Error: The file 'MKV3D_3D.264' could not be opened for reading: end of file

[xenomatic]

I am new to trying to rip 3D bluray movies though I have used MakeMKV for a couple of years to create MKV's for use with Plex and had no issues playing those files.

Yesterday I used MakeMKV to rip a couple of 3D movies (after ensuring I had the MVC video option selected). I then used BD3D2MK3D 1.23 portable with Avisynth+ 64-bit (including VCRedist) installed to convert the MakeMKV files.

In both cases BD3D2MK3D ran and since I had the "Exit and encode after successful demux" checkbox selected in the process box, it automatically ran once the demux completed successfully.

In just a few moments, the encode process stopped and the console showed this message: mkvmerge v56.1.0 ('My Friend') 32-bit Error: The file 'MKV3D_3D.264' could not be opened for reading: end of file error

I did notice the MKV3D_3D.264 was empty. After reading through a couple of other posts in this forum I deleted the MKV3D_3D.264 file and manually ran __ENCODE_3D_LAUNCHER.cmd but got the same error message every time. Even after BD3D2MK3D recreated the MKV3D_3D.264 file it was still empty.

At this point the only option was to close the window and scratch my head. Not sure what else to try so any advice you could provide would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Xenomatic

My system: Windows 7 SP1 64 bit, 16GB RAM, Intel Core i5-4400 with a 250GB SSD for OS. I have several NAS devices but the one I am using for the movie conversion and storage has 5.24 TB of free space.

[Ennio]

I couldn't tell from personal experience, but if the encoding process has stopped "in a few moments", I wonder if this could be because you're using network drives.
First thing I'd try is copy a 3D movie to local harddrive and do the processing from & to that.

[xenomatic]

Thanks for the idea, I'll give that a shot.
At first I was using UNC paths but BD3D2MK3D did complain that it required drive letter paths so I switched to those and it did not complain again, though the drive letter paths were to different locations on the NAS.

[xenomatic]

Sadly moving it to a local drive did not solve the problem...I get the same results as originally noted. Thanks for the idea though.

Any other suggestions?

[Ennio]

If the same behaviour of encoding process stopping persists, a first thought would be an issue with AviSynth+. You can try re-installing it. Check both 32 and 64 bit.
Another thing, maybe your source-mkv is flawed. You can try to use a decrypted copy of the 3D disc instead, as source for BD3D2MK3D.

[r0lZ]

Sorry to reply only now. I have not noticed that thread.

IMO, the problem can be caused by the Intel drivers. They are used by the MVC decoder to re-encode properly the AVC and MVC files to SBS or TAB. But the drivers are using your hardware only if you have a suitable Intel CPU, otherwise the software version is used. Since you have an I5 CPU, the drivers use probably the hardware acceleration. Unfortunately, the Intel drivers are well known to cause many problems !

There are two possible solutions:
1. Try to update the Intel drivers to the latest version. That may fix the problem... or not.
2. Disable the hardware acceleration in BD3D2MK3D (with the menu Settings -> MVC Decoder -> Hardware Acceleration -> Disabled).

If you have to use the second solution, you can of course re-generate the whole project, but if you have kept the original files on your hard disc, you can also simply edit the __ENCODE_3D_MOVIE.avs file. Just change the line looking like this:

interleaved = FRIMSource("mvc", "MKV3D.track_1.264", "MKV3D.track_1.mvc", layout = "alt", num_frames = 190386, cache = 2, platform = "")

and replace the last argument platform = "" with platform = "sw".
Relaunch __ENCODE_3D_LAUNCHER.cmd to encode the movie. With some luck, that will work (although a little bit slower than with the hardware acceleration enabled).

Please let me know if that solved the problem. Thanks in advance.

[xenomatic]

Thanks Ennio. I tried to rip the disc directly but got a different failure error. I got rid of those files and can't remember the error message.

r0lZ, Ill give your suggestions a shot a little later today. I do still have the original MakeMKV file and will see what happens with the changes you suggest when I run BD3D2MK3D next time.

