Sony Exec: 3DTV Broadcasts Possible in 2-3 Years
Your HDTV might be getting 3D broadcasts in just a few years, says the top engineer at Sony Electronics Inc. It could happen in as little as two or three years, driven in large part by popularity of stereoscopic movies, said Peter Lude, senior vice president for systems engineering.
Several companies are selling 3D-ready TVs. Mitsubishi says all its 60- to 70-inch home theater screens can receive in 3D. But without an agreement on standards, there could be a format war, like that between VHS and Beta format recorders in the 1980s.
"We'd sure hate to see that ... It's costly and slows everything down," Lude told about 250 people Thursday at SIGGRAPH 2009, an international conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Such an agreement could come within two or three years, he said in an interview afterward.
One thing, he said, is sure: "Do you really need those silly glasses? The answer is yes." For the foreseeable future, Lude said, there's no way to get a good 3D effect on television without them.
A no-glasses 3D display was being shown in the exhibit hall while he spoke. The exhibitor said the $15,000 40-inch display at present is aimed at advertising at venues such as trade shows rather than for home television. Pia Maffei, an instructor in creating video for Alioscopy USA Inc., said the potential is there for the home TV market.
But images aren't as sharp and viewing areas are more limited, Lude said. In addition, he said, "you actually can see several different views of the same object, as if you're walking around it in real life. This is good for advertising, but not for cinematic storytelling, where the director had a very specific viewpoint that he intend viewers to see."
There's no question that 3D is big in movies. Though the tickets cost more, theaters with 3D screens sold nearly seven times as many tickets to last year's My Bloody Valentine as those with standard screens, Lude said.
Pixar Animation Studios has said it's going to make all of its movies in 3D. All told, studios plan about 40 feature films in 3D over the next two years. But box office ticket sales are just one revenue stream for producers. Studios still make much more from home video and TV.
"They'd like to be able to sell a 3D Blu-ray," Lude said. "They'd like to be able to sell 3D to HBO."
Some movies, including My Bloody Valentine and Coraline, have shown up in 3D DVDs and Blu-ray discs, requiring special glasses to view. But distribution in large numbers is unlikely until an international standard is reached, Lude said. He said that could happen next year for discs.
He said there are more than 30 ways to build a 3D receiver, but two types are the most likely. One requires polarized glasses, while the other might be described as the world's fastest blinking machine, alternating images between right and left eye 144 times a second.
Lude said more than 2 million televisions in U.S. homes now could receive in 3D, though many of those owners may well replace them without ever knowing about that ability. Most of the TVs are 70-inch rear-screen projection models. "They're 14 inches deep. Now you can get screens 2 inches deep. That's more attractive to customers."
By Janet McConnaughey, SunHerald
