Dolby 3D Digital Cinema Expands Worldwide as Demand Grows for Digital 3D

Shipments of Dolby 3D Digital Cinema units have reached more than 500 in 24 countries since its market debut less than a year ago in October 2007. Dolby continues to add new 3D screens in North America and has emerged as a leading 3D solution in Europe and Asia.

In Europe, the company has increased the total number of Dolby 3D system shipments to 280 in countries such as Germany, Italy, Poland, and Russia. Similarly, in Asia, Dolby has shipped approximately 100 Dolby 3D systems, leveraging its network and distribution outlets in the Far East. The anticipation of 3D movies to be released in Asia has led to a number of deals, including T-Joy of Japan and Gateway Cineplex in the Philippines, among others.

Since its introduction in 2007, the number of Dolby 3D system installations in North America has grown to about 150. Dolby 3D has seen growth in key US markets in the west, mid-west, and southern regions, bringing Dolby 3D to large and independent chains including ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood Theaters, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, and Warren Theatres.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

Aston Shows 3D Stereoscopic Graphics at IBC 2008

Alongside the latest Aston 7 real-time 3D HD graphics system, Aston will have a live demonstration of how 3D graphics may be applied to stereoscopic video content.

Using active shuttered technology, Aston will be presenting 3D video and graphics using on the latest generation Samsung consumer 3D Plasma TV displays. As 3D TV becomes reality in gaming and digital signage, Aston’s product team is planning for the day that 3D transmission takes off by building 3D display formats into the A7 product.

Visitors to the Aston stand will see the latest version of the new A7 real-time 3D HD graphics system which offers powerful animations and visual effects simple unattainable on conventional 2D CG products. A7 has been used extensively for live coverage of Golf, Tennis, Football and other sports during the last 12 months, as well as on news and entertainment programming.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

Using a 3D-Ready DLP

The Samsung HL-T6187S Rear Projection DLP HDTV has become our reference standard for high definition stereo 3D display quality. The underlying Texas Instruments SmoothPicture DLP Technology accomplishes what consumer-level single-screen CRT, LCD and Plasma solutions have all failed to do so far – deliver a bright, clean, high-resolution, well color-balanced, 3D image with a wide viewing angle and without a hint of ghosting or flicker. The quality is stunning – as good as the most meticulously configured and maintained 2-projector setups that we’ve had the good fortune to eyeball.

TI’s SmoothPicture, found in both Samsung and Mitsubishi DLP HDTVs, delivers alternating left and right eye views using the inherent oscillation (properly referred to as wobbulation) of the DLP’s micro mirror array. This effectively halves the 1920x1080 image that is delivered to each eye, but, as each eye gets unique spatial information, the loss is not visually apparent. The display is physically cabled to a HDMI (or DVI with adapter) output from a reasonably modern video card. The 3D information is embedded in a checkerboard interlaced frame, which is an efficient method of squeezing left and right eye views into 1920x1080 . The display does the work of separating the left and right eye views and sending the stereo sync signal (via standard 3-pin miniDIN VESA jack) to the requisite active shutterglasses. The display even automatically applies a gamma setting in 3D mode that compensates for the color density distortion of active shutterglasses.

Speaking of shutterglasses, we regularly test with StereoGraphics CrystalEyes and eDimensional wireless shutterglasses at 3DRoundup. The CrystalEyes are top-notch and really show-off the superiority of the Samsung 3D. The eDimensional shades are pretty darn good too and are a fraction of the CrystalEyes cost. One frustrating side-effect of the eDimensional IR emitter is that it seems to flood the same frequency in the IR spectrum that many remote controls use, including the Samsung’s remote. When the display is in 3D mode, your other home A/V remotes will be blocked. That can be a pain when you want to adjust volume, for instance. The StereoGraphics emitter doesn’t suffer from this.

There are, of course, a number of other wireless active shutterglass options out there. We hear very good things about the NuVision 60GX product. Samsung has even announced a branded shutterglass solution of their own (word on the street is that current prototypes are quite heavy, however). Watch for a detailed shutterglass shoot-out in the near future.

Stereo 3D support from the PC has a few rough edges that will present no barriers to enthusiasts, but, will limit use by more casual consumers until they are addressed. The included Samsung documentation defers all information regarding 3D configuration and use to the web, where only sketchy instructions can be found. One challenge is to understand the PC horsepower needed for 3D HD movie playback and for gaming. It’s hard to be precise here – but – Stereo 3D (gaming in particular) puts serious demands on the CPU, GPU and even hard drives (for streaming dual HD video files). This is a topic best investigated and discussed on MTBS3D, but, the rule of thumb is to get the fastest monster PC that you can. If you do, maybe Crysis will be playable in 3D (and maybe not).

