3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System at DVinfo.net

Pavel Houda · May 8th, 2011, 01:03 PM

I don't know how well this is known, but I can now stream and view 3D videos directly from YouTube and get excellent results, using my HTPC, FireFox, nVidia 3D Vision and 73" DLP TV. The Internet Explorer and Chrome do not allow the emitter to emit - I suppose it has something to do with the nVidia driver.

Adam Stanislav · May 8th, 2011, 02:11 PM

I used to watch YouTube 3D videos in full nVidia 3D with TotalMedia Theatre 5 from Arcsoft. But about 2 months ago or so it stopped working. It just says "unrecognized file format" with any YouTube video (both 2D and 3D). Apparently, YouTube changed something (though regular web browsers continue to work just fine).

I reported it on the ArcSoft forum but they do not like me there because I tell them about the bugs in their software, so I do not know how long before they fix the problem.

As for the other browsers not showing nVidia 3D, I do not believe it is because there is anything wrong with the nVidia driver. Rather, nVidia uses extensions to standard video drivers, extensions through which software can let the nVidia driver know it needs to switch to the 3D mode.

Pavel Houda · May 8th, 2011, 05:21 PM

HI Adam, I wasn't - precise enough. I don't think that their video driver has an issue, but they have a USB driver, that enables the IR emitter, which they can enable at will, for example per S/W game title. Without the IR there is no 3D. I do get the video output correctly with either browser, but the emitter only activates with the FireFox.

Adam Stanislav · May 8th, 2011, 08:01 PM

That is strange if you get the correct video output. It certainly sounds like a problem with the browser not communicating with the nVidia driver correctly.

BTW, I just tested that with my Opera browser, and it just shows it side by side, so it does not communicate with my nVidia 3D at all, and probably does not even know the video is supposed to be in 3D.

Now I have tried it with Internet Explorer, and it does not work either. It just shows it side by side. How did you get your IE to display the output correctly?

Pavel Houda · May 8th, 2011, 08:44 PM

You have to set the output as "Interleaved rows, columns or checkerboard". The problem with nVidia is that they disable the IR emitter. The video is fine, but there is no signal to switch the glasses. If I use other emitter & glasses (non-nVidia), everything is fine. nVidia demands licensing money from game designers, and if they don't pay (licensing fees), the games will not display in 3D. Unfortunately they have the same control over video.

Adam Stanislav · May 8th, 2011, 10:19 PM

That doesn’t make sense. They are in the hardware business, it is in their best interest to have as many software applications as possible support their hardware. Judging by their documentation, all a program needs to do is call the driver to turn on the stereo mode. But then what? How do you tell it what 3D format your video is using?

Then again, nVidia’s stereoscoping programming documentation is extremely vague, as if they did not want people to support their hardware. This is in direct contradiction to them making the CUDA programming information widely available, so it almost feels as if nVidia had schizophrenia. I certainly have not figured out how to write a stereoscopic player for nVidia, and it is certainly not for my lack of trying! It is extremely frustrating.

Adam Stanislav · May 9th, 2011, 12:20 AM

OK, so I downloaded Firefox, went to YouTube, tried to watch a 3D video as you described, and all I saw was an interlaced video. No nVidia 3D. So what is your secret?

Pavel Houda · May 9th, 2011, 08:37 AM

What are you watching the video with? You must set the yt3d player output to match the input format that your display device accepts and can process. In my case it is checkerboard pattern. In other cases it might be L/R interleaved horizontally or vertically, or side-by-side.... I just set the output from the yt3d: to checkerboard, full screen on the TV and run. The IR doesn't start emitting until the video actually streams. One of your problems maybe that you need to update your driver/player S/W for the 3D Vision to the latest one. The previous revisions did not work. The latest rev of the 3D Vision also plays the 3D in a window, the older ones required full screen. Peter Wimmer's player (3dtv.at) has been doing it for a long time. The nVidia player is based on that original player, but it appears to be modified, and couple of versions behind. Unfortunately, Peter's player will also NOT trigger the nVidia glasses, so I was glad that the latest revisions of the S/Ws (3D Vision, FireFox and yt3) finally got the YT video to play directly (at least for the DLP case - I don't have LCD 3D monitor like you have). They may have done something with the server S/W. A little bird told me that there was some cooperation in that area.

