audio, use 2 ch aac.
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  6. I will only get a 3d tv if I can play 3d files directly from usb as I am a tight g*t
    I also don't care a lot about high quality so am not concerned about recompressing as long as the 3d information remains.
    Would mp4 or indeed xvid, divx etx be able to contain 3d data?
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  7. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    all you need for 3d is a playable 1920x1080 video with side by side or over/under video. mp4 is fine. they look like this before the tv converts to 3d.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	sbs_video.png
Views:	3374
Size:	2.33 MB
ID:	17446
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  8. Yeah the mkv movie I have plays like that when I run it on my computer. I think my friend mentioned that the tv played xvid files so I guess if I can convert it to xvid then the tv might have a decent chance of displaying it in 3d via usb.
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  9. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by thorthemighty View Post
    Yeah the mkv movie I have plays like that when I run it on my computer. I think my friend mentioned that the tv played xvid files so I guess if I can convert it to xvid then the tv might have a decent chance of displaying it in 3d via usb.
    You shouldn't need to convert anything if it contains sbs. Granted you will to conform to the file types the player will recognize.

    However you should think about getting a media player like a wdtv media player that can play a wide wide range of file types. I know you wrote you want to do this as cheaply as possible. But a media player with a wide range of codec support like the wdtv will greatly reduce your need to do any conversions (that is conversions after getting a sbs file - you still need to get to that step).

    You can get a used wdtv for not a lot of money on an auction website or the used section of a major online retailer. Well worth it for file playback.

    Edit - or check out a myriad of 3d bluray players that have file support. You should be able to get one that can play mkv h264 files rather handily - as long as its sbs you just play it and set your tv to play the sbs in 3d and you are all set.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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  10. Thanks again for your suggestions. Maybe if I find a media / blu ray player cheap then I might start to consider them.
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  11. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by thorthemighty View Post
    Thanks again for your suggestions. Maybe if I find a media / blu ray player cheap then I might start to consider them.
    Just look at ebay or amazon or whatever and search there. You should be able to find them under a 100.00 usd when you look used. Probably a lot cheaper for older versions. Just be sure to read up on the file type they support before buying. The wdtv models and similar are the most versatile.

    Like I mentioned be careful of the "streaming" boxes like roku. THey are mainly meant for streaming youtube and vudu and hulu. They are usually not as robust for file support. But again just check the file types they do support before purchasing. And the first versions of Roku didn't even do 1080p so be careful when buying.

    Edit - also my bluray player I got for under a 100.00 new on sale though its wired not wireless. But it has good file support and can do ntfs drives, but just remember a media player like wdtv is superior to just about any bluray player.

    I'm sure if you check the ads you can get a wireless bluray player for under a 100.00 new. Again just make sure it can play the file types you'll be using (make sure to check the codecs not just for mkv or mp4 - look for h264 and the like ).

    One more note I haven't solved it yet but my sony bluray player doesn't seem to like dts over the usb drive. It does ac3 perfectly but I don't have a dts encoder so I can't remux it to a different level to test what might work. But a dts core doesn't play over usb. Ac3 is just fine.

    Edit 2 - also I don't know if you'd absolutely need a 3d bluray player just to do 3d mkv files - though if you are getting a 3dtv it would be kind of a waste not to get a 3d bluray player. Since I don't have 3dtv I don't know what the prices are going for for 3d bluray players. My references are for 2d bluray player only.
    Last edited by yoda313; 21st Apr 2013 at 09:56.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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  12. It is only the 3d aspect that I am interested in. I have never regarded the jump from a crt tv to a hd lcd worth the expense so have not bothered but 3d is a different matter and I am willing to shell out for such an upgrade(although as you can tell from my postings - not that much more and only when my existing tv dies on me(which could be anytime now)).
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