Telenet in 3D Research Partnership

Telenet has signed a three-year research contract with the Laboratory for Neurophysiology and Psychophysiology at the KU Leuven Medical School. The research project led by Professor Guy Orban will focus on the neutral processing of 3D images in the human brain using functional imaging.

The cooperation between the Flemish cableco and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven was established in the as part of the “Digital Wave 2015” plan, an innovation programme launched by Telenet to help Flanders maintain its pioneering role in an environment that is very quickly turning digital.

“For Telenet, it is not only important to know how the customer reacts to new television products in commercial terms,” said Jan Vorstermans, executive vice president, technology and solutions, Telenet. “The way in which viewers process 3D images, and the influence of 3D on the general viewing experience are equally relevant when outlining new digital plans”. Vorstermans said it was essential to clearly assess how sustainable and how responsible new products are.

Professor Orban and his team are world leaders in research on the neural mechanisms of visual 3D shape processing. “We have discovered the gradient neurons that extract this 3D shape from the flow of visual information reaching the brain from both eyes”, says Professor Orban. “We have been able to identify the areas where these neurons are situated in the human brain using functional imaging.”

As part of the current project Professor Orban will investigate how information reaching the brain is then used to perceive actions in 3D and how processes then differ in real life. “In concrete terms we can, for example, compare the experience of being present at a football match to watching the same football match on the new digital 3D TV”.

The co-operation between cableco and university will last for an initial three years with both parties able to use any findings that emerge.

By Julian Clover, Broadband TV News