BD3D2MK3D v1.17: Convert 3D BDs or MKV to 3D SBS, T&B or Frame-sequential MKV

[kevbo]

There are actually lenses in the Google Cardboard things. I don't entirely understand why: I think they spread the image out to fill out more of your field of vision.

The video player "pre-distorts" the image. It doesn't just display the video as encoded, it splits it into two images and kind of "rounds" each one out, so it ends up in the middle of the lens on the Cardboard, which spreads it back out again.

It actually looks nice. It was more complicated than I thought it would be. Things "just work" though after being encoded by BD3DMK3D: the video players detect everything automatically.

Thanks!

[r0lZ]

Originally Posted by kevbo

There are actually lenses in the Google Cardboard things. I don't entirely understand why: I think they spread the image out to fill out more of your field of vision.

The lenses are necessary because the screen (your phone) is very close to your eyes, and they cannot focus on the image at such a short distance without a correction.

Originally Posted by kevbo

The video player "pre-distorts" the image. It doesn't just display the video as encoded, it splits it into two images and kind of "rounds" each one out, so it ends up in the middle of the lens on the Cardboard, which spreads it back out again.

I see. But does that means that you see a relatively small image in the center of the view, like with a TV in a room? If it's the case, that reduces greatly the interest of the technique.

Originally Posted by kevbo

It actually looks nice. It was more complicated than I thought it would be. Things "just work" though after being encoded by BD3DMK3D: the video players detect everything automatically.

Indeed, BD3D2MK3D adds the 3D information in all possible locations (the frame-packing in the AVC stream, the stereoscopy in the MKV container, and a 3D string in the file name). A good player should therefore switch to the right 3D mode automatically.

I have had a look at the VR players on the Play Store. There is a lot of apps. Not sure what is the best. Can you conform that AAA VR Cinema and VR Player can decode the 3D videos encoded in HEVC with x265 ? IMO, to reduce the disc space without loosing much quality, it is preferable to encode with that very efficient codec than with x264, but many players are still unable to decode h265 correctly.

[r0lZ]

And here is the version that adds the possibility to convert the audio to stereo or ProLogic, to regain more disc space. It includes also the new version of SRTtoASS3D with some minor fixes).

v1.3 (November 23, 2017)
- Added the possibility to convert the audio streams to Dolby ProLogic II or to Stereo (in addition to AC3 and AAC).
- Subtitle Tools -> Convert SRT to ASS 3D (SRTtoASS3D.tcl) updated to v0.5, with some improvements and a possible bug fixed (see here)
- The warnings about Full SBS/T&B, x265, 10 or 12-bit color depth etc... are not displayed any more when the program starts.
- Changed the download link for x264 and x265 to VideoHelp.
- Updated the mkvtoolnix exes to the latest version (v18.0.0)
- Restored x265 to the latest stable version (v2.5+5)

Download: BD3D2MK3D.7z

[Woody3D]

Originally Posted by r0lZ

BD3D2MK3D is a GUI to convert movies from 3D BDs to 3D MKV video files in Full or Half Side by Side, Top & Bottom or Frame sequential format, encoded in h264 with x264 (or in h265 with x265). Since v0.87, BD3D2MK3D can also accept lossless 3D AVC+MVC files created with MakeMKV as input.

I have written it mainly because it was difficult to do all operations necessary to do the conversion manually, and because the documentation about the method to use was poor and spread over a lot of posts in this long and technical thread: Guide to convert BD 3D to 3D Left+Right Stereoscopic and Anaglyph.

My first attempt resulted in BD3D2AVS, and was based on eac3to, ldecod and ssifsource. Ldecod was used to decode the dependent view of the stereoscopic input streams. It works well, but it is terribly slow, and is was therefore not a good solution. Luckily, the external tools have evolved, and I wrote a second version of the GUI, called BD3D2MK3D. The original BD3D2MK3D was mainly based on ssifSource and DirectShowMVCSource, but is now also obsolete.

Starting with v0.30, BD3D2MK3D is based on new tools, much more efficient, like the tsMuxeR update for 3D blu-ray and the Intel MVC decoder to decode the dependent view, with the help of the avisynth plugin DGMVCSource by Donald Graft or FRIMSource by videofan3d. The GUI uses also a lot of other tools. See the Help menu for a list of the most important tools.

As you can see in the original thread, the development of the method and the tools necessary to do the conversion was a collective effort. I wish to thank all contributors.