[october262]

Thanks Ennio. I tried to rip the disc directly but got a different failure error. I got rid of those files and can't remember the error message.

r0lZ, Ill give your suggestions a shot a little later today. I do still have the original MakeMKV file and will see what happens with the changes you suggest when I run BD3D2MK3D next time.

try this in post #1785 - http://forum.doom9.net/showthread.php?p=1892285

[xenomatic]

Hi r0lZ,

I had to go with option 2 and it took almost 3 hours to encode, but it did complete successfully so thanks for the help! Sadly I must not understand what option (SBS, OU etc) to select. I used the default selection, which I think is SBS, but what I got was an actual full SBS (same full picture SBS) but when I watch these movies from my Blu-ray player, the images are only slightly offset from each other, not a complete copy of the image side by side.

Sorry for being dense, but can you please tell me the correct option to choose so the final file plays as it would from a Blu-ray player? BTW, I am using Captain America Civil War as my test subject.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

[xenomatic]

Ok, I decided to try selecting the Frame Sequential Option (as I have a BenQ HT3550 projector) and while this did work slightly better, it is weird.
When it plays whatever is in the foreground looks normal 2D, everything in the background is very shaky. Hard to describe but something is still not quite right.

Not sure if this matters but I am playing this using Plex through an Nvidia Shield Pro.

Please let me know what else I may be doing wrong if you can.

Thanks again

[r0lZ]

Honestly, I don't know exactly. These problems usually depend of your player and/or hardware. What I know for sure is that Half-SBS is the most standard option, that (almost) all 3D players are able to handle correctly (probably because it's a "legit" format, well documented, like Half-OU). In the other hand, Full-SBS gives often some aspect ratio problems, depending of the 3DTV. So, IMO, the safest option is Half-Side by Side (although some owners of passive 3D TV like LG prefer Half-Top and Bottom).

Frame-sequential is probably the most difficult format to play correctly, and is only required for some projectors. The shaky playback can be caused by a limitation of your hardware, if it doesn't support the frame rate, or by the inversion of the left and right views (and it should be possible to change that setting in the player's configuration menu).

Anyway, I recommend to try Half-SBS first, and if it works, you can try to switch to Full-SBS, but you may have to select different aspect ratio options with the menu Settings -> Full-SBS/T&B Aspect Ratio. There are two settings, and modifying one or both may fix the problem you have reported.

Trick: To do a quick test, you can simply edit __ENCODE_3D.cmd and change the number of frames (--frames 190626) to encode just the beginning of the movie. (Note that the number of frames must be changed two times if you encode in 2-pass mode, not recommended anyway).

Of course, the problems can also be caused by a bad configuration of Plex or of the hardware, but since I don't use them, I can't help.

An encoding duration of about 3 hours is normal, especially for a long movie. But of course, it depends of your processor and of your encoding settings. Switching off the hardware acceleration of the MVC decoder has a very limited impact on the whole process, because the encoding is much longer than the decoding. Perhaps you have lost 10 minutes or so. Not a big deal.

[xenomatic]

I seem to be a magnet for unusual technical issues.

From what I can tell, Plex is capable of playing most any 3D content but it does not pass any indication to the projector that the content is 3D so you have to manually select it from the projector menu.

The BenQ projector supports a wide range of 3D settings and the menu allows selecting either Auto, Frame Packing, SBS or Top/Bottom. It even provides an inverse option though the active shutter glasses I use have that option as well.

Manually switching between these options has not yielded any change in the picture at all though so I'm guessing the signal is still outside it's range somehow.

So far I've tried the default Half SBS and Frame Sequential options in BD3D2MK3D and while they seem to be successfully decoding and encoding correctly now, the resulting MKV still won't play correctly.

Thanks for confirmation on encoding run time, good to know what I'm seeing is "normal". You're right, the extra few minutes is no big deal.

If I understand correctly, my next steps would be to:
• select different aspect ratio options with the menu Settings -> Full-SBS Aspect Ratio
• run BD3D2MK3D again
• then edit __ENCODE_3D.cmd to change the number of frames to something like 190626
• then run __ENCODE_3D_LAUNCHER.cmd to decode into a shorter MKV file to test

Is that correct?

Thanks again for all your help!

[r0lZ]

From what I can tell, Plex is capable of playing most any 3D content but it does not pass any indication to the projector that the content is 3D so you have to manually select it from the projector menu.

It's a common problem with players that have to pass the information to independent hardware. They pass the "minimum vital" (in French - not sure how to say that in English.)

