Troubleshooting Incorrect 3D Output

This page covers the most common “it looks wrong” problems: double or displaced images, an incorrect 3D layout, black borders, player or display scaling, aspect ratio issues, and depth/comfort tuning.

When the source and viewing path are handled correctly, the Stream to 3D effect is pronounced. Prove the layout, eye division and scaling first; only then change Stream to 3D depth or algorithm settings.

If you’re troubleshooting something else (licensing, streaming errors, conversion failures), start with User FAQ & Troubleshooting.

Understand where the problem occurs

The final 3D picture depends on three separate parts of the viewing route:

A valid Stream to 3D output frame cannot prevent a later player or display from choosing the wrong division point. Black borders are especially difficult for automatic 3D detection because they can hide or imitate the boundary between the eye views.

First checks: prove the viewing path

1. In Stream to 3D, confirm the output 3D format in Settings → Format (SBS vs TB/OU; Half vs Full).
2. In the player, headset application, television or projector, manually select the same 3D layout. Do not rely on automatic detection while troubleshooting.
3. Keep the player at its default or best-fit aspect-ratio mode. Disable extra zoom, crop, fill or stretch settings.
4. Start with a short, familiar video without black borders. After that works, test the original source.
5. Confirm that the two eye views combine cleanly before changing depth or other algorithm settings.

Steps 2 to 4 test the source and the downstream viewing path, not the Stream to 3D conversion. If the borderless test works, the conversion is working and the remaining task is to find a layout and scaling combination that the final player or display interprets correctly.

Double image, repeated edges or apparently no 3D

When the complete output is interpreted correctly, the Stream to 3D depth effect is pronounced. An incorrectly divided or scaled stereoscopic frame can instead look doubled, ghosted, vertically displaced, uncomfortable, unusually flat, or show part of one eye view repeated at an edge. In this scenario Stream to 3D has already produced the packed stereoscopic frame; the player, viewing application or display is not presenting the intended left and right eye views. This is a downstream interpretation problem, not evidence of inadequate conversion depth.

• Match SBS vs TB/OU and Half vs Full between Stream to 3D and the player or display.
• Use a manual SBS or TB/OU mode where the viewer provides one. Many viewers default to 2D or can infer the wrong division point.
• Return player scaling to default or best fit and disable extra crop, fill, zoom or stretch.
• If the depth feels “inside out” but the two views otherwise align correctly, use a Swap eyes option in the player or display.
• Do not compensate for a wrong split by increasing depth. Establish a clean combined picture first.

Wrong 3D layout (SBS vs TB/OU; Half vs Full)

• In Stream to 3D, choose the output format in Settings → Format.
• In the player or display, choose the matching layout. If you change SBS to TB/OU, or the reverse, change the receiving 3D mode as well.
• Bigscreen: it supports Half SBS/TB formats only. If you output a Full format, it will look wrong.

Black borders and the eye division

Black borders are an input-source characteristic, not a Stream to 3D fault. They can be pixels encoded inside the source video rather than unused space around the player. After the two eye views are packed together, those borders can obscure the real centre line and cause a player, television or projector's automatic 3D detection to select the wrong division point.

Changing layout avoids cropping the source, but the receiving player or display must support the selected layout. If only one layout is supported, keep it and use the aspect-ratio and scaling checks below.

Squashed or stretched image (aspect ratio)

• The encoded video frame and the visible picture inside it are not always the same shape. Films, television captures and online video can include letterboxing or pillarboxing inside the encoded frame.
• Keep the player at default or best fit while troubleshooting. Fill, stretch, zoom and forced aspect-ratio modes can crop or distort a correctly packed stereoscopic frame.
• A Full SBS frame containing two 16:9 eye views is 32:9 overall. Do not force that complete packed frame to 16:9 in an ordinary 2D player.
• On a streaming device, verify its output resolution and display calibration. On the television or projector, disable overscan and use the manufacturer's 1:1 pixel option where available; names include Full Pixel, Just Scan and Screen Fit.
• Use Force 16:9 Output in Stream to 3D only when the receiving route requires a 16:9 picture. It crops the source horizontally or vertically where necessary, so picture area can be lost.
• For incorrect split detection around borders, first try the border-safe SBS or TB/OU layout above. This may preserve the original framing without a 16:9 crop.

Player, streaming device and display scaling

These are downstream viewing-path settings outside Stream to 3D. They can alter a correct stereoscopic frame after Stream to 3D has produced it.

1. Select the exact SBS or TB/OU 3D mode manually on the final viewer where possible.
2. In the media player, begin with default or best fit. Do not use fill, stretch, crop or zoom until correct eye alignment has been confirmed.
3. Set the streaming device to a resolution supported natively by the television or projector.
4. Run the streaming device's display calibration if available.
5. Turn off television overscan or zoom and use 1:1 pixel mapping where the display provides it.
6. Retest with a borderless source. If that works but the original does not, use the black-border layout table above.

Stream to 3D cannot inspect or control scaling performed later by a receiving media player, streaming stick, television or projector. A small shift or crop in that chain can move the apparent eye boundary even though the stereoscopic frame produced by Stream to 3D is correct.

Weak depth or uncomfortable depth

• First confirm that the two views combine cleanly, without doubling, displaced views, repeated edges or border-related split errors. Those symptoms indicate layout or viewing-chain interpretation, not insufficient depth.
• After alignment is correct, depth and comfort are primarily controlled by Temporal Offset and the stabilisation settings (labelled “Stabilization” in the app). See Settings → Algorithm.
• If you need the smoothest experience, consider converting offline (Convert) rather than real-time Play/Stream. See Video File Conversion.

Ghosting, jitter, or motion artefacts

• Ghosting accompanied by displaced eye views, repeated edges or a border-dependent change should be treated as a split or scaling problem first. Follow the layout and display-scaling checks above.
• After the eye views align correctly, avoid extreme algorithm settings. Use the Configuration Wizard to start from known-good defaults, then adjust one setting at a time.
• If performance is marginal, reduce load first: use a compatible Half format and avoid resource-intensive options.
• If motion artefacts persist on real-time playback, try offline conversion (Convert) for higher quality.

Before contacting support

To get the fastest resolution, include:

• Your store (Steam/Gumroad/Itch/etc) and Stream to 3D version.
• The exact output format you selected (e.g. HSBS vs HTB).
• Screenshots of the Stream to 3D main screen/settings summary and your player’s 3D mode, aspect-ratio and scaling selections.
• Whether the source has borders at the top/bottom, left/right, all sides, or changes aspect ratio during playback.
• Logs from Logs & Diagnostics.

Related pages

• User FAQ → “It looks wrong”
• Settings → Format
• Settings → Algorithm
• Real-time Conversion and Playback (Play)
• Video File Conversion (Convert)