Currently, BD3D2MK3D is mature enough to have its own thread, and it's why I have created this thread. Please post all questions and bug reports related to BD3D2MK3D here, and all questions about the external tools that my GUI uses in their respective threads or in the original guide thread. Thanks!

Features of BD3D2MK3D:

• Convert any 3D playlist from a properly decoded blu-ray 3D to a standalone Half-side by side or Half-top & bottom (aka Over/Under) 3D MKV file.
• Can also accept as input a 3D-MKV file created with MakeMKV (with the option to include the 3D MVC stream).
• Can optionally convert to Full-SBS, Full-T&B or Full-Frame Sequential 3D.
• Can resize the output to 720p
• Can output a 3D stream compatible with 3D-Ready DLP projectors (720p Frame Sequential at 59.94fps).
• Can convert the subtitle streams to 3D, using the depth stored in the original BD for each individual subtitles. (The subtitles can also be kept in 2D if you wish.)
• Can hardcode (or "burn") a subtitle stream (all or forced captions only) over the video with the right depth for each individual subtitles.
• The subtitles can be muxed in the original BD SUP format for an excellent quality or in VobSub (IDX/SUB) format for a better compatibility.
• It is even possible, with some manual work and the help of the Tools menu of BD3D2MK3D, to use a subtitle stream coming from another source (such as a SRT downloaded from the internet or a SUP stream from the 2D BD of the same movie) and convert it to 3D with (approximately) the right depth values to mux it within the final MKV or hardcode it to the video. See the mini guide here.
• Can extract the regular 5.1 DTS or AC3 cores of the DTS-HD, DTS-HD-MA, E-AC3 and TrueHD audio streams.
• Can convert the audio tracks to AC3 or AAC for a better compatibility or a smaller file size.
• The chapter points are automatically preserved in the final MKV file.
• Can include tags about the movie (movie title, director, producer, actors, summary, comments, etc...)
• Can add some seconds of black at the beginning or end of the video so that the user has some time to configure his 3D TV and to turn his active 3D glasses on before the beginning of the movie.
• The encoding to h264 is made with x264 (32 or 64-bit) for an excellent image quality, and the user can select the most important encoding settings, such as the encoding mode (CQ, CRF, ABR or 2-pass), the preset, tune, profile and level. It can also specify manually additional options if he wish.
• The correct 3D video mode is automatically defined in the h264 video stream (the "frame-packing"), in the header of the MKV video file (the stereoscopy mode), and optionally in the file name, so that most TVs and 3D players can switch automatically to the right 3D mode when the file is played.
• The final MKV file is automatically muxed at the end of the encoding, and there is an option to shutdown the computer when everything is finished.
• BD3D2MK3D has also some independent tools, notably powerful tools to convert an external subtitle stream to 3D, using the 3D depth values extracted from the original 3DBD, and optionally the subtitle positions cloned from another subtitle file.
• And much more...

Download:

• The latest version of BD3D2MK3D can always be downloaded here: BD3D2MK3D.7z
• The obsolete BD3D2AVS based on ldecod can still be downloaded here: BD3D2AVS.7z

Please note that BD3D2AVS and BD3D2MK3D v0.23 are obsolete. They are still available if you want to try the old conversion methods, but they are no longer developed, and they do not contain all features and bug fixes of the latest BD3D2MK3D. Use them at your own risk!

Installation:

• Pre-required and recommended programs:
  • BD3D2MK3D requires Windows Vista or greater to work properly. Windows XP is not supported (due to incompatibilities in the Intel MVC decoder).
  • Avisynth v2.5 must be properly installed on your computer. (It's a complex program, but you don't need to use it directly. Just install it.)
  • To convert the subtitles to 3D or to IDX/SUB format, it is highly recommended to install Java (32 or 64-bit). (It is possible to use BDSup2Sub++ instead of the Java version of BDSup2Sub, but it has several important bugs and it is not developed any more. It is therefore not recommended.)
  • It is also recommended to install a good video player that can play BD's M2TS and MPLS files and that let you select any audio or subtitle stream. The player is used only for the preview. The free players PotPlayer or MPC-HC do the job well, but there are many other good players. Just avoid the Windows Media Player, that doesn't work well at all.
  • Since BD3D2MK3D doesn't decrypt the commercial 3DBDs, you need a way to decrypt them. That can be a good BD decrypter that can create an ISO on hard disc, such as DVDFab HD Decrypter or Ideal Blu-Ray Copy. You can also use AnyDVD HD, that decrypts the original BD on the fly. It is also possible to decrypt only the title you want and convert it to lossless 3D-MKV with MakeMKV, preferably v1.9.11 or greater. (MakeMKV is free while in beta if you use the key provided here.)
• To install BD3D2MK3D, simply extract the content of the 7Z archive to a directory of your choice. BD3D2MK3D saves its settings in its installation directory, and doesn't use the Windows registry. It is therefore highly recommended to install it in a folder where you have full access rights. Do not install it in Program Files or in Program Files (x86). (If you cannot open the 7Z archive, you need a good archiver program such as 7Zip.)
• If you wish, you can create a shortcut to BD3D2MK3D.exe in your Start menu (or Start Screen under Windows 8). Or you can simply open the installation folder in Explorer, and double-click BD3D2MK3D.exe to launch the program.