Adam Stanislav · May 9th, 2011, 10:43 AM

I was watching it with Firefox, just as you suggested. Yes, the latest version, as I just downloaded Firefox yesterday. And yes, I have all the latest nVidia drivers (including 3DVision). Firefox did turn on the IR and my glasses responded to it. But my monitor expects to get two full frames, alternating between left and right 120 times a second. And no matter which YT3D configuration I tried, Firefox just blindly sent the raw image to the output, so there was no 3D.

Back when TotalMedia Theatre 5 could access YouTube, it correctly converted whatever 3D format it received from YouTube into the format needed by nVidia (unfortunately, YouTube has decided to block the player, as it only wants to work with browsers). But Firefox does not do that.

So, Firefox has only gone a half way to support YT3D, as it only works with the half resolution devices, such as checkerboard TV sets, but not the 3D computer monitors.

Still, it is good for you and anyone who has such a device, but it does not help me with my 3D monitor.

I have pretty much given on YouTube 3D when they stopped supporting the TMT player. Ever since I got my 3D monitor, I have absolutely no intention of ever watching another anaglyph. And if YouTube is deliberately preventing me from seeing YT3D in full color (by blocking my TMT player), I am certainly not interested in YT3D.

Pavel Houda · May 9th, 2011, 12:57 PM

You mean the monitor works in page-flip mode? Can you see if the MovieMaker would work? They had some patches for the drivers, but I don't know much about it, since I never really needed it. You could also ask nVidia/YT(google) to support that mode. Perhaps generate a bug report. Sorry it doesn't work for you. Here is the MM link: Quad-buffered Stereo OpenGL , but I don't know if it would be of any possible help.

Adam Stanislav · May 9th, 2011, 02:12 PM

That’s OK. I’m not going to worry about it. I was just curious after you mentioned it worked for you. And I have satisfied my curiosity: I now know that Firefox can turn on the IR emitter but does not go any further. That way I know I can recommended it to some people and not recommend it to others, based on their 3D setup.

Pavel Houda · May 9th, 2011, 07:35 PM

I understand Adam. There are some good videos on the web. So much so , that the TV manufacturers are adding WAN I/F on the TV's. The TV networks are too limited. Anyway, another web site I managed to make the videos working with is: www.studio3D.tv. The fellow who runs it is just starting in Canada, and much more willing to respond to 3D fans than Google (YT). If you are interested, Steve Seguin, who runs the site is about the most helpful fellow towards 3D fans as anyone. You might give him a shot, he seems to have some of your background, and lives in a cold place just like you. He also is extremely sharp (just like you).

Adam Stanislav · May 9th, 2011, 09:30 PM

An interesting site, thanks. I took a look at the video of some guy in a Harley Davidson T-shirt doing some 3D tests in a beautiful garden. ;)

Frank Stearns · May 10th, 2011, 05:57 AM

I checked out the site and it looks interesting so I joined.
Never tried streaming YouTube videos using Nvidia 3DVision even though I have it because YouTube started supporting the interlaced options such as checkerboard which is best for me since I leave my 3D Television/computer monitor in checkerboard mode most of the time anyway.

Pavel Houda · May 10th, 2011, 11:49 AM

I was trying to upgrade to FireFox 4.x and lost the IR emitter capability. Couldn't restore it so far. However, I found out that if I run any video using the 3D Vision player, pause it, so that the emitter is still emitting, then get onto the Firefox and play back YT 3D video's, those video's are still in sync and 3D works as well. I'll try to figure out what went wrong.

