SMPTE Releases 3D Report

SMPTE has released its task force report titled '3D To The Home', with a 3DTV standard to follow in the fourth quarter of 2010, writes George Jarrett. The report specifically concerns the standards needed for: "A 3D Home Master that would be distributed, after post production, to the ingest points of distribution channels." These outlets would be everything from mobile to cable, but not cinema, which has its own mastering process.

In effect, the home master will be an uncompressed and unencrypted image format or file package, but the task force and standardisation process is too slow according to Sky Chief Engineer, Chris Johns.

"It's about here and now, not in three years' time," he said. "However, the big question is: what will be the catalyst to make it happen?"

Sky has settled on its own STB as the scope of its first Stereo 3D playground, and has announced opera and ballet productions as well as sport and music, but its market ambitions do not clash too badly with SMPTE expectations. Its use of the Sky Box to deliver content might.

According to Wendy Aylsworth, SMPTE senior VP of technology and Warner Brothers' VP of engineering, "We could have the new generation capabilities in the home within three years.

"I don't think the economy is affecting efforts to create standards. Everything seems to be a go for manufacturers who are investing in 3D," she added. "I anticipate that 3D standards could be published in late 2010. That said, the economy could impact on overall sales of displays and players, and it could impact on the production of new 3D content, both of which might slow the uptake of this new digital format."

Aylsworth believes it will be impossible to convince consumers to purchase special second devices on which to watch only 3D content.

"We have to ensure that 2D content can play well on new 3D displays, and that 3D content will not make an old 2D display look bad," she said.

"There are many approaches for both problems, for a variety of different transports. The challenge is to a) design formats that can service both these issues over any transport, and b) design the transport solutions to hopefully be very similar across the various channels. Some transports, like optical disk, are easier to adopt than others like live terrestrial broadcast. Once one transport method makes it to market, the others will rapidly follow suit," she added.

The task force report offers a ton of helpful conceptual data, the full glossary the market has needed, and multiple application cases. What impact does Aylsworth expect from its launch at NAB?

"I just hope more people start thinking about how we provide consumers with a great quality experience," she said. "And how to achieve that through cohesive, interoperable standards across the many standards bodies that are necessarily involved. Quite a few organisations are liaising with SMPTE and are committed to implementing standards in their areas of expertise: ITU, DVB, ATSC, CEA, SCTE, etc. I am very encouraged by the level of engagement and coordination."

Asked about the chances of a rival technology getting into the home as de facto standard before SMPTE can implement its own one, she said: "There are plenty of short cuts, that would allow reasonable quality to reach the consumer sooner, but they may not stand the test of time - of being flexible and extensible.

"We need to have the core standards to be able to last many years without forcing consumers to frequently buy new equipment," Aylsworth added. "The logical way to do it is with packaged media."

Source: TB Europe