I got it working again, I forgot to install support programs!

THANK YOU!! Love it!

[r0lZ]

Thanks, and welcome to the Doom9 forums.
But it was not necessary to quote the whole first post.

[Wildfire]

Recently installed v1.3 and today I tried encoding... but it fails, on two separate computers, right after generating the project finishes:

missing operand at _@_
in expression "round(+ _@_* 1000)"
missing operand at _@_
in expression "round(+ _@_* 1000)"
(parsing expression "round(+ * 1000)")
invoked from within
"expr round($audiodelays($audiouid) * 1000)"
(procedure "GetMKVAudioDelays" line 48)
invoked from within
"GetMKVAudioDelays $mplsfile"
(procedure "GenerateAvs" line 1346)
invoked from within
"GenerateAvs"
invoked from within
".nbf5.gf.gen invoke "
invoked from within
".nbf5.gf.gen instate {pressed !disabled} { .nbf5.gf.gen state !pressed; .nbf5.gf.gen invoke } "
(command bound to event)

I'm trying to encode a 3D MKV created with MakeMKV, something I've done dozens of times before without any issues.

Support tools are installed. 32- or 64-bits AVS2YUV doesn't make any difference...

Audio track is DTS by the way, which I left untouched (no conversion to AC3 or AAC).

[r0lZ]

Hum, that's strange, as I have not modified that part of the code. Perhaps it's because MakeMKV has changed. Or it's because the new version of MkvInfo doesn't return exactly the same information than previously. I will have a look...

[r0lZ]

Indeed, it's a change in MkvInfo that caused the bug. (That bug doesn't affect the creation of a project from a BD; it happens only when a project is created from an AVC+MVC MKV.) I have modified the code so that it is now able to use indifferently the new or old versions of MkvInfo, and I hope that the output of MkvInfo will not be modified again without notice !

v1.4 (November 25, 2017)
- Fix: Crash when creating a project from a MKV (due to changes in the output of MkvInfo v18.0)

Download: BD3D2MK3D.7z

[Wildfire]

Originally Posted by r0lZ

Indeed, it's a change in MkvInfo that caused the bug. (That bug doesn't affect the creation of a project from a BD; it happens only when a project is created from an AVC+MVC MKV.) I have modified the code so that it is now able to use indifferently the new or old versions of MkvInfo, and I hope that the output of MkvInfo will not be modified again without notice !

Download: BD3D2MK3D.7z

Thanks! I didn't expect it to be fixed this soon

I'll have a look and see if it works now.

-- Edit: yup, after creating the project encoding starts as it should. Yay!

[frank]

Latest eac3to version is now v3.34 and supports more new formats.

v3.34
* fixed: "min/maxPlayListRuntime" worked for listing, but not processing

v3.33
* fixed a couple of HEVC bitstream bugs
* added new parameter "-minPlayListRuntime=0:15:00"
* added new parameter "-maxPlayListRuntime=4:00:00"
* added support for ".264" and ".265" file extensions

v3.32
* added support for UHD Blu-Ray playlists and clip infos
* added support for h265/HEVC bitstream parsing
* added support for m2ts h265/HEVC splitting
* added support for MKV h265/HEVC splitting
* added support for h265/HEVC framerate modifications
* added detection for Dolby Vision Enhancement Layer

Maybe worth an update.

[r0lZ]

OK, I'll update it for the next release, although it is normally used only to convert audio streams well supported with v3.31.
Anyway, thanks for the info.

[kevbo]

Sorry for my delay in responding...the US Thanksgiving weekend got the best of me and I forgot.

Originally Posted by r0lZ

I see. But does that means that you see a relatively small image in the center of the view, like with a TV in a room? If it's the case, that reduces greatly the interest of the technique.

No, it isn't all that small. The lenses in the headset "grow" the image. Shop around on Amazon: some of the newer headsets actually talk about having like 110-120 degree FOV.

Originally Posted by r0lZ

I have had a look at the VR players on the Play Store. There is a lot of apps. Not sure what is the best. Can you conform that AAA VR Cinema and VR Player can decode the 3D videos encoded in HEVC with x265 ?

I'm pretty sure that those players just use the built-in media framework of your device to play the video, and just wrap it in 3D GPU Shaders to shape the image. As such, decoding x.265 would depend entirely on the version of Android you have, and your hardware support. I wouldn't attempt x.265 in software, and I'm using an old Nexus 5 that doesn't support it in hardware, so I've honestly not tried x.265. If you know your hardware can play an x.265 video normally, it should be OK in the 3D players.

[r0lZ]

OK, good information. Thanks again.

Have you already tested the new option to downmix the audio streams to ProLogic or stereo ? I did some tests myself, but rapidly, and only with a few short clips. In particular, I'm not sure the downmix is correctly made when the source is already in AC3 or THD.

[sjwoo]

Originally Posted by Python_61

I am getting the following error message when BD3D2MK3d v 1.1 attempts to encode a 3D video, on my laptop.

"The type of file 'MKV3D_3d.264' could not be recognized"

My desktop does not give me this error.

Does anyone here know what I need to do to eliminate this error?

Thanks
Python_61

This reply is really old, but it's because I just started using BD3D2MK3D! I got this error, too. It's because I didn't have Avisynth installed.

[r0lZ]

Originally Posted by sjwoo

This reply is really old ...

Yeah, but thanks for the reply. I will try to add a check to ensure that Avisynth is correctly installed when BD3D2MK3D starts.

[Wildfire]

I've been experiencing x264 encoder crashes (the basic "has stopped working" error). Switching back to the previous x264 release fixes everything. Am I the only one with this problem?

[r0lZ]

I've just launched a new encoding to verify, and it has started without problem. I will report here if it crashes before the end of the encoding.
Can you confirm that it's v0.152.2851 (Komisar build) that crashes? Do you use the 64 or 32-bit version?

[Wildfire]

Originally Posted by r0lZ

I've just launched a new encoding to verify, and it has started without problem. I will report here if it crashes before the end of the encoding.
Can you confirm that it's v0.152.2851 (Komisar build) that crashes? Do you use the 64 or 32-bit version?

Yes, that version, 64-bit but I also tried 32-bit.

Currently I'm on v0.150.2833.0 and the encodes that failed with v0.152.2851 work fine with this older version.

I'll try a new encode tonight with the current version of x264 and I'll check if I can dig up any errors in the Windows log files...

[r0lZ]

No problem here with v0.152.2851 64-bit.

Are you sure that your Avisynth is correctly installed ? It is possible that x264 crashes because Avisynth sends a bad frame or issues an error not correctly handled by x264. Also, I recommend to use only the "standard" Avisynth v2.60. Other versions can have many bugs or subtle differences gthat can be incompatible with BD3D2MK3D.

Another possible cause of crash is a bad BD, possibly with a read-error, or a BD not correctly decrypted. But of course, it the encoding crashes with several BDs, you can exclude this case.

[Wildfire]

Originally Posted by r0lZ

No problem here with v0.152.2851 64-bit.

Are you sure that your Avisynth is correctly installed ? It is possible that x264 crashes because Avisynth sends a bad frame or issues an error not correctly handled by x264. Also, I recommend to use only the "standard" Avisynth v2.60. Other versions can have many bugs or subtle differences gthat can be incompatible with BD3D2MK3D.

Another possible cause of crash is a bad BD, possibly with a read-error, or a BD not correctly decrypted. But of course, it the encoding crashes with several BDs, you can exclude this case.

I started having problems with a recent BD3D2MK3D update, which included the new x264. I never had problems before.

The issue also persists on my 2nd PC so that's why I thought it might be a software issue, and after replacing the x264 executable with the previous release my suspicion was confirmed.

I'm using AviSynth 2.60 as found on https://sourceforge.net/projects/avisynth2/ - the standard release, as you call it.

I use MakeMKV to create 3D MKV's which then serve as input for BD3D2MK3D. Yes, it's the latest version (1.10.8).

I'm currently trying a few new encodes. The crashes occured on several movies but I forgot which ones exactly. :P