May 8th, 2011, 01:03 PM	#1
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System I don't know how well this is known, but I can now stream and view 3D videos directly from YouTube and get excellent results, using my HTPC, FireFox, nVidia 3D Vision and 73" DLP TV. The Internet Explorer and Chrome do not allow the emitter to emit - I suppose it has something to do with the nVidia driver.

May 8th, 2011, 02:11 PM	#2
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System I used to watch YouTube 3D videos in full nVidia 3D with TotalMedia Theatre 5 from Arcsoft. But about 2 months ago or so it stopped working. It just says "unrecognized file format" with any YouTube video (both 2D and 3D). Apparently, YouTube changed something (though regular web browsers continue to work just fine). I reported it on the ArcSoft forum but they do not like me there because I tell them about the bugs in their software, so I do not know how long before they fix the problem. As for the other browsers not showing nVidia 3D, I do not believe it is because there is anything wrong with the nVidia driver. Rather, nVidia uses extensions to standard video drivers, extensions through which software can let the nVidia driver know it needs to switch to the 3D mode.

May 8th, 2011, 05:21 PM	#3
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System HI Adam, I wasn't - precise enough. I don't think that their video driver has an issue, but they have a USB driver, that enables the IR emitter, which they can enable at will, for example per S/W game title. Without the IR there is no 3D. I do get the video output correctly with either browser, but the emitter only activates with the FireFox.

May 8th, 2011, 08:01 PM	#4
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System That is strange if you get the correct video output. It certainly sounds like a problem with the browser not communicating with the nVidia driver correctly. BTW, I just tested that with my Opera browser, and it just shows it side by side, so it does not communicate with my nVidia 3D at all, and probably does not even know the video is supposed to be in 3D. Now I have tried it with Internet Explorer, and it does not work either. It just shows it side by side. How did you get your IE to display the output correctly?

May 8th, 2011, 08:44 PM	#5
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System You have to set the output as "Interleaved rows, columns or checkerboard". The problem with nVidia is that they disable the IR emitter. The video is fine, but there is no signal to switch the glasses. If I use other emitter & glasses (non-nVidia), everything is fine. nVidia demands licensing money from game designers, and if they don't pay (licensing fees), the games will not display in 3D. Unfortunately they have the same control over video.

May 8th, 2011, 10:19 PM	#6
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System That doesn’t make sense. They are in the hardware business, it is in their best interest to have as many software applications as possible support their hardware. Judging by their documentation, all a program needs to do is call the driver to turn on the stereo mode. But then what? How do you tell it what 3D format your video is using? Then again, nVidia’s stereoscoping programming documentation is extremely vague, as if they did not want people to support their hardware. This is in direct contradiction to them making the CUDA programming information widely available, so it almost feels as if nVidia had schizophrenia. I certainly have not figured out how to write a stereoscopic player for nVidia, and it is certainly not for my lack of trying! It is extremely frustrating.

May 9th, 2011, 12:20 AM	#7
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System OK, so I downloaded Firefox, went to YouTube, tried to watch a 3D video as you described, and all I saw was an interlaced video. No nVidia 3D. So what is your secret?

May 9th, 2011, 08:37 AM	#8
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System What are you watching the video with? You must set the yt3d player output to match the input format that your display device accepts and can process. In my case it is checkerboard pattern. In other cases it might be L/R interleaved horizontally or vertically, or side-by-side.... I just set the output from the yt3d: to checkerboard, full screen on the TV and run. The IR doesn't start emitting until the video actually streams. One of your problems maybe that you need to update your driver/player S/W for the 3D Vision to the latest one. The previous revisions did not work. The latest rev of the 3D Vision also plays the 3D in a window, the older ones required full screen. Peter Wimmer's player (3dtv.at) has been doing it for a long time. The nVidia player is based on that original player, but it appears to be modified, and couple of versions behind. Unfortunately, Peter's player will also NOT trigger the nVidia glasses, so I was glad that the latest revisions of the S/Ws (3D Vision, FireFox and yt3) finally got the YT video to play directly (at least for the DLP case - I don't have LCD 3D monitor like you have). They may have done something with the server S/W. A little bird told me that there was some cooperation in that area.