For viewing 3D movies, there are a number of PC players that will work, but it’s difficult to recommend anything but Peter Wimmer’s excellent Stereoscopic Player. It offers flawless support of 3D DLPs. There is a rumor (backed up with a registry hack to prove it) that the nVidia Vista drivers will soon support 3D DLP displays for gaming. The only official 3D DLP gaming option is the TriDef driver which currently supports 19 games on PCs running either XP or Vista and sporting modern nVidia or ATI graphics cards. TriDef also offers a bundle with shutterglasses specifically for 3D DLPs. Presumably, this bundle is more user friendly than trying to cobble together your own system.

For Mac users, we can only hint that there is a player in the works... and it works. 3D DLPs can absolutely serve as stereoscopic video production displays and NLE integration is on the horizon. As for Mac gaming... no smoke signals here... nada.

The most amazing thing about Samsung or Mitsubishi 3D DLPs is that you can pick’em up at any mass merchant electronics retailer (e.g. Best Buy, Circuit City...). Don’t expect the staff at you neighborhood big-box store to have a clue about 3D, however. They won’t. This may change later this fall when Mitsubishi tours it’s new line of laser-based Laservue 3D DLPs. They are expected to provide in-store demonstrations of 3D functionality. It is conceivable that, in less that a year, you’ll be able to drop by Best Buy and pick up a 3D DLP set w/ glasses, a 3D BluRay player and a 3D flick. Only question left is which movie will do for stereo 3D what Top Gun did for surround sound. U2 concert in your living room, any one?

There are a number of great Samsung and Mitsubishi 3D DLP models to choose from. Our test-bed 61” Samsung HL-T6187S streets for about $1500. A few of the Samsung sets, including the HL-T6187S, use LEDs as the light source. The LEDs are supposed to last the life of the TV (over 60,000 hours), as opposed to lamps that fade and burn out over time. If your budget will bear it... bigger in 3D is ALWAYS better. One final buying tip – Mitsubishi’s soon-to-be-released Laservue 3D DLPs are said to be the penultimate in this class of display. Just supporting passive glasses is a major selling point, in our humble opinion... and, of course, that they use frickin’ lazer beams.

By Raymond Gunn, 3D Roundup

The Entertainment Technology Center Announces Stereoscopic 3-D Content Lab

The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) announced today that it will set up a Stereoscopic 3-D Content Testing Lab addition to its Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab.

Building on the success of ETC's world-renowned Digital Cinema Laboratory, ETC's studio and other sponsors will be using the AACL to explore stereoscopic 3-D technologies, including stereoscopic 3-D implementations in a neutral, consumer-centric setting. Companies producing stereoscopic 3-D technologies and products are already beginning to place their technologies in the lab for evaluation and input from ETC's members.

David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the ETC added, "Given the substantial interest in stereoscopic 3-D in the theater and beyond, we believe there needs to be a neutral and central place for the various interested groups in order to ensure that the content and device development processes are interacting and fully aware of each other. Hollywood needs a physical space to see, test and evaluate high-quality content delivered the way consumers may see it today and into the future. That's what our Stereoscopic 3-D Content Testing Lab is all about."

Setting up the Stereoscopic 3-D Content Testing Lab is one of the key objectives of ETC's Stereoscopic 3-D Working Group, headed by Walt Husak, senior manager, Electronic Media at Dolby Laboratories, and comprised of major Hollywood studios, such as Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, and Warner Bros., together with other ETC members like Sharp, LG, Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Dolby, Deluxe, Thomson, TCS, Volkswagen Group of America as well as David Wertheimer, CEO and Executive Director of the ETC.

The ETC Stereoscopic 3-D Working Group is identifying 3D issues and opportunities for distribution into the home. The group's goal is to identify gaps and areas where forums for discussions among interested groups and standards bodies could be useful to accelerate the adoption of stereoscopic 3-D technology. "ETC's forums, ongoing mapping of the entire ecosystem, and ability to move quickly, will add value to all the players interested in seeing stereoscopic 3-D grow and thrive," said Wertheimer.

Source: MarketWatch

Universal, Disney Back Rollout Of Digital Cinema Equipment

Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Co. have agreed to throw their backing behind the rollout of digital cinema equipment in U.S. theaters, according to people familiar with the matter, moves that should finally allow exhibitors to proceed with an aggressive plan to replace old-fashioned film reels with digital technology.

