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MVC2STEREO
features of mvc2stereo A.Hamacher

Old 3D Formats to Modern Workflows

mvc2stereo

mvc2stereo is a macOS command-line tool for converting MVC stereoscopic 3D video into practical modern stereo formats. It was developed by Alaric Hamacher for real-world stereoscopic 3D production, restoration, archiving, and post-production workflows. The tool is designed for MVC-based 3D video sources that are difficult to use directly in current editing software.

Table of Contents

Purpose

Many older stereoscopic 3D cameras recorded video using MVC — Multiview Video Coding. MVC is an extension of H.264/AVC. It stores:

  • one full base view
  • one dependent second view This format was used in:
  • AVCHD 3D .MTS / .M2TS recordings
  • Blu-ray 3D video streams
  • some JVC MVC .MP4 / .MOV camera files Today, many applications can open these files but only show the base 2D view. The second stereo view is often ignored. mvc2stereo converts both views into usable stereo video formats.

Main Applications

mvc2stereo can be used for:

  • stereoscopic 3D post-production
  • editing MVC 3D footage in DaVinci Resolve
  • restoring older 3D camera recordings
  • archiving stereoscopic video material
  • creating side-by-side ProRes files
  • creating separate left/right ProRes masters
  • creating MV-HEVC stereo QuickTime movies
  • preparing stereo material for headset workflows
  • stereoscopic projection and screening
  • research and education in 3D filmmaking

Supported Output Modes

Side-by-Side ProRes

Creates one ProRes movie with left and right eye images arranged side-by-side.

mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode sbs-prores

Useful for:

  • quick review
  • editing
  • 3D monitoring
  • projection workflows
  • conversion to other stereo formats

Dual ProRes

Creates separate left-eye and right-eye ProRes movie files.

mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode dual-prores

Useful for:

  • high-quality stereo post-production
  • color correction
  • compositing
  • stereo alignment
  • archival mastering

MV-HEVC

Creates a multilayer HEVC QuickTime movie.

mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode mv-hevc

Useful for:

  • Apple spatial video experiments
  • headset playback workflows
  • modern stereo delivery testing Compatibility depends on the playback or editing software.

Supported Input Formats

Current input support:

  • .MTS
  • .M2TS
  • .264
  • .h264
  • .avc
  • experimental JVC MVC .MP4
  • experimental JVC MVC .MOV The .MTS and .M2TS processing pipeline is implemented natively in Swift and does not require Python.

Installation

Install with Homebrew: bash brew tap stereo3d/tools brew install stereo3d/tools/mvc2stereo Check the installation: bash mvc2stereo --help

Dependencies

Homebrew installs the required FFmpeg dependency automatically. mvc2stereo currently uses:

  • ffprobe for reading video information
  • ffmpeg for audio muxing
  • ffmpeg for experimental MP4/MOV MVC extraction Python is not required for normal .MTS / .M2TS MVC processing.

Basic Usage

The examples below illustrate the three primary workflows supported by mvc2stereo.

Create a Side-by-Side ProRes Movie

The quickest way to preview or edit MVC footage is to create a single side-by-side ProRes movie.

mvc2stereo Vacation3D.MTS --mode sbs-prores

Output:

Vacation3D_SBS.mov

Suitable for:

  • DaVinci Resolve
  • Stereo review
  • 3D projection
  • Quick conversions

Create Left and Right Master Files

For professional post-production, export each eye separately.

mvc2stereo Vacation3D.MTS --mode dual-prores

Output:

Vacation3D_L.mov
Vacation3D_R.mov

Recommended for:

  • Stereo alignment
  • Color grading
  • Visual effects
  • Archival masters

Create an MV-HEVC Movie

Generate a modern multiview HEVC QuickTime file.

mvc2stereo Vacation3D.MTS --mode mv-hevc

Output:

Vacation3D_MVHEVC.mov

Suitable for:

  • Apple Vision Pro
  • Spatial Video workflows
  • Immersive media experiments

Process Only a Short Test Clip

When working with large recordings, convert only the first part of the file to verify compatibility.

mvc2stereo Vacation3D.MTS \
    --mode dual-prores \
    --max-frames 100

Keep Intermediate Files

During development or troubleshooting, intermediate MVC files can be preserved.

mvc2stereo Vacation3D.MTS \
    --mode dual-prores \
    --keep-temp

Batch Conversion Script

A simple batch script is provided for converting all supported MVC files inside one folder.