So far I've tried the default Half SBS and Frame Sequential options in BD3D2MK3D and while they seem to be successfully decoding and encoding correctly now, the resulting MKV still won't play correctly.

Sorry for that, but I suppose you should report the problem to a Plex forum. I'm sure the Half-SBS MKV generated by BD3D2MK3D are correct, and compilent to the standard.

If I understand correctly, my next steps would be to:
• select different aspect ratio options with the menu Settings -> Full-SBS Aspect Ratio

Yes, but only if you encode in Full-SBS. That setting has no effect with Half-SBS. (I can explain why if you wish.)

• run BD3D2MK3D again

Well, I have designed BD3D2MK3D so that the power user can easily modify the generated files if necessary (hence the numerous comments in the generated files). Therefore, you can edit the files manually to suit your needs. But I agree that it's not really easy. You can also do everything with the GUI, but the price to pay is that you have to re-generate the whole project every time.

• then edit __ENCODE_3D.cmd to change the number of frames to something like 190626

No, this was only an example, taken from the last movie I have encoded. You should use a number of frames corresponding to the length of the video you want to encode. A BD3D is (AFAIK) always encoded at 23.976 fps. Let's say 24 fps. So, to encode, say, about 5 minutes, you have to encode approximately 5 minutes x 60 seconds x 24 frames = 7200 frames.

• then run __ENCODE_3D_LAUNCHER.cmd to decode into a shorter MKV file to test

Correct, Note however that the full audio and subtitle tracks will be muxed with the short video. That means that some players may show you the maximum duration, say, 2 hours, although the video cannot be played after 5 minutes.

[mk-will]

Hi xenomatic,

for a proper playing of 3D content you must know what kind of 3D videoformat your hardware can handle.

The manual of your projector (BenQ HT3550) shows the following supported 3D videoformats:
for frame packing: 720/50p, 720/60p, 1080/24p
for over-under (aka top/bottom): 720/50p, 720/60p, 1080/24p, 1080/50p, 1080/60p
for side-by-side: 720/50p, 720/60p, 1080/24p, 1080/50p, 1080/60p, 1080/50i, 1080/60i

So using frame-packing with 1080/50p won't work.

As in the manual were no information if FullSBS / FullOU is supported or only HalfSBS / HalfOU you have to test this.


Plex afaik is capable of handling 3D content correctly and telling the tv/projector the needed information, if the videofile is named following the naming convention of Plex.
Afaik the following has to be part of the filename for a sbs video: "3D" and "SBS" with a delimiter.
So to use the right naming of your videofiles have a look in the Plex-manual.

[xenomatic]

Well, I have designed BD3D2MK3D so that the power user can easily modify the generated files if necessary (hence the numerous comments in the generated files). Therefore, you can edit the files manually to suit your needs. But I agree that it's not really easy. You can also do everything with the GUI, but the price to pay is that you have to re-generate the whole project every time.

r0lZ, are you saying I could run BD3D2MK3D with say the half SBS option, then after it creates the decoded files, I could edit some of those files to make it appear that I had run it with Full SBS (without running BD3D2MK3D again)?
If so, what changes would I need to make. Sorry if I am confusing the situation.

I used the Quotes option as I couldn't figure out how you encapsulated my earlier statements. I don't do this a lot.

mk-will, thanks for taking the time to dig into my setup. Can you please tell me what resolution the default BD3D2MK3D half SBS is in? It did not work with my setup when I tried that option originally. Also, how would I choose say the SBS 1080/60i option in BD3D2MK3D as that appears to be supported by my projector.

I will confirm on the Plex site what the correct naming convention is for the MKV file though somehow I missed those instructions before.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

[r0lZ]

r0lZ, are you saying I could run BD3D2MK3D with say the half SBS option, then after it creates the decoded files, I could edit some of those files to make it appear that I had run it with Full SBS (without running BD3D2MK3D again)?
If so, what changes would I need to make. Sorry if I am confusing the situation.

Well. that's very difficult, as there are many files to edit and many changes in each file. What you can easily do is relatively small things, like changing the CRF value (for example if you think that the quality is not good enough, or if the file size is too big.) You can also add an external stream to the final MKV, for example, a subtitle file downloaded from the internet. And much more. But changing the output format is too much work, sorry.

