Half SBS vs. Full SBS: What’s the difference?

Date February 4, 2017 Author Catherine Category Video Tips

With more and more people getting their own VR Headsets and 3D TVs, 3D movies become hotter and hotter. They can directly watch 3D movies on 3D devices in video app. Or you also can donwload 3D YIFY, 3D YouTube movies from online to view on Samsung 3D TV, Gear VR. Moreover, many people like to create 3D video out of 2D video and some other 3D source. In the 3D video production, SBS 3D video is the choice of many people. But when it comes to Full SBS and Half SBS, some people don’t know how to choose.

What is 3D SBS?

3D SBS is the short for the side-by-side 3D, which is the best solution which has been a widely used 3D format besides frame-sequential 3D when airing 3D contents over cable onto 3D TV. Apart from SBS 3D, top-bottom 3D is another popular 3D mode (Differences Between Anaglyph 3D and Side-by-Side 3D). But for the most of VR Headsets and 3D TVs like HTC Vive, Google Daydream VR, PS VR, Oculus Rift CV1, Samsung 3D TV, LG 3D TV, etc, SBS video will be the most compatible 3D mode.

What is the difference between half SBS and full SBS?

Half Side-by-Side (SBS), means the left and right views of a 3D video are subsampled at half resolution and you get a backwards compatible full frame.

Example: Say, each view is 1920×1080

subsample to 960 x 1080, put them side by side and now you have a 3D 1920×1080 frame.

Full SBS, means you transmit both views at full resolution; better quality, but bigger file.

The half-SBS was the necessary format for YouTube 3D, until it added the capability for half OU: half Over and Under. This is superior for 3D stereo perception because the full HD horizontal resolution is retained, and the vertical resolution is interlaced between right and left, adding up to a perception of fuller resolution than the actual halving would suggest.

For Example:

Half-SBS = (960+960) 1920 x 1080P
Full-SBS = (1920+1920) 3840 x 1080P

3DBD Bluray 1920 x 1080 Left + 1920 x 1080 Right, 
= 3840 x 1080 Full-SBS, but Only can be played 
from BD/ BD25/ BD50 via Bluray Player

Now with Passive TV’s in 2D they are Full HD 1920 x1080P
In 3D because of the Polarized Glasses you only see,
Half the Horizontal Res of Left Eye and Half for Right Eye 540P

Half-SBS on Passive is 960 x 540 (Left) + 960 x 540 (Right)
Half-SBS on Active is 960 x 1080P (Left) + 960 x 1080P (Right)

Full Over/Under (aka) Top & Bottom 
Full – 1920 x (1080+1080) 2160
Half – 1920 x (540+540) 1080P

Pavtube SBS 3D Solutions

Pavtube is the world’s best 3D solution provider which has a whole package of 3D solutions, including SBS 3D.

Pavtube ByteCopy can rip any 3D Blu-rays to SBS 3D videos in a variety of different formats: 3D SBS MKV, 3D SBS MP4, 3D TB MKV, 3D TB MP4, 3D SBS AVI, etc. It also can copy any 3D Blu-ray to SBS 3D in BD25/ BD9/ BD5, and the output SBS 3D Blu-ray can be played in standard 3D Blu-ray player for you to enjoy on your LG 3D TV, 3D TV, Samsung 3D TV, Panasonic 3D TV, Sony 3D TV.

Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate can work with DVD Ripper, Blu-ray Ripper or Video Converter to convert any regular DVD, Blu-ray or video to SBS 3D video in different formats. The best 3D video converter can be easy-to-use and generate own cool 3D videos movies for impressive video watching experience efficiently. It enables you to convert regular 2D videos to Side by Side, Top/bottom or Anaglyph Red/Blue 3D formats for ANT VR Kit, View-Master VR and other different 3D devices. Of course the end result isn’t going to be as impressive as Avatar, but the experience is more than just a gimmick and can be exciting and entertaining.