The script uses the Homebrew-installed mvc2stereo binary:

TOOL="mvc2stereo"

This means mvc2stereo must already be installed and available in the terminal:

brew tap stereo3d/tools
brew install stereo3d/tools/mvc2stereo

Make the script executable:

chmod +x batch_mvc2stereo.sh

Run it on a folder:

./batch_mvc2stereo.sh /path/to/folder

If no folder is given, the current folder is used:

./batch_mvc2stereo.sh

The script currently scans for the following file extensions, in upper and lower case:

.MTS
.mts
.M2TS
.m2ts
.MP4
.mp4
.MOV
.mov

The default output mode is:

MODE="mv-hevc"

You can edit the script and change this line to one of:

MODE="dual-prores"
MODE="sbs-prores"
MODE="mv-hevc"

The script automatically skips files when the expected output already exists.

Expected output names:

dual-prores  → input_L.mov and input_R.mov
sbs-prores   → input_SBS.mov
mv-hevc      → input_MVHEVC.mov

A log file is created automatically:

batch_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log

Example:

./batch_mvc2stereo.sh /Volumes/media/3D/my_folder

Audio Options

By default, audio is preserved. Use PCM audio: bash mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode sbs-prores --audio pcm Use AAC audio: bash mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode sbs-prores --audio aac Disable audio: bash mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode sbs-prores --audio none

Keeping Temporary Files

For debugging or inspection, keep intermediate files:

mvc2stereo input.MTS --mode sbs-prores --keep-temp

This can be useful for checking:

  • extracted base view stream
  • extracted dependent MVC stream
  • rebuilt MVC elementary stream
  • decoder input

Example Workflows

Convert AVCHD 3D Footage for Editing

mvc2stereo 00093.MTS --mode sbs-prores

This creates a side-by-side ProRes file that can be imported into editing software.

Create Left and Right Eye Master Files

mvc2stereo 00093.MTS --mode dual-prores

This creates two separate ProRes files, one for each eye.

Create an MV-HEVC Stereo Movie

mvc2stereo 00093.MTS --mode mv-hevc

This creates a multilayer HEVC QuickTime movie for modern spatial video experiments.

Test Only the Beginning of a File

mvc2stereo 00093.MTS --mode sbs-prores --max-frames 100

This is useful for checking whether a file decodes correctly before processing the full video.

DaVinci Resolve Workflow

mvc2stereo outputs files that can be used directly in DaVinci Resolve workflows. Some MVC source files are interlaced. In this case, DaVinci Resolve may not always interpret the field order correctly automatically. DaVinci Resolve has an excellent deinterlacer using the Neural Engine. For best results:

  1. Import the converted file into DaVinci Resolve.
  2. Right-click the clip in the Media Pool.
  3. Choose Clip Attributes.
  4. Set the correct interlaced field order, for example:
    • upper field first
    • lower field first
    • progressive
  5. Enable the appropriate deinterlacing settings in the project or clip settings if needed. For side-by-side stereo files, DaVinci Resolve can also identify the clip as stereoscopic 3D material:
  6. Right-click the side-by-side clip.
  7. Open Clip Attributes.
  8. Set the stereoscopic 3D format to Side-by-Side.
  9. Use DaVinci Resolve’s stereo 3D tools for editing, alignment, convergence, and output. MV-HEVC clips are usually recognized directly as stereo/spatial video by compatible software. However, depending on the original source, interlaced settings may still need to be checked manually. Recommended workflow:
%%{init: {
  "theme": "base",
  "themeVariables": {
    "primaryColor": "#eef2ff",
    "primaryBorderColor": "#374151",
    "primaryTextColor": "#111111",
    "lineColor": "#374151",
    "textColor": "#111111",
    "fontFamily": "Arial"
  }
}}%%

flowchart TB

subgraph LEGACY["Legacy MVC Sources"]
    A1["Sony AVCHD 3D
.MTS / .M2TS"]
    A2["Blu-ray 3D
MVC"]
    A3["JVC MVC
.MP4 / .MOV"]
end

