Ways to Watch a 3D Blu-ray Without a 3D TV

[gunmasterg9]

Originally Posted by Joe D.

Hi DJ,

Thanks for the interesting information. Way over my head, however.

Do have a few discs that are 3D only and a second home theater system without 3D. If really wanted to see them in the den or in 2D guess I would just get the blu ray copy.

But thanks again. Hoping you might come up with something simpler us "dummies" can work around with. It would be helpful for those of us with multiple set ups.

I have them in 2D however there are certain scenes which are open matte and offer more depth to the picture on the 3D versions but 3D makes me abit nauseous.
The Cap America Civil War fight on the 2D version is framed at 2.35:1 where as on the 3D disk the fight is open matte which adds so much depth and wow factor to the fight scene.
I have noticed something today I converted my 3D disk to 2D and found that there were occasional small black line in on the left side of the screen. However I watched the same scene via the actual 3D disk in full 3D and the picture has got black line down the left side during some of the shots. Is this an encoding issue of 3D disks. It's the same with doctor strange.

[MovieFan2016]

Hello friends. Recently, I was gifted a LG OLED 55C7T 2017 model.

Although it looks good, to my utter dismay, it has no 3d. So I was wondering how can I watch 3d movies on it?

I don't have a laptop with blu-ray player and/or 3d capability OR a seprate 3d blu-ray player, so how to resolve this issue?


Anyone having expertise in this subject matter please share your opinion and/or solution.

[bavanut]

Assuming you are absolutely sincere in your desire to watch 3-D Blu-rays, you will have to have a 3-D Blu-ray player and the requisite 3D Blu-ray discs. This is nonnegotiable.

You will then have to consider whether you are willing to settle for anaglyphic ("red and cyan," or sometimes "blue and amber") 3-D. If so, there are several devices available that will convert discrete left and right stereo pairs into anaglyphic imagery for your existing TV, one such device being the 3D Video Wizard. An Amazon or eBay search will be fruitful.

For many of us, red-and-cyan anaglyphs are a definite step backwards. There are some here who will express horror and outrage at the very idea of anaglyphic television. If you do explore the anaglyph option, please know that I make no claims as to the quality of the devices or the resulting imagery. I am just giving you information to consider.

There are other potential alternatives. 3D Fury converter boxes purport to convert a 2-D television to 3-D, using active shutter glasses and emitter (sold separately). The Edison 3D converter box makes a similar claim. I have not tried either one—I merely present the names so that you may run a Google search and come to your own conclusions.

I hope this information helps.

[MovieFan2016]

Originally Posted by bavanut

Assuming you are absolutely sincere in your desire to watch 3-D Blu-rays, you will have to have a 3-D Blu-ray player and the requisite 3D Blu-ray discs. This is nonnegotiable.

You will then have to consider whether you are willing to settle for anaglyphic ("red and cyan," or sometimes "blue and amber") 3-D. If so, there are several devices available that will convert discrete left and right stereo pairs into anaglyphic imagery for your existing TV, one such device being the 3D Video Wizard. An Amazon or eBay search will be fruitful.

For many of us, red-and-cyan anaglyphs are a definite step backwards. There are some here who will express horror and outrage at the very idea of anaglyphic television. If you do explore the anaglyph option, please know that I make no claims as to the quality of the devices or the resulting imagery. I am just giving you information to consider.

There are other potential alternatives. 3D Fury converter boxes purport to convert a 2-D television to 3-D, using active shutter glasses and emitter (sold separately). The Edison 3D converter box makes a similar claim. I have not tried either one—I merely present the names so that you may run a Google search and come to your own conclusions.

I hope this information helps.

Thank you so much for the information. Seems like a lot of hassle. But I guess eventually I will have to find out the best option.

[8traxrule]

Send it back to LG and tell them they're idiots for dropping 3D!

[shawmkreitzman]

There actually is a way of doing it, but you may not find it very user-friendly.

If you get yourself a mirror-stereoscope such as this one:

http://www.berezin.com/3d/pocket_3dvu.htm



...you should be able to view side-by-side 3D images (and videos) on a screen of virtually any size.

You would then need to connect your laptop or PC to the television and run a program like S-View (Which is free) or Stereoscopic Player (which is not).

You will need to set the 3D output to full width side-by-side (not the more common half-width).

Also you will obviously need some 3D videos to play! 3D Blu Rays will not be playable like this directly from the discs, but that's a whole other discussion (and a bit of a legal minefield, so I'll steer clear of that).

If you really want to pursue this, you may find the experience rather uncomfortable. Viewers like this are designed for still images rather than video, and you would need to sit absolutely motionless in a specific spot for the length of the film. Still, it is technically possible!

The better option might be to sell the television and use the money to buy a model with native 3D capability. There are also some fairly inexpensive 3D Blu Ray players out there, so once you have a working monitor, the rest should be pretty easy.

This for what it's worth!

[MovieFan2016]

Originally Posted by shawmkreitzman

There actually is a way of doing it, but you may not find it very user-friendly.

If you get yourself a mirror-stereoscope such as this one:

http://www.berezin.com/3d/pocket_3dvu.htm



...you should be able to view side-by-side 3D images (and videos) on a screen of virtually any size.

You would then need to connect your laptop or PC to the television and run a program like S-View (Which is free) or Stereoscopic Player (which is not).

You will need to set the 3D output to full width side-by-side (not the more common half-width).

Also you will obviously need some 3D videos to play! 3D Blu Rays will not be playable like this directly from the discs, but that's a whole other discussion (and a bit of a legal minefield, so I'll steer clear of that).