I used the Quotes option as I couldn't figure out how you encapsulated my earlier statements. I don't do this a lot.

Just click the "Quote" button in the bottom right corner of the post you want to quote. Then, you can edit the quoted text to isolate sentences, like in this post.

Also, how would I choose say the SBS 1080/60i option in BD3D2MK3D as that appears to be supported by my projector.

You cannot do that with BD3D2MK3D, as that would require a complete re-encoding of all streams, including the audio and subtitle streams. The frame rate and progressive/interlaced mode is determined by the source BD, and is always 23.976p (more exactly, 24/1.001p, about but not exactly 24p) for a 3DBD. It's a NTSC frame rate, and it has been imposed to the whole world, regardless of the region where the 3DBD is distributed. Your hardware should therefore support that resolution and frame rate, as otherwise it would not be possible to watch a commercial 3DBD ! Not sure why 23.976p is not listed in the post by mk-will.

Also, the "i" in "60i" means interlaced. Interlaced video is only used for TV. All movies for theatres are progressive.

The only things that you can easily change regarding the output format and frame rate is the half or full resolution for SBS and OU, and you can also reduce the resolution to 720p (useful mainly if you want a small file size, for example to watch the movie with your phone and VR lenses).

[xenomatic]

Just click the "Quote" button in the bottom right corner of the post you want to quote. Then, you can edit the quoted text to isolate sentences, like in this post.

Think I've got it now. Thanks! Also I appreciate your clarification on what can be more easily changed in the decoded files. I'll just run BD3D2MK3D again.

Also, the "i" in "60i" means interlaced. Interlaced video is only used for TV. All movies for theatres are progressive.

I didn't realize interlaced was for TV only but I was just using it here as an example. Thanks again for clarification.

The only things that you can easily change regarding the output format and frame rate is the half or full resolution for SBS and OU...

This is all way over my head so hope this question isn't meaningless, but can you please tell me what resolution the default BD3D2MK3D half SBS is in? Or is it dependent on the original BD? Is this info contained in one of the decoded files where I can see it? Still not sure why the original BD plays fine but the rip does not.

As in the manual were no information if FullSBS / FullOU is supported or only HalfSBS / HalfOU you have to test this.

Thanks mk-will. I guess the next step is to try the FullSBS option as the HalfSBS did not work before.

[r0lZ]

The original resolution of the 3DBD is 1920x1080, but on the BD, there are two independent video streams, one for each eye.
When you convert the BD to MKV, you have to concatenate the two views in one single stream. Full-SBS means that the two views are simply stacked horizontally, side by side. The resolution is therefore 3840x1080 (or 1920x2160 for Full-OU). In Half-SBS mode, the two views are also stacked horizontally, but in addition, they are resized horizontally to 1920x1080. Therefore, the width of each view is divided by two (and the height for Half-OU).

BTW, the problem of the aspect ratio of Full-SBS is caused by the fact that the combined image is twice as large as the final view, as shown by the TV. Unfortunately, some TVs assume that the aspect ratio describes the combined image (32:9), and other TVs assume that it describes the final view (16:9). And if you provide the AR that is good for one TV, it is wrong for the other. Hence the Aspect Ratio options in the Settings menu. For Half-SBS, there is no problem, because the AR of the combined image is identical to the one of the final view: 16:9 in both case. It's why I suppose that modifying the AR in Full-SBS can solve the problem you have reported, but is not relevant for Half-SBS.

However, I remember that someone has reported a bug with a player. I don't remember what player it was (perhaps Plex ?) Anyway, simply REMOVING completely the AR from the MKV container solved the problem. Try it. That may work... or not. Edit the __MUX_3D_OPTIONS.json file, and simply remove these two lines in the 3D Video Stream section:

	"--aspect-ratio",
	"0:16/9",

Then, double-click the __MUX_3D.cmd file to remux the MKV with the modified option file. (I assume here that the video stream has already been encoded.)

Good luck !

[xenomatic]

Hi r0lZ, I'll give that a try if the current Full SBS encode doesn't work right away.

And I think I asked the wrong question...if the resolution is essentially 1080p, what is the default frame rate (24, 50, 60) for the Half SBS option? Would default framerate be the same for the Full SBS option?