May 9th, 2011, 10:43 AM	#9
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System I was watching it with Firefox, just as you suggested. Yes, the latest version, as I just downloaded Firefox yesterday. And yes, I have all the latest nVidia drivers (including 3DVision). Firefox did turn on the IR and my glasses responded to it. But my monitor expects to get two full frames, alternating between left and right 120 times a second. And no matter which YT3D configuration I tried, Firefox just blindly sent the raw image to the output, so there was no 3D. Back when TotalMedia Theatre 5 could access YouTube, it correctly converted whatever 3D format it received from YouTube into the format needed by nVidia (unfortunately, YouTube has decided to block the player, as it only wants to work with browsers). But Firefox does not do that. So, Firefox has only gone a half way to support YT3D, as it only works with the half resolution devices, such as checkerboard TV sets, but not the 3D computer monitors. Still, it is good for you and anyone who has such a device, but it does not help me with my 3D monitor. I have pretty much given on YouTube 3D when they stopped supporting the TMT player. Ever since I got my 3D monitor, I have absolutely no intention of ever watching another anaglyph. And if YouTube is deliberately preventing me from seeing YT3D in full color (by blocking my TMT player), I am certainly not interested in YT3D.

May 9th, 2011, 12:57 PM	#10
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System You mean the monitor works in page-flip mode? Can you see if the MovieMaker would work? They had some patches for the drivers, but I don't know much about it, since I never really needed it. You could also ask nVidia/YT(google) to support that mode. Perhaps generate a bug report. Sorry it doesn't work for you. Here is the MM link: Quad-buffered Stereo OpenGL , but I don't know if it would be of any possible help.

May 9th, 2011, 02:12 PM	#11
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System That’s OK. I’m not going to worry about it. I was just curious after you mentioned it worked for you. And I have satisfied my curiosity: I now know that Firefox can turn on the IR emitter but does not go any further. That way I know I can recommended it to some people and not recommend it to others, based on their 3D setup.

May 9th, 2011, 07:35 PM	#12
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System I understand Adam. There are some good videos on the web. So much so , that the TV manufacturers are adding WAN I/F on the TV's. The TV networks are too limited. Anyway, another web site I managed to make the videos working with is: www.studio3D.tv. The fellow who runs it is just starting in Canada, and much more willing to respond to 3D fans than Google (YT). If you are interested, Steve Seguin, who runs the site is about the most helpful fellow towards 3D fans as anyone. You might give him a shot, he seems to have some of your background, and lives in a cold place just like you. He also is extremely sharp (just like you).

May 9th, 2011, 09:30 PM	#13
Adam Stanislav Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rhinelander, WI Posts: 1,258	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System An interesting site, thanks. I took a look at the video of some guy in a Harley Davidson T-shirt doing some 3D tests in a beautiful garden. ;)

May 10th, 2011, 05:57 AM	#14
Frank Stearns Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Superior Wisconsin Posts: 62	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System I checked out the site and it looks interesting so I joined. Never tried streaming YouTube videos using Nvidia 3DVision even though I have it because YouTube started supporting the interlaced options such as checkerboard which is best for me since I leave my 3D Television/computer monitor in checkerboard mode most of the time anyway.

May 10th, 2011, 11:49 AM	#15
Pavel Houda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Laguna Hills, CA Posts: 352	Re: 3D Streaming from YouTube Using nVidia 3D Vision System I was trying to upgrade to FireFox 4.x and lost the IR emitter capability. Couldn't restore it so far. However, I found out that if I run any video using the 3D Vision player, pause it, so that the emitter is still emitting, then get onto the Firefox and play back YT 3D video's, those video's are still in sync and 3D works as well. I'll try to figure out what went wrong.