If you really want to pursue this, you may find the experience rather uncomfortable. Viewers like this are designed for still images rather than video, and you would need to sit absolutely motionless in a specific spot for the length of the film. Still, it is technically possible!

The better option might be to sell the television and use the money to buy a model with native 3D capability. There are also some fairly inexpensive 3D Blu Ray players out there, so once you have a working monitor, the rest should be pretty easy.

This for what it's worth!

Thank you so much. I am flirting with the idea of selling it but I don't know who would purchase it as this model costs approx. $3500 in India. Not sure who in India will buy such an expensive tv when majority settle for a $500 TV at most.

[TyTimp]

Find a cheap used laptop with a bluray drive and HDMI connection. Get PowerDVD software that supports 3D. You'll be able to turn the 3D playback off.

[TheGuyWhoLovesMovies]

I don't have a way of getting a 3D tv and wanted to know if this is a good alternative. I am trying to find a cheap way of watching 3D content because I only have a 4K tv.

https://www.amazon.com/Video-Wizard-...o+3d+converter

[Bullitt]

Bit like converting 2D to 3D with a touch of a button on the remote which I have found doesn't work that well at all.

[revgen]

No.

If you want a cheap and easy way to watch 3-D Blu-Ray's, I recommend using Google Cardboard instead.

[TheGuyWhoLovesMovies]

Originally Posted by revgen

No.

If you want a cheap and easy way to watch 3-D Blu-Ray's, I recommend using Google Cardboard instead.

I want to be able to use my TV.

[icy hot]

I have it. I bought it before I got my 3D TV. It was okay for what it was. Decent depth but lots of crosstalk. Even with the colors jakked up I still liked having some form of 3D over none at all.

[mysticwaterfall]

Originally Posted by TheGuyWhoLovesMovies

I want to be able to use my TV.

Not going to be any good way to do it on the TV without buying a 3D TV. Probably would be cheaper to get a projector that does 3d.

[mar3o]

I would avoid this, but not because of the concept, but how it's executed. There are way better alternatives I will get to in a moment.

I used a similar device ages ago with my old CRT TVs and 3D VHS field-sequential tapes. You would connect the output of the VCR to the input of the box, and the output of the box to the input of the TV. Then you play a 3D field-sequential VHS tape, and it splits the left/right images and turns the TV into an active 3D display, using shutter glasses.

This is the same idea. You plug a 3D blu-ray player into it, play a 3D blu-ray, and it separates the left/right images from the 3D blu-ray.

The problem is, this is a cheap device, and just displays it as anaglyph. Trust me, you don't want to have to watch all your 3D movies with red/blue glasses.

There are other systems out there that are much better made, and I will link to a couple. I was just made aware of them myself a short time ago. It's the same principle - you play a true 3D signal (3D blu-ray, half-side-by-side/over/under, etc.) and the box splits the left/right images. The difference with those better units is it displays the signal in true 720p/1080p active 3D, using any brand wireless active shutter glasses that are compliant with the 3D standard. It effectively turns your 2D set into an active 3D set, using real active shutter glasses.

The problem is, those devices are not cheap:

http://www.curtpalme.com/3DTheatre.shtm

For $269.99 you get the box and emitter (emitter seems to be necessary to use 3rd party wireless glasses). That outputs 720p 3D active 3D.

http://www.curtpalme.com/3DTheatrePlus.shtm

This is far more expensive. It's the same thing but outputs 1080p active 3D. Price: $699.99

http://www.consignia.ca/vip-3d-theat...sses-included/

This one runs $329.99 and outputs 1080p active 3D. The price includes the emitter, again needed for using 3rd party active glasses.

The only thing is, I haven't tried these personally, and they may result in a bit of crosstalk/ghosting, as it's using the active technology. Now, if it manages to keep in sync with the glasses, like any active 3D TV does, then it should effectively turn your 2D TV into an active 3D TV. If, however, it doesn't keep in syc, and drops frames, then that could be a real problem. So it's a matter of how well does it keep itself in sync? It should be fine, but I can't speak from experience on these.

Again, this doesn't convert 2D into 3D. It displays a true full-color 3D active image. Imagine taking the 3D active system from an active TV and putting it outside in a box. That's what these are. I imagine now that manufacturers have stopped making 3D sets for now at least, these boxes may become more desirable in the near future, as it will likely be the only way to watch your 3D blu-rays on newer TVs until they come out with another line of 3D TVs. It should also work with 4k sets, as the TV will just upscale the 720 or 1080p image as needed. It's certainly not ideal, and it's an expensive item to buy without knowing how well it performs, but the idea is perfectly sound.

Definitely avoid the one you linked to on Amazon. It does the same thing but it's cheaply made and outputs red/blue 3D only.

[TheGuyWhoLovesMovies]

So I would be able to watch 3D movies on my 2D tv without needing to buy another TV?

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by TheGuyWhoLovesMovies

So I would be able to watch 3D movies on my 2D tv without needing to buy another TV?

Yes, with one of those devices I linked to.

[reewinder]

Or check online for a good used 3D TV. But do your homework on them and make sure if you buy used that they have good feedback. There's many places like craigslist or offerup but beware who you buy from. Maybe even check out local pawn shops.

[levcore]

You're going to have to buy a 3D tv or a PSVR those are literally the only two options. Everything else is faking the 3D effect.

[dogofwar]

You could look for a good deal on a 3D projector. A lot of people just use a wall and no screen and it looks good. So a projector is an option.