The transformation to digital projection in theaters has been discussed for a decade. Digital projection would cut millions of dollars in annual costs for the studios by eliminating the need for film prints. It would give theater owners more flexibility to move films on and off the screens they operate. Digital projectors are also crucial to the rollout of equipment needed for 3-D movies, which Hollywood is increasingly planning to produce.

But progress toward achieving it has been slow amid bickering over how to pay for it. To overcome the problem, three major theater chains -- Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. -- formed a consortium called Digital Cinema Implementation Partners. The group is arranging a $1 billion financing package that it will begin to tap once a critical mass of four major studios has agreed to participate and help shoulder the financial burdens.

Until recently, just two studios -- News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox and Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures -- had agreed to participate. Now, General Electric Co.'s Universal is set to throw its support behind the consortium as soon as this week, people close to the situation say. And Disney has separately made its own deal to support the consortium.

Two other studios, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. and Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, say they are also interested in participating, but aren't ready to immediately sign on.

Currently, just 5,000 of the 40,000 or so screens in the U.S. and Canada sport digital gear in the projection booth. Some 1,200 screens support 3-D.

Under the DCIP plan, the three big chains will be able to outfit several thousand of their combined 15,000 screens next year with the technology, with a goal of converting almost all in three to four years. The financing package, totaling $1 billion, will be led by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., and paid for over eight to 10 years.

The studios will pay their share by contributing the money they would have spent on movie prints -- about $800 to $1,000 per film -- in the form of a so-called virtual print fee. The participating studios are promising to provide a digital print of their movies for each screen that converts to digital. The studios' total annual contribution would vary depending on how many movies each company releases per year.

The Hollywood studios' payoff is later; once the equipment is rolled out and their financing obligations are done, digital distribution of movies will cost just pennies per digital "print."

The equipment itself costs around $70,000 per screen, with the three big chains likely getting a discount for volume. Financing and maintenance will add to the final price tag per screen. The theaters are also paying a small portion of the cost, in addition to what the studios will pay.

While the long-term cost savings have been an incentive to participate, the move toward digital cinema has finally picked up steam recently, thanks to interest in a new generation of high-tech 3-D movies that has been billed by some as a key to keeping the theatrical film business healthy. With movie attendance declining in many recent years, studios and exhibitors alike have been concerned that theaters have to give consumers something extra that they can't get from their glitzy big-screen TVs and DVD players.

Several movies, such as Journey to the Center of the Earth, have taken in considerably more revenue on 3-D than expected, getting both studios and theater owners more interested in converting screens to digital, the first step in most 3-D set-ups. One of 3-D's biggest advocates has been DreamWorks Animation SKG, which has said that all of its movies will be released in the format beginning with Monsters vs. Aliens, opening next March.

"Alternative content, and 3-D in particular, have definitely ignited the momentum," says Julian Levin, executive vice president for digital exhibition at Fox, which is releasing director James Cameron's next movie, Avatar, in 3-D next year. "Those weren't thought of as the driving factors early on, but they became extremely significant."

By approving long-term agreements, the studios lock in a price per film that will likely be higher for distributors that don't commit to continuing financing. The studios that aren't yet participating, like Sony and Warner, are in talks with DCIP.

"We're working on trying to make a deal that is economically responsible for our company, whether it happens next week or whether it happens next month," says Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. At Sony, "digital is very important and critical to our strategy," says Scott Sherr, senior vice president of digital cinema operations. "We're moving carefully and thoughtfully and deliberately."

A separate arm of Sony, Sony Electronics, is deploying advanced high-resolution digital projectors known as 4K, meaning they have more than 4000 pixels per horizontal line. Most digital projectors on the market are 2K, meaning they have more than 2000 pixels per horizontal line.

By Sarah McBride and Peter Sanders, The Wall Street Journal

Nagoya University Presents Free Viewpoint TV at IBC

At Nagoya University we are developing a new type of television named FTV (Free viewpoint TV). FTV is an innovative visual media that enables us to view a 3D scene by freely changing our viewpoints. FTV has wide application areas since it is an ultimate 3DTV, a natural interface between humans and their environment, and an innovative tool to create new types of content and art.

FTV is based on the ray-space method that represents one ray in real space with one point in the ray-space. By using this method, we constructed the world's first real-time FTV system including the complete chain from capture to display. The success of FTV greatly contributed to start the standardisation activities of Multi-view Video Coding and 3D Video at MPEG. 3D Video is a special case of FTV and the first focus of FTV standardisation.

