3D YouTube Videos

Viewable using the Parallel Viewing method

Compiled by Martin J. Powell

I originally compiled a list of 3D YouTube videos in July 2009. At the time, 3D was only just starting to appear on YouTube and there were not a great number of them to see. In less than a couple of short years, the number of 3D videos has risen significantly, thanks in large part to the increased popularity of 3D films and the wider availability of 3D televisions and gaming consoles.

Having watched many dozens of online videos I have now expanded and revised the list with what I believe to be amongst the best 3D videos currently viewable. Specifically, I have chosen videos which portray good depth, are mostly of high visual quality (many in High Definition) and which vary greatly in content. I have placed each video into a category; this is clearly a subjective process and inevitably there are some videos which could easily be categorised elsewhere (e.g. CGI and Music). Within each category, the videos are listed in no particular order.

Alice is a CGI singing and dancing character created using software for both the movement and vocals (click for full-size image, 53 KB). Here she is seen performing a Japanese song in stereoscopic 3D.

In July 2009 YouTube introduced a special tag which allowed 3D videos to be viewed using several different 3D viewing methods (as explained by YouTube's software engineer Peter Bradshaw). Whenever the video uploader includes the 'yt3d:enable=true' tag, a '3D' button appears at the lower right of the video. Clicking on this button causes a drop-down menu to appear, listing the varying viewing formats. If this tag is not included, the video is 'fixed' in the format in which it was uploaded and it cannot be changed by the viewer.

Whilst compiling this list I have come across a couple of technical issues when loading some YouTube videos. Firstly, some do not open in the correct aspect ratio (the picture appears stretched horizontally); this is because the video uploader did not apply the appropriate formatting tag (see more details here). This is unfortunate since I have excluded these videos from the list. Secondly, many 3D videos open in the cross-eyed viewing mode (which is not to everyone's taste) despite the fact that the video is listed in the drop-down menu as being in parallel. This can easily be changed by clicking on the '3D' button at the lower right of the video; when the drop-down menu opens, click on 'Swap (right-left)'.

Note that there are numerous videos on YouTube which have been converted from 2D to 3D using computer software (often with less-than-satisfactory results) and there are also many videos listed as being in 3D but which clearly are not.

This selection demonstrates the many creative ways in which 3D video is now being used, by professionals and amateurs alike. I will be revising this list periodically; if you have seen a particularly outstanding example, please and I will consider adding it to the list in a future revision.

(To learn how to view the videos in 3D, refer to my webpage Stereoscopic Pictures (and how to view them).

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Stereoscopic (3-D) Photographs

South Dartmoor in 3D Stereo

Prehistoric Sites in England

Prehistoric Sites in Wales

Prehistoric Sites in Scotland

Copyright  Martin J Powell  2011