A1 --> B
A2 --> B
A3 --> B

B["mvc2stereo"]

B --> C1["Side-by-Side
ProRes"]
B --> C2["Dual ProRes
Left + Right"]
B --> C3["MV-HEVC"]

C1 --> D["DaVinci Resolve"]
C2 --> D

D --> E1["Stereo Editing"]
D --> E2["Stereo Alignment"]
D --> E3["Color Grading"]

E1 --> F["Projection &
Master Archive"]
E2 --> F
E3 --> F

C3 --> G["Apple Vision Pro"]
C3 --> H["Spatial Video"]

G --> F
H --> F

JVC MVC MP4 / MOV Support

Some JVC 3D cameras recorded MVC streams inside MP4 or MOV containers. mvc2stereo includes experimental support for these files. The program extracts MVC-related header information from the MP4 container and rebuilds a JM-compatible MVC stream. This preparation step can take time, especially with large files. Example: bash mvc2stereo input.MP4 --mode sbs-prores For some JVC files, interlaced 50i sources may be reported as 50 fps by ffprobe. mvc2stereo compensates for this by writing interlaced MP4/MOV outputs at half the reported frame rate when appropriate. Example: text FPS: 50/1 Field order: tt Output FPS: 25/1

Why This Tool Exists

A large amount of stereoscopic 3D material was recorded in MVC-based formats that are no longer well supported by current software. Many modern applications can open the files, but only show the base 2D image. The second eye is often unavailable. mvc2stereo was created to make this material usable again. The goal is not only playback, but also:

  • restoration
  • post-production
  • education
  • stereoscopic research
  • preservation of older 3D camera material
  • conversion to modern immersive media formats

Workshop and Festival Use

mvc2stereo has been used in practical stereoscopic 3D education and production workflows, including the New Media Workshop / 3D Masterclass connected to the Busan International Short Film Festival.

More information:

3D Masterclass in Busan

The tool supports this type of educational workflow by making MVC 3D camera footage easier to convert, review, edit, and project in modern post-production environments.

Technical Notes

mvc2stereo uses the JM reference MVC decoder internally for MVC decoding. For .MTS and .M2TS files, transport stream demuxing and MVC access-unit merging are implemented in Swift. For JVC .MP4 / .MOV MVC files, the tool currently still relies on FFmpeg for video extraction before rebuilding the MVC stream.

Current Limitations

  • JVC MP4/MOV support is experimental.
  • Some damaged or incomplete MP4/MOV files may not fully extract.
  • MV-HEVC compatibility depends on the target playback application.
  • Field-order handling depends on the output format and editing application.
  • The current binary release is for macOS Apple Silicon.

Author

mvc2stereo was written by Alaric Hamacher. The tool was developed from practical stereoscopic 3D production, post-production, and archival needs.

Third-Party Code Notice

mvc2stereo includes modified code derived from the JM H.264/AVC reference decoder.

The JM reference software includes ISO/IEC and ITU copyright and warranty notices.

The JM notice grants a free license to the software module and modifications, but it does not grant patent rights. Users intending to use the software in products should review the applicable patent and licensing situation.

License

Copyright © Alaric Hamacher. License information will be added with the public source-code release.

Alaric Hamacher

Alaric Hamacher is a filmmaker, software developer, and university professor specializing in stereoscopic imaging, digital holography, immersive media, and spatial computing. He develops open-source tools and workflows for filmmakers, researchers, and developers working with three-dimensional imaging.

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