I'm also wondering if the Plex file name structure may be having an impact on this as I have not been changing it from the default BD3D2MK3D is creating. So I now have at least 4 other potential scenarios to test.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Happy Holidays!

[r0lZ]

Yes, the frame rate is always 23.976 fps for a 3DBD, and as I have explained in my previous post, it cannot be changed by BD3D2MK3D.

Note that it is possible to mux manually the video stream encoded by BD3D2MK3D with one or several audio streams encoded for a different frame rate, like for example 25fps for an audio stream coming from a PAL DVD. But that's only useful if you don't have the audio you need on the original 3DBD. In fact, it is easy to change the frame rate of the video, but more difficult for the audio, subtitles and even chapters, as they need to be re-encoded (or stretched by options of the MKV mux, but that's not recommended). This is why BD3D2MK3D uses always the original frame rate of the BD (and unfortunately it's always the absurd NTSC frame rate of 23.976 fps).

IMO, the special 3D identifiers in the file name is only useful to force Plex to switch automatically to the 3D format (SBS, OU, FS), but you should be able to switch it manually from its playback configuration options. I don't think that changing the file name will fix the aspect ratio problem you have experienced. Anyway, you can try. (Note also the menu Settings -> Output File Name, that allow you to define the file name suitable for your player. Of course, the file name can also be easily edited manually, but BD3D2MK3D can generate it automatically for you !)

[mk-will]

Frame rates on a BD can be (for 1920*1080): 23.976p, 24p, 25i, 29.97i (as mentioned on Wikipedia under Blu-Ray).
Most people/manuals use 24p also as a synonym for 23.976p, and I just cited the Benq manual.
And as most 3D movies are made for cinema I think they will be stored in 24p on the blu-ray disc.

The problem with the view (btw what exactly means "when I watch these movies from my Blu-ray player, the images are only slightly offset from each other, not a complete copy of the image side by side") I think is that the projector handles the SbS as a normal 2D video.
And if I'm correct that is why Plex (if it is used) must know about the 3D content and how it is stored (SbS, OU, FS) in the videofile.

If a BluRay player is used it is the same for the player. The player must know about the 3D content of the videofile.

At the end of the day you must know about the technique used and the needed settings.
You must know what kind of 3D content the used software (Plex) can handle and what the used hardware (blu-ray player, projector) can handle (usable codecs, container and their respective settings).

Happy new year!

[r0lZ]

Frame rates on a BD can be (for 1920*1080): 23.976p, 24p, 25i, 29.97i (as mentioned on Wikipedia under Blu-Ray).
Most people/manuals use 24p also as a synonym for 23.976p, and I just cited the Benq manual.
And as most 3D movies are made for cinema I think they will be stored in 24p on the blu-ray disc.

Unfortunately, for 3D movies, only 23.976 fps is used on blu-ray. I don't know why, but all 3DBD share the same frame rate, including in PAL countries, where 23.976 is an aberration. AFAIK, there is no exception.

24p is indeed the frame rate of the real movies, 2D or 3D, as projected in theatres, and the 3D blu-ray specifications should have adopted that frame rate everywhere, but it's not the case, probably because the 3D BD standard has been decided in the US. Of course, in PAL lands, 2D movies are usually correctly encoded at 24 fps.

Imo, using 24p as a synonym for 23.976 is a terrible mistake, as that two frame rates are used totally differently. However, I hope it's the case of the Benq manual, as otherwise that would be a very bad player for 3D content.

The problem with the view (btw what exactly means "when I watch these movies from my Blu-ray player, the images are only slightly offset from each other, not a complete copy of the image side by side") I think is that the projector handles the SbS as a normal 2D video.

Yes, probably. But "slightly offset" is strange. I know that some hardware players require totally wired 3D formats to play the file correctly. A user of BD3D2MK3D asked me if it is possible to add a large black bar between the two views, because his player requires it to detect the 3D format ! Since the width of the black bar was an odd number of pixels, it was simply impossible to encode a video in that format (due to the necessity to have an even number of pixels in the whole image). Therefore, that player was totally unable to play any 3D content, despite what the manual stated. Perhaps the Benq requires also something strange like that, but I don't think so. Half-SBS is a well established standard, and any descent 3D player should be able to support it !

And if I'm correct that is why Plex (if it is used) must know about the 3D content and how it is stored (SbS, OU, FS) in the videofile.