We are showing the following demonstrations:
- FTV on a PC (Interactive free view generation for real scenes by a single PC).
- FTV with free listening-point audio.
- 360-degree ray capture and display systems.

More information:
FTV (Free viewpoint TV) and Creation of Ray-Based Image Engineering by Prof. Masayuki Tanimoto

Source: IBC

Autostereoscopic 3D LCD Monitors

Computer users have been able to get real 3D images for quite some time, often by using clunky shutter glasses with a CRT monitor. However, now that LCD monitors are standard it is no longer possible to use relatively cheap 3D glasses to provide a real 3D image.

The most popular form of 3D LCD technology is called "autostereoscopic technology" and is able to provide a 3D image without any glasses. This technology works by diverting each column of pixels to an individual eye, essentially halving the vertical resolution but providing a unique image to each eye. By displaying a correctly rendered image on the monitor it is then possible to trick the brain into believing that the two 2D images are a single 3D scene.

There are two ways of directing the light to each eye, either by using a "parallax barrier" or a "lenticular lens". The two diagrams below illustrate how the light from left and right pixel columns reaches the eye.

Parallax Barrier
In the parallax barrier a mask is placed over the LCD display which directs light from alternate pixel columns to each eye. Parallax barrier displays allow instant switching between 2D and 3D modes as the light barrier is constructed from a layer of liquid crystal which can become completely transparent when current is passed across, allowing the LCD to function as a conventional 2D display.

Lenticular Lens
In the lenticular lens, an array of cylindrical lenses directs light from alternate pixel columns to a defined viewing zone, allowing each eye to receive a different image at an optimum distance.



3D Viewing Position
Of course, these methods produce zones in which the viewer can see a 3D image and the head must be correctly aligned within these zones to comfortably view the scene. If the head is located outside of these zones then both image streams will reach each eye or the viewing positions will be inverted, both of which will cause comfort problems.

This limits most low/medium end monitors as it restricts the head movement to within a small viewing region to achieve the full 3D effect. High end monitors can use different methods of eye/head tracking to adjust a parallax barrier, altering the viewing zones to follow the eye positions. This provides a seamless 3D viewing experience from an LCD monitor, without any external equipment.


Example of correct viewing position
Source: ReviewSpring

Autodesk Upgrades Lustre

Autodesk will launch a new version of its Lustre digital grading system at IBC that can handle stereoscopic 3D work. The colour grading tools in Lustre 2009 will speed up grading, previewing and rendering left and right eye media. Lustre 2009 also includes Timeline Sort Mode, a new feature that lets colourists rearrange the shots of an assembled edit decision list, grade and return them to their original EDL order.

Other features:
- Hue, lightness and saturation (HLS) secondary grading and Noise Reduction are GPU-accelerated, as well as several of the Lustre effects plug-ins.

- Integrated audio I/O with 8 channels of synchronised playback, making it possible for colourists to capture audio directly from a video source and use sound as an element of look design.

- The ability to adjust the response sensitivity of the control panel to suit each colourist's individual preferences.

Autodesk anticipates that Lustre 2009 will be available in October 2008.

Source: BroadcastNow

Coming soon: Journey to the Centre of Your Living Room in 3-D

Next weekend, Jeffrey Katzenberg will appear at an international broadcasting conference in Amsterdam to talk about how 3-D is the new hot thing in American cinema, with companies like his DreamWorks Animation SKG and such big directors as Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and James Cameron making groundbreaking films utilizing new digital projection technologies.

To emphasize the point, Mr. Katzenberg will appear, via a live satellite feed from Los Angeles, in three crisp dimensions on a big screen, before the group. Thanks to the cheap plastic glasses the attendees will be wearing, you can bet there will be oohing and aahing about how it seems like he is there in the room. (This despite the fact that, in stature and style, Mr. Katzenberg is no Kung Fu Panda.) In doing this, Mr. Katzenberg may be inadvertently offering an early glimpse at a use for the technology that could well turn out to be an even bigger media revolution - live broadcast TV in 3-D. That's right: Journey to the Centre of Your Living Room.

Sure, the idea of sitting around the house wearing special glasses may sound cumbersome (and dorky). And right now there is a handful of 3-D sets for sale in the United States and elsewhere, but no programming to speak of. Plus, it's hard to get jazzed about yet another new format of TV when consumers are still wrapping their heads (and wallets) around high-definition sets, DVD players and TV channels. And