Convert HSBS 3D to 2D Movies or Video Format for Watching in VLC Media Player

Using VLC Media Player, you are able to instantly convert 3D Half Side-by-Side (HSBS) movies to 2D; to watch in your 2D screen like your laptop or PC monitor. The method is quick and simple. All you do is crop the movie in half, so that you only get one side of the video. If you were watching it in a 3D screen, then you’d be overlapping these two sides.

After cropping, you get a square like resolution which you must stretch in order to fill up your screen. This way you’ll be watching a video in its original 16:9 ratio in 1080p or 720p format. The tools and effects that VLC provide like cropping and stretching are used. Applying these effects do not take time. It happens in real time as you play your 3D video on a 2D screen.

For converting HSBS 3d to 2D video format in VLC for watching in a 2D screen, follow these simple steps:

1. In VLC Media Player, when nothing is opened go to Tools > Preferences [CTRL + P].
   
2. Click on Video.
   
3. Under Video, you will find “Forced Aspect Ratio”. Set it to 32:9 and hit Save.
   
4. Open up your 3D HSBS movie and pause it.
5. Click on Tools > Effects and Filters [CTRL + E].
6. Click on “Video Effects”  and choose the “Crop” tab.
7. Either on the left or right, input 960 px.
   
8. Press “Close” and you are done.

Notes:

1. About Cropping: The value 960 px is half of the video’s original width which is 1920 for a 1920X1080 (true 1080p) video. You can get the video resolution (WXH), by hitting CTRL + J in VLC Media Player. If it was a 720p (720X1280) 3D video, you’d be entering half of 1280 i.e. 640px.
2. About Forced Aspect Ratio: This ratio is obtained by – Double of your video’s original width:Video’s original height. Set it to blank to watch normal 2D videos.