Indeed. It's why BD3D2MK3D supports the 3 usual methods to include the information in the output MKV: the frame-packing argument for the h264 video stream (sadly not available with h265), the stereo-mode argument for the MKV header, and the 3D extension in the file name (that should never be necessary). But even with the 3 arguments correctly set, some players do not recognize the 3D format. In that case, you have to select it manually in the settings of the player.

Also, Plex must pass the video to the Benq with the correct 3D information, understandable by the player. Maybe it's the cause of the problem ?

Happy new year!

Happy new year to everybody !

[xenomatic]

Yes, the frame rate is always 23.976 fps for a 3DBD, and as I have explained in my previous post, it cannot be changed by BD3D2MK3D.

I can now see where you have explained this to me time and again. Not sure why it didn't register in my pea brain before but I get it now. Thanks for your patience.

...btw what exactly means "when I watch these movies from my Blu-ray player, the images are only slightly offset from each other, not a complete copy of the image side by side

So when I watch 3D movies from my Samsung Blu-ray player on either of my 3D projectors, I have never seen a full side by side image. The main picture always just looks blurry due to only slight SBS picture offset. The text when shown is likewise kind of blurry but it is easier to see the images are offset side by side, not over/under.

When trying to watch the ripped 3D MKV's, what I see with or without the active glasses are 2 complete copies of the same image with no overlap or gap between them. So this is strange to me as I have never seen it before. I hope that makes sense.

I have tried all the different options provided but so far no love. Using the Plex naming convention did not make any difference either, nor did manually going through the 3D options in the projectors menu.

I tried watching the 3D MKV files with Plex, VLC and Kodi through the Nvidia Shield Pro and then again with Plex from my Roku Ultra and always with the same result...I see 2 identical images side by side but no matter what I do with the active shutter glasses, the images do not merge (or do anything else either...just no change other than brightness).

At this point I may have to just live with playing them from my Blu-ray player which isn't really a burden but it would have been nice to get them all in my digital library with the rest of my movies. Ah well..

Thanks again to you both for all your help and I hope we can ALL have a great 2022!

[r0lZ]

Well, the SBS image is indeed made of two images side by side. But of course, when you watch them in 3D, they are (almost) exactly superposed, with only an horizontal offset of a few pixels in some parts of the images, and some parts coinciding exactly. When you put your 3D-glasses, each view is sent to the corresponding eye, and you see the 3D depth effect. Of course, if you don't have the glasses on your nose, you see only something like an horizontally blurred image, with no depth at all.

If you see the two images really side by side (without the blurry effect), that means that the 3D mode of the hardware player (the Benq) is not enabled. It's not a problem with the MKV, but with the settings of the player, or the fact that it doesn't "understand" automatically the correct 3D mode.

If the player is correctly configured, you should see (almost) exactly the same thing when you play the 3D MKV and when you play the 3D blu-ray.

[xenomatic]

Well, the SBS image is indeed made of two images side by side. But of course, when you watch them in 3D, they are (almost) exactly superposed, with only an horizontal offset of a few pixels in some parts of the images, and some parts coinciding exactly.

This defines my experience when using the blu-ray player exactly.

If you see the two images really side by side (without the blurry effect), that means that the 3D mode of the hardware player (the Benq) is not enabled.

That's the thing though, I have manually enabled the 3D mode on the projector using every option available but none of them makes a difference to the appearance of the entirely side by side image. There is no blurring or overlap of the images at all regardless of what option I select. If I put the BD in the player though it appears as described above.

That's what's so frustrating about this. I can't figure out what is preventing the projector from displaying it correctly even though I know it is capable of it.

I still have the last batch of encoded files and the resultant MKV where I selected half SBS in case you have any other suggestions on what I might do but I'm all out of ideas.

Thanks again.

[r0lZ]

Honestly, I don't think I can help much more. This is probably a limitation of your hardware. I suggest to post the description of the problem in a forum dedicated to the Benq, or to contact the help desk.

[xenomatic]

Honestly, I don't think I can help much more. This is probably a limitation of your hardware. I suggest to post the description of the problem in a forum dedicated to the Benq, or to contact the help desk.

Understood. Thanks again for all your hard work and exceptional support!

Happy New Year!