How to Play 3D Video Files on a 3D TV or Projector

Owl3D, the publisher of this guide, makes the Owl3D converter and Owl3D Cloud.

Where the 3D switch is, route by route

For a PC, any player that shows the file full screen will do; which players and what "frame packed" means: 3D video players.

Two pictures side by side: what to do

1. Pick the 3D mode by hand. Sony's manual for its XBR-55X905B: "If two pictures are displayed side-by-side, press the 3D button repeatedly until [3D (Side-by-Side)] appears" [5]. Pictures one above the other take the top-bottom (over-under) mode [5]. On a BenQ projector: Display > 3D > 3D mode [9].
2. Send 1080p, not 4K. The same Sony manual: "3D signal of 4K cannot be displayed" [5]. BenQ's TK710 manual lists no 3D format at 3840×2160 [13]. On a Shield, set it under Settings > Device Preferences > Display & Sound > Resolution [7]. Then try step 1 again.
3. In Kodi, leave the preferred mode alone. Kodi's default for "Preferred mode", under Settings > System > Display, is "Same as movie" [3][4][11]. An OSMC developer to an owner with SBS trouble: "I would stay with “same as movie”, otherwise you trigger some additional conversions that are not needed." [14]
4. Still doubled with the glasses on? Then check the glasses and the projector's own 3D settings: 3D greyed out or not working.

Kodi: the file name is the switch

Kodi's source code looks for "3d" in the file name between dots, dashes, spaces or underscores. If it finds it, "sbs" or "hsbs" marks a side-by-side file and "tab" or "htab" a top-bottom one [2][3]. Case does not matter [3]. So name a half side-by-side film Film.2012.3D.HSBS.mkv, and a top-bottom one Film.2012.3D.HTAB.mkv.

What Kodi then does is set under Settings > Player > Videos > "Playback mode of stereoscopic 3D videos": "Ask me" (the default), "Preferred mode", "Monoscopic / 2D" or "Ignore" [4][11]. We have not tested which sets switch to 3D by themselves when Kodi plays such a file.

Which file plays: Half SBS, Full SBS, top-bottom

Half SBS and half top-bottom squeeze both eyes into one ordinary 1920×1080 frame (3D video formats). That is the size a 3D set's 1080p modes take [13].

Full SBS is twice as wide: 3840×1080 for a 1080p film. A Raspberry Pi engineer, on Kodi for the Pi: "Full SBS is not supported (resolution > 1920x1080)." [15] We have not tested Full SBS on Plex, a Shield, a Zidoo, or a TV's own USB player.

A TV's own USB player may not open a newer file at all: check the codec list in its manual, as in Panasonic's [8].

MVC and 3D Blu-ray ISO files

MVC is the 3D Blu-ray's own format, with full 1080p for each eye [15]. The same Raspberry Pi engineer: "However MVC is supported by the Pi which is the 3D format used by Blu-Rays." [15]

Of the boxes on this page, Zidoo is the one whose product page we read lists it. For the UHD3000: "Almost all common 3D video formats could be played, including MVC 3D (Blu-ray, MKV)." [6] Check the model you have: a Z30 Pro owner reports 3D ISOs playing in 2D, and a forum post says the Z9X 8K does not support 3D [16]. We found nothing from NVIDIA saying the Shield decodes MVC; owners have asked for it on NVIDIA's forum [17]. A Plex employee says Plex has no 3D support [10].

For the discs themselves, a 3D Blu-ray player is the route: 3D Blu-ray players.

A 2D video you want in 3D

Owl3D makes a 3D file from a 2D video you have the right to use. It is an AI conversion, not a studio's 3D release, and a whole film takes hours.

For the routes on this page, ask for Half SBS. Owl3D's desktop app writes Half SBS, Full SBS or full-height top-bottom on your own computer, nothing uploaded; it suits you if you have an NVIDIA RTX graphics card or an Apple silicon Mac. Leave its Output resolution on 1080p, even for a 4K video: set higher, Half SBS comes out 3840×2160, not 1920×1080. Owl3D Cloud converts on Owl3D's servers from a web browser, with no graphics card needed, but saves Full SBS only: a 1080p video comes back 3840×1080. For most 3D TVs and projectors, that file needs an extra step. We have not tested a Cloud file on any TV, projector or player. Neither makes MVC, ISO or frame-packed files. All the routes: converting 2D video to 3D.

What owners report

Three people's own accounts; we have not tested them.

• A Shield Pro to a projector, Emby forum, July 2023. The owner: "I'm afraid that the Shield cannot play any 3D videos". Emby's administrator: "It does support certain 3D formats but it may not automatically trigger 3D mode on your projector." [18]
• A Zidoo Z30 Pro, February 2026. "My Poster Wall recognize movie as 3D, but always playing them in 2D." [16]
• A Vero V running Kodi, OSMC forum, March 2025. "SBS titles just don’t play properly", while top-bottom and MVC played. The developer: "h.264 material for instance should just play fine" [14].

Frequently asked questions

How do I play 3D MKV or SBS files on Plex, Kodi or an Nvidia Shield?

On Plex, and on a Shield running Plex, play the file normally and set the TV or projector to its side-by-side or top-bottom 3D mode yourself [1][10]. In Kodi, put "3D" and "HSBS" or "HTAB" in the file name, and Kodi recognizes it [2][3]. In all three, send 1080p to the set [5].

Does the file name matter in Plex?

Not to Plex. A Plex employee, 2017: "Plex itself does nothing with 3D files and has no specific naming for it." [19] It matters in Kodi [2].

Do I need a 3D TV to play these files?

To see them in 3D, you need a 3D TV, a 3D projector, video glasses or a VR headset: what plays a 3D video.