Until recently I have been frustrated at my inability to rip 3D content onto my Plex server. I have now been successful a number of times (and tested the results) and wanted to share the “how to” with the class.
The various pieces of hardware I mention below are as important as the software used: they are a large part of the key to success or failure.
My goal? To achieve:
- A “watchable” film with no buffering, skipping audio, etc. that my non-tech family would find acceptable (“If Netflix can do it …”)
- Good enough quality (this is subjective - I don’t want to watch rubbish output but I do want to be able to watch my 3D content)
- The player to recognise 3D content automatically
- The TV to switch to 3D mode automatically when the files is streamed to it
- Everything to go back to “normal” after the 3D content stops
- To keep transcoding away from everything!
I use a MacBook and my Plex server is on a QNAP NAS (TS-251). My main method of viewing Plex content is from the Plex app on my AppleTV to my 3D TV. For viewing 3D content I have to switch to the Plex app on my blu-ray player. Everything is hardwired via a dLAN (using my electrical circuit as network cabling).
I have ripped nearly 10,000 DVDs using pretty much the same process each time and have spent weeks/months researching how I can get success with 3D. I bought a 3D blu-ray player and 3D TV some years ago so I already have the hardware to make it work. However, apparently only a Samsung blu-ray player will work (that’s from research on various forums).
The relevant hardware I am using for viewing 3D contents is:
Samsung HT-BD1250 home cinema system
Panasonic TX-50EX750B 3D compatible TV
The software and process I follow is as follows:
The ripping is done by the latest version DVDFab, using their default offering of 3D M2TS. I rip the blu-ray to my hard drive and then get my server (through the QNAP web interface) to transfer the resultant M2TS file over the approriate folder on the server. It can take about 90 minutes to rip one blu-ray and up to two hours to transfer to the server. Because of the likely failure of doing it as one step (ripping straight to the server) I decided it was more efficient and a better use of my time to break it down.
Naming the file is a vital component of success. Normally I just bung the blu-ray in the drive and everything happens. I spent weeks agonising over what 3D format my TV needed to work. In the end it didn’t matter! My TV can deal with side-by-side or top-and-bottom. In the end I tried various methods and settled on this:
Rip in DVDFab, using 3D M2TS
Name the file “[film] - H-SBS.m2ts” (it’s the addition of “H-SBS” that tells my TV to go to 3D mode)
Example: “The Nut Job 3D - H-SBS.m2ts”
Scan the relevant Plex library
The 3D content will be available and ready to rock and roll.
If you already had the film in 2D format Plex will treat the 3D format as another version and “hide” it behind the 2D the thumbnail. I want to see them as separate films so I tell Plex to split the versions apart. It then gives you two identical looking films. I edit the title to include “3D” and pick fresh artwork that shows it’s 3D. I change the sort title back to what it was so it stays with its family (Plex correctly uses the title that I had just given it).
That’s it!
As to quality, it’s good enough for me on my 4K TV and 5.1 sound. I have seen mention of ripping using MakeMKV (which I also use, for the “tougher” protection) and then re-muxing (I have no idea what that is) using a software I can no longer remember. I did that successfully but got “real” file sizes of around 30GB+ that buffered badly in my Samsung’s Plex player. I find that doing it the way I now am gives me a file size of less than half that with no visible degrading and no buffering. So, I’m now happy as I am! For the record the average 2D or 3D blu-ray will yield a 30GB file, the average DVD will yield a 5GB file and my method here yields a 10GB file (all figures approximate).
Incidentally, there may be other, better ways but this is what I have ended up doing. I have found that AppleTV WILL play 3D content but it can’t get the TV to swtich to 3D mode and I get buffering (which is odd because I play everything else from Plex via that route as I am informed (more research I did) that it is the best Plex client for providing surround sound (which is odd as I have just remembered that my Samsung unit gives me 3D AND 5.1 sound!).
Sorry for the long post, but hopefully it will help to answer other’s “how to” questions. I just wish there’d been something like this available months ago!
UPDATE: The 3D on the Samsung/Panasonic TV combo is active. My off-spring have just confirmed that the passive 3D on their PS4/Sony TV combo also works (but is not as smooth as the active version)!
UPDATE 2: Forgot to say, Plex advances each version (2D or 3D) at the same time. So if you watch 30% of the 3D version the 2D version shows the same, regardless of whether you have watched 30% of it. C’est la Plex!
Update 3: I assume for TVs that take top-and-bottom 3D signals the file name should be “The Nut Job 3D - H-TAB.m2ts”, but you’ll have to test that yourselves.
Update 4: If you’re going to correct/edit the metadata in Plex make sure you do so before you split the films or you’ll have to do it twice!
Update 5: Featurettes added to either version are available in both.
Update 6: If you have “automatically adjust quality (beta)” (not exact wording) set to ON, turn it OFF both server-side and client-side (for each client). It really messes with the streaming. Remarkably positive transformation in buffering now on my network.
Update 7: Have decided to try out a Roku Premiere as my Plex client as no two films seem to want the same settings, whatever the device used!
Update 8: Doh! The Roku doesn’t recognise 3D so just passes side-by-side film to the TV which provides no 3D options. However, the Plex expereience is the best I’ve come across (ATV, Pioneer TV, Samsung blu-ray, mobile devices). Instead of just sponning whilst loading it gives a percentage, like Netflix, for instance).
Update 9: 3D films with subtitles (like Black Panther) that kick in the transcoder DO play, but the buffering is bad. Swiitching client from my Samsung to my Apple TV is a better experience for me.
