Play 2D Video in 3D

Use Play to convert an ordinary 2D video while watching it through a compatible Windows media player. The stereoscopic desktop output can then be shown through a desktop-to-XR route such as Virtual Desktop or Bigscreen, or on a compatible 3D display or projector.

Quick start with a video file

1. Choose a short, familiar 2D video file without black borders for the first test. Use an ordinary file before testing a Live Source.
2. Click Play and select the video. Stream to 3D opens the supported media player selected in Tools in full-screen automatically.
3. If the Configuration Wizard is enabled, choose the intended device or display route and keep the initial defaults.
4. Start with a Half Side-by-Side output unless the target player or display requires another layout.
5. In the viewing application or display, select the same Side-by-Side or Top-and-Bottom layout that Stream to 3D is producing.
6. Confirm that the two views combine correctly before increasing depth, resolution or other quality settings.

If the views do not align: select the matching layout manually in the viewer and return its aspect ratio to default or best fit. For source video with black borders at the top and bottom, try a supported SBS layout. For borders at the left and right, including padded 4:3 video, try a supported TB/OU layout. Establish a clean stereo image before changing depth settings. See “It looks wrong” troubleshooting.

Need help? Start with User FAQ & Troubleshooting. See Logs & Diagnostics, Error Codes (LVE0xx), and Licensing & Activation.

Quick troubleshooting: see Tools & Dependencies checklist, “It looks wrong”, and Performance primer.

This mode is accessed via the "Play" menu button. It converts 2D video to 3D in real-time and displays it on the PC desktop in Side-by-Side or Top-Bottom 3D format. It supports MPC-HC, PotPlayer, and VLC media players. The 3D desktop view can then be viewed through a compatible VR/XR desktop route or displayed on a compatible 3D TV or projector.

Stream to 3D is not itself a VR app. Virtual Desktop, Bigscreen and comparable desktop-viewing capabilities can show the converted Windows desktop in a headset when they support the selected SBS or TB layout. Use the Configuration Wizard to select the target device and apply its nominal per-eye resolution; the Wizard does not connect or configure the headset or viewing application.

For a direct real-time stream, the headset needs a compatible media player and connection. The Convert function is device-independent: a converted file can be used with any device that has a compatible 3D media player for the file and layout.

This mode also supports 3D TVs and projectors via HDMI by outputting the 3D desktop view. The display devices can interpret the PC's HDMI input as SBS or TB 3D.

Playing a 2D Video in 3D

The Stream to 3D application itself starts in full-screen mode to make it easy to use from within a VR headset. Press Alt+Enter to switch the application between full-screen and windowed modes. This is separate from the media-player window that Play opens automatically.

To play a video and have it converted to 3D as you watch it, click Play in the main menu and select the file. If you have the Configuration Wizard enabled, then you will be prompted for your preferences on how you would like the conversion to be handled, see here for guidance on the Configuration Wizard. You can enable and disable the Configuration Wizard or put it in "auto" mode from Settings. When disabled or in "auto" mode the Wizard preference questions are not displayed.

The file will be played in the current Stream to 3D media player. The name of the current media player is shown in the Output settings summary area, in this case it is MPC-HC:

The video below provides a comprehensive demonstration and tutorial on Stream to 3D's real-time 2D to 3D conversion capabilities during video playback:

The guidance below provides further detail on additional tool configuration to get the most out of your Stream to 3D experience, together with Virtual Desktop and BigScreen video demonstrations.

Player and format setup

Stream to 3D can also play videos that are already in 3D, including files previously converted by Stream to 3D and compatible files from other sources. It recognises common 3D file-name markers such as "3D", ".SBS.", ".TB.", ".HSBS.", ".HTB." and ".3DA." and bypasses conversion for matching files. You can change this matching rule under Settings > Format. See File Name Pattern for 3D Videos.

MPC-HC is the default media player supplied through the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. Steam users can install the optional PotPlayer and VLC integrations by running StreamTo3DToolsOptionalSetup.cmd from the Stream to 3D application folder, normally C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Stream to 3D.

When you select Play, Stream to 3D starts MPC-HC in full-screen automatically and places the player on the display where Stream to 3D is running. You do not need to enable MPC-HC's Launch files in fullscreen setting. Press F11 or Alt+Enter to leave or return to full-screen while the player is open.

Stream to 3D also requests full-screen automatically when a supported PotPlayer or VLC installation is selected under Tools. Press Enter to toggle full-screen in PotPlayer or F in VLC. A custom player that Stream to 3D does not recognise may require its own full-screen setting or command-line option.

Optional MPC-HC resume settings

To resume a video from its last played position, enable View > Options > Player > Remember File Position:

MPC-HC does not remember the position of videos shorter than ten minutes by default. To include short videos, change View > Options > Advanced > RememberPosForLongerThan from 10 to 1:

If seek-bar preview thumbnails are enabled in an existing MPC-HC installation, disable them under View > Options > Tweaks. Generating preview thumbnails while Stream to 3D is playing a video can reduce performance:

See the optional PotPlayer playback and resume settings or VLC playback and resume settings. VLC also requires its Stream to 3D playback integration to be configured before it can be selected for Play.

You can pause, seek and stop with the controls in the media player. Play converts the selected source as it is watched, so it does not need to create a complete 3D file before playback begins. The Stop button in Stream to 3D also closes the media-player process.

At this point Stream to 3D is producing a 3D layout on the PC display. To see the depth in a headset, use a desktop-viewing route that can display the Windows desktop and interpret the same SBS or TB layout. Virtual Desktop and Bigscreen are two examples.

If the headset instead has a compatible media player that can receive a direct stream, use Streaming. To watch later or transfer the result to another device, use Conversion; the converted file is not tied to the device selected in the Wizard.

Using the Configuration Wizard

The Configuration Wizard supersedes the old Virtual Desktop and Bigscreen Stream to 3D configuration files. Select your target display or headset in the Wizard to apply its nominal per-eye resolution, then choose an output layout supported by the viewing application.

Virtual Desktop can use full or half SBS layouts as well as half TB. Bigscreen uses half SBS or half OU/TB. These are settings in the viewing application; selecting a device in Stream to 3D does not configure that application for you.

You can still adjust Stream to 3D settings manually and save your own configuration files, but the retired viewer-specific files should not be used for Release 5.5 setup.

Watching a 2D Video in 3D with Virtual Desktop

The full installation and setup of Virtual Desktop is outside the scope of this guide. However, the essential steps are given below:

• Install the Virtual Desktop streamer application on your PC.
• Install the Virtual Desktop application in your VR Headset.
• View your PC's Desktop within your headset via Virtual Desktop.
• Play video on PC Desktop via Stream to 3D.
• Use Virtual Desktop's view options to switch to a 3D SBS or TB video view and watch the video in 3D in your headset.

You can find installation details and the Virtual Desktop streamer application here.

The video below provides an example of using Virtual Desktop with Stream to 3D to play a 2D video in 3D in an Oculus Quest 2 headset. The system details used for this demonstration are the same as those described for proving here.

The laptop PC employed is running a 4K desktop view. The Oculus Quest 2 headset is connecting wirelessly, with the headset in a different physical room to the laptop, but in the same room as one of the DECO X20 AX1800 mesh WIFI nodes used in this system setup.

The 2D trailer used in the demonstration is 1080p resolution.  The video uses the Virtual Desktop Home Cinema environment.

The video also shows switching between Full SBS and Half SBS formats:

The video ends with the launch of a Steam VR environment using the Steam VR menu option in Virtual Desktop. This environment is then used to launch the BigScreen Steam VR application in the next demonstration video:

Watching a 2D Video in 3D with BigScreen Steam VR

As with the Virtual Desktop case, the full installation and configuration of Big Screen Steam VR is outside the scope of this guide. However, the essential steps are given below:

• Install the Bigscreen Remote Desktop application on your PC.
• Install the BigScreen Steam VR application in your Steam environment and access it from your VR Headset.
• View your PC's Desktop within your headset via the BigScreen Steam application.
• Play video on PC Desktop via Stream to 3D.
• Use BigScreen's Desktop view options to switch to a 3D SBS or OU/TB video view and watch the video in 3D in your headset.

BigScreen, like Virtual Desktop, has options to interpret the desktop view as a 3D SBS or OU/TB video view and so present the video being played on the PC in 3D within the headset. Note that BigScreen only supports Half SBS and Half OU/TB formats, not Full SBS (Virtual Desktop supports Full SBS in addition to Half SBS and Half TB). You can find installation details and the BigScreen Remote Desktop application here.

The video below shows a 2D to 3D real-time converted video being played in the Sci-Fi cinema environment. It begins by showing the switch from the Big Screen Home environment into the Sci-Fi environment, before the video is played.

Before playing, use the Stream to 3D Configuration Wizard for your target device and select a half SBS or half TB output layout supported by Bigscreen.

The BigScreen keyboard is accessible through the BigScreen "Tools & Toys" menu. The "Windows Key + Tab" button on the keyboard is particularly useful for switching between the media player and the Stream to 3D PC applications.

The 3D SBS view in BigScreen is enabled through its "Desktop/3D Setting" option. You can choose between SBS (this is actually Half SBS format), OU (Over/Under) (also known as TB (which for BigScreen is actually Half Top Bottom)) or 2D.

Remember to turn the 2D view back on before using the "Windows Key + Tab" to switch applications so that you have a clear view of the desktop applications while switching:

Play a Live Source

Playing an existing 2D video file is the normal starting point described above. Live Sources are an additional Play option for viewing a PC screen, camera or capture device immediately on the Windows desktop. This Play workflow is available in the Real-Time edition when Live Sources are enabled.

Use it when Virtual Desktop, Bigscreen or another desktop-viewing application is showing the converted display in a headset.

1. Choose Play and select the Live Sources shortcut in the source browser.
2. Create the default sources if prompted, then select Screen Capture.s3dsc, Main Camera.s3dsc or another saved source.
3. Confirm Live Capture Details. Screen Capture also asks which display or region to capture.

See Live Sources quick start for the complete screen and camera workflow. Do not choose Stream merely because the source is live; Stream is for sending output to a compatible network player.

Return to Stream to 3D Documentation.