LG 3D Phones: LG P920, P925, etc.

[VidThreeNorth]

LG 3D Phones: LG P920, P925, etc.
[P925g, P720, SU870]

Canon's recently introduced their RF5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye 3D lens, and I realized that I had not released anything 3D in a long while. I make occasional use of 3D stills for personal documentation, but lately my release-able projects have been in 2D. So I thought about what I could do fairly quickly to support 3D, and for the near term, I thought that clearly it would have to be "stills". After a few ideas, I settled on created some posts about my "LG-P925g" Optimus 3D.

I think I bought mine early in 2012. It is a localized version of the "Optimus 3D P920 sold by Rogers Wireless. As far as I can remember, mine came with Android version 2.3.5, Kernel version 2.6.35.7. This is what I have currently loaded, and I do not recall it being upgraded. That does not mean that Rogers did not have an upgrade available, but I will try to get back to that issue later. Researching the P920/P925 models, I can say that they appear to be the same, and firmware versions apparently ranged from Android 2.2 up to 4.0. If I can upgrade to a version of 4.0, that might fix problems that I have encountered.

The Supported 3D Formats:

Around 2011 when LG decided to go 3D, file standards were in flux, so it was reasonable that LG created a new one for still pictures. Their "JPS" (JPEG Stereo?) format was two side by side normal (not anamorphic) pictures 2048 x 1536 each, forming a single JPEG 4096 x 1536 image. The P925g would display this on its 800 x 480 screen in a proper stereoscopic 3D image without special glasses.

For Video, it supported up to a standard 1080p 2D file or 720p stereoscopic 3D MP4 file. Depending on the model (apparently there were two), the 2D file was either 30p or 24p. The 3D file was the same 30p on both. But no matter which, and no matter how well the imaging quality was, for 3D, they started with a ~2.3 cm baseline, which I felt was not very useful. So although I did try stills and video briefly at the time I bought it, I did not really used it beyond my initial tests. For me, the value in the device was its very good 3D viewing capability.

Not long after, I bought my first Gadmei 8" 3D tablet which had a better display, and so, without a good camera system and a "lesser" screen the LG ended up "sitting". The only real problem with such a result is that I never checked for firmware updates later. In general, LG did provide upgrades for it, but I would need to get mine from Rogers, for which I currently have no account. Such and upgrade could have resulted in major benefits.

The Stills:

It so happens that the file sizes of the stills seem to average 2mb, which happens to be the upload size limit for this forum. Unfortunately, so far, the pictures I like have been a bit too large. I thought about shrinking the files (width and height) which is what I normally do when I upload samples, but they were so close, that I decided to upload the files in the same dimensions, and re-compress them at lower quality levels.

What Can You Do With Them?

If you only have a normal 2D viewing device, then just look at them as-is. You will see a pair of images side by side. This is not very exciting, but if you are curious about what I uploaded, then you will have that much of an answer.

If you have a 3D viewing device or app that directly handles "JPS" files, you should be able to rename the uploaded files from "jpg" to "JPS" and view them directly as 3D.

If you have a 3D viewing device that can display 3D, but not from a "JPS" file format, then if you want to, you can do whatever you need to do to convert it to a supported file. A fairly common "old" format is simple side - by - side, but horizontally compressed anamorphic. This is a fairly easy conversion in most still picture editors.

The third option might be a little more difficult. You can convert the two side by side images into an "MPO" format. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what programs can handle this conversion, but "MPO" is the proper standard format for 3D stills. I believe that Panasonic cameras now output MPO format files if you use their 3D lens on it.

Lastly, and most likely these days, if you have a Google Glass style adapter and a phone with a screen around 5" - 6", then you can display the file on your phone using an ordinary pictures viewing app and the "Google Glass" adapter will allow you to see it in 3D.

Can 3D be viewed easily on 2D devices?

Actually, I would say "sort of yes". If you have an app that will display 3D using "wiggle 3D", this can be done. Whether you find it acceptable is not something I can tell you. "Wiggle 3d" alternately shows the left and then the right images in rapid alternation. This might be dangerous for people with sensitivity to flashing lights (epileptics). And some people simply do not like to view this. I have seen it and, it works for me, but I do not like it. I prefer to use real 3D viewing devices instead. I do not even know what programs are capable of "wiggle 3D".

I have four samples to upload right now. I have more pictures that I am looking through, and I have tried to make some new videos. I will discuss this later. For now, I have listed the original file names and their corresponding original sizes, followed by the names of the "recompressed" files that I am uploading.

One word about 3D compositions: If you do a good job of composing in 2D, you might not find a 3D version adds anything. The result is a disappointing image. On the other hand, the samples I am uploading to day, I would call "poor" 2D compositions, but if you see them in 3D, you will find them much better. It is possible to have compositions that are good, both in 2D and 3D, but having done this for years, I would say that I do not generally like such "universal compositions" because they tend to be "obvious". I like the compositions, like the pictures I am uploading, which are not so obviously "good" when viewed in 2D. The element of surprise, is something that I find attractive in these compositions. This is, of course, a personal taste issue, and someday I might change my mind about it, but that is my current taste/opinion.


"IMG039.JPS" [Not Uploaded]
Size: 2,236,699 bytes
"IMG039-C13.jpg"

"IMG042.JPS" [Not Uploaded]
Size: 2,067,003 bytes
"IMG042-C11.jpg"

"IMG045.JPS" [Not Uploaded]
Size: 2,473,403 bytes
"IMG045-C14.jpg"

"IMG066.JPS" [Not Uploaded]
Size: 2,022,314 bytes
"IMG066-C10.jpg"

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Google Glasses 3D / VR Phone Adapter Headset

I mentioned "Google Glasses" adapters before and this is a link to one of these style headset adapters. I bought a product like this a few years ago and tried it, and it worked. But back then, I only had a phone with a 4.5" screen, which was too small to work well, so I got rid of mine. I now have a phone that should work (my Sony Xperia 10 iii), but I have not decided to buy another of these.

As I have written before, I already have better 3D viewing screens than this, so I really do not have a big reason to get one of these again. Also, a quick look-around has shown me that prices have sky-rocketed for these things. I paid about $20 US and got mine in a local store, so I paid only for my transportation to and from the store. This particular one was the cheapest I found on eBay recently. You will need a cellphone with a display from ~ 5.5" to 6.0" for these to get started, and depending on the content you use it for, you will need the proper App. That was another reason I might not get another one. The Apps had negative aspects (I think they were subscription based, which I will not accept).

Let me emphasize that I did NOT buy this particular brand or model, and I do not endorse or recommend it. Look around and decide for yourself what looks like it might be "good".

"Virtual Reality VR Headset 3D Glasses With Remote for Android IOS iPhone Samsung",
Vendor: "gameinfinity (326804 ) 98.6% Positive feedback"
US $15.99 Approximately C $19.82 + Shipping: US $4.99 (approx. C $6.19) USPS First Class Mail International / First Class Package International Service (~ 7 - 14 days)
"Virtual Reality VR Headset 3D Glasses With Remote for Android IOS iPhone Samsung | eBay"

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Sample Video:

YouTube: "[3D]211101_LG_P925_040"
""

[NOTE: YouTube no longer has an upload switch for 3D videos. I tried to ask YouTube how what to do to set this as a 3D video file and got no reply, so I cannot say if you need special browser capabilities to view this properly.]

I have had a "loose framework" plan for a 2D video that I have been working on for over a year now, and at this point, I have tried to maintain focus on it and trying to get it done before I move on to other projects. But in the wake of the Canon lens announcement, I have started to build up more 3D stills, which I am sorting through, and that has opened to floodgates a little. Which is to say that I have spread out into more "general" photography again, but with a loose limit of getting some Fall photography done, and then returning to my 2D video project again.

One thing I decided to try was a set of 3D video clips of some river and creek features that I have been recording in 2D. This was done using the LG P925g, which is only 720p in 3D (30 fps). It is not my best camera, but ironically, because of its short baseline (2.3 cm), it is particularly good for close work. Actually, that is really all for which it is good.

My first tests were done on the 16g, C10 card that I had installed. Unfortunately, I found that it was skipping frames, both for 2D and for 3D. I looked around for a U1 card, and found, to my disappointment that I could not find anything better than C10 in a 16g card. The only faster cards started at 32g. This brings up something that annoyed me through the period when I was buying my 3D Android devices. Despite the fact that 32g cards were around for a long time, Android stuck with its 16g limit. And yes, that limit was real. If you use a 32g card with the 16g space it will generally work, but if you write to the card beyond that, it will corrupt the card. I did this more than once when I used a 32g card in one of those devices. This includes Android 4.1 versions. There might have been some Android 4.1 distros that supported 32g, but I never had one.

Anyway, I bought a 32g card for the LG P825g and carefully limited my recording to a handful of files and avoided problems. I am not sure when 32g cards became supported in Android, but what is particularly annoying is that, as I mentioned above, the 32g cards had actually been around a very long time in the interim. My LG came with Android 2.x, and even if I upgrade it to 4.x, it will probably still have this problem. But Android was available in source code. Any phone maker could have added support for 32g cards in the interim. They just didn't do it.

Anyway, I am releasing this clip which is a short ~1 min clip of a waterfall, which you might find fun. It might not be included in any particular project, but it looks nice in 3D.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

File States and Frame Capture from the Above Video:

File Stats:
"[3D]-1101-LG-P925-040.mp4"
Size: 147,593,552 bytes
Created November 1, 2021, 12:53:36
Video:
Length 01:35
Frame width 1280
Frame height 720
Data rate 12,330 kbps
Total bitrate 12,394 kbps
Frame rate 30 frames/second
Audio
Bit rate 64 kbps
Channels 1 (mono)
Audio sample rate 24 kHz

VLC:
Stream 0
Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10) (avc1)
Language: English
Type: Video
Frame rate: 30.031730
Decoded format:
Orientation: Top left
Chroma location: Left
Stream 1
Codec MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)
Language: English
Type Audio
Channels: Stereo
Sample rate: 48000 Hz
Bits per sample: 32


"01-P925g-1101-040-C1.jpg"

This is an unmodified frame captured from the original video made by the LG Optimus 3D P925g. The file uses original pixel dimensions and the JPEG file is "C1" or the least compression possible. The resulting picture is horizontally reduced by 1/2 which is the normal 3D format of the video, so depending on your viewing method, you might want to stretch it wider 2X. As for the small file size (in bytes), beyond the fact that it is only 1280 x 720, I think that this is typical phone video quality for phones back then. And the fact that the subject matter is fast moving water is legitimately very difficult for any camera.