Blu-ray 3D FAQ
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 3:39 am
FAQ Last Revised: August 21, 2021.
Forums
Posting Guidelines
- Read this FAQ first.
- Double check that you are using the latest version of MakeMKV.
- If your problem is related to a specific 3D disc, search this 3D forum for the name of the movie. If there's an existing thread, you might find a solution there or you can add to it.
- If you don't find an existing thread, make a new thread with the title of the movie as the subject of the thread. This increases the chance that someone who owns the same disc will see the thread and help you, and it helps others having the same issue to find related threads in the future. (Short and generic thread titles such as "help" or "3D MKV" are not as helpful.)
Ripping
How can I tell if MakeMKV recognizes a Blu-ray 3D disc?
The video track will be expandable. The primary "Mpeg4 AVC" video track is the left eye ("2D"), and you must then select the sub/indented/child "Mpeg4 MVC" (3D) video track for the right eye.
You can also look at the Title Information when you select the title. Each item in the Segment Map listing will be a pair of segments separated by a slash. One segment is the left eye, the other segment is the right eye.
Can MakeMKV select the MVC (3D) track by default?
In MakeMKV's Preferences in the Advanced tab, in the "Default selection rule" add "+sel:(mvcvideo)" (without the quotes, and with a comma between existing rules). You can leave this as a permanent rule and it won't have any effect on non-3D discs.
What is MVC?
Blu-ray 3D video is encoded and stored as MVC (Multiview Video Coding). The AVC video stream contains the left eye video, and the MVC video stream contains the delta needed to create the right eye video.
Can I rip just the AVC track and have a "2D" version of the movie, or can I watch a 3D MKV in 2D?
Yes to both, but you'll be watching the left eye of the 3D version, not the original "2D" version of the film. There can be notable differences especially in movies that weren't filmed natively in 3D but were converted afterwards (most 3D movies today), usually involving extensive digital painting in order to do the 3D conversion. (In this Jurassic Park example, look at wisps of hair removed from Ellie and Malcolm's heads, the background being zoomed in, the foreground seat cushion being stretched, and heavy DNR.) Some 3D Blu-rays (especially early ones) offered both "2D" and 3D on one disc, and they would just play the left eye for "2D" watching. Another less common option is that in some cases, a single disc might even include completely separate 2D and 3D versions, at the expense of the video bitrate of both (due to having to fit the movie on the disc twice). Thankfully, nowadays most 3D releases are combo packs that include the 2D version on a separate disc.
Playback
What software players can play 3D MKV files?
mpc-hc or mpc-be with madvr can play 3D MKV files, including an option for on-the-fly conversion to SBS. This thread details the steps one user followed to achieve playback using this software.
Processing
Why doesn't MakeMKV rip to SBS or "frame packed"?
MakeMKV transfers an exact, lossless copy of the content on your disc into the MKV container. The native format of 3D Blu-rays is not SBS, Top/Bottom, "frame packed," etc. These are all output formats/methods generated from the AVC/MVC streams by the playback device, so that a display device can receive and then display the 3D video. Blu-ray hardware players decode the AVC/MVC streams and then "pack" them for HDMI 1.4 output.
How can I convert 3D MKV to SBS?
BD3D2MK3D can encode 3D MKVs to "Side by Side" or "Top Bottom" with optional "Half" mode ("Half" is usually what people mean by SBS).
Forums
Posting Guidelines
- Read this FAQ first.
- Double check that you are using the latest version of MakeMKV.
- If your problem is related to a specific 3D disc, search this 3D forum for the name of the movie. If there's an existing thread, you might find a solution there or you can add to it.
- If you don't find an existing thread, make a new thread with the title of the movie as the subject of the thread. This increases the chance that someone who owns the same disc will see the thread and help you, and it helps others having the same issue to find related threads in the future. (Short and generic thread titles such as "help" or "3D MKV" are not as helpful.)
Ripping
How can I tell if MakeMKV recognizes a Blu-ray 3D disc?
The video track will be expandable. The primary "Mpeg4 AVC" video track is the left eye ("2D"), and you must then select the sub/indented/child "Mpeg4 MVC" (3D) video track for the right eye.
You can also look at the Title Information when you select the title. Each item in the Segment Map listing will be a pair of segments separated by a slash. One segment is the left eye, the other segment is the right eye.
Can MakeMKV select the MVC (3D) track by default?
In MakeMKV's Preferences in the Advanced tab, in the "Default selection rule" add "+sel:(mvcvideo)" (without the quotes, and with a comma between existing rules). You can leave this as a permanent rule and it won't have any effect on non-3D discs.
What is MVC?
Blu-ray 3D video is encoded and stored as MVC (Multiview Video Coding). The AVC video stream contains the left eye video, and the MVC video stream contains the delta needed to create the right eye video.
Can I rip just the AVC track and have a "2D" version of the movie, or can I watch a 3D MKV in 2D?
Yes to both, but you'll be watching the left eye of the 3D version, not the original "2D" version of the film. There can be notable differences especially in movies that weren't filmed natively in 3D but were converted afterwards (most 3D movies today), usually involving extensive digital painting in order to do the 3D conversion. (In this Jurassic Park example, look at wisps of hair removed from Ellie and Malcolm's heads, the background being zoomed in, the foreground seat cushion being stretched, and heavy DNR.) Some 3D Blu-rays (especially early ones) offered both "2D" and 3D on one disc, and they would just play the left eye for "2D" watching. Another less common option is that in some cases, a single disc might even include completely separate 2D and 3D versions, at the expense of the video bitrate of both (due to having to fit the movie on the disc twice). Thankfully, nowadays most 3D releases are combo packs that include the 2D version on a separate disc.
Playback
What software players can play 3D MKV files?
mpc-hc or mpc-be with madvr can play 3D MKV files, including an option for on-the-fly conversion to SBS. This thread details the steps one user followed to achieve playback using this software.
Processing
Why doesn't MakeMKV rip to SBS or "frame packed"?
MakeMKV transfers an exact, lossless copy of the content on your disc into the MKV container. The native format of 3D Blu-rays is not SBS, Top/Bottom, "frame packed," etc. These are all output formats/methods generated from the AVC/MVC streams by the playback device, so that a display device can receive and then display the 3D video. Blu-ray hardware players decode the AVC/MVC streams and then "pack" them for HDMI 1.4 output.
How can I convert 3D MKV to SBS?
BD3D2MK3D can encode 3D MKVs to "Side by Side" or "Top Bottom" with optional "Half" mode ("Half" is usually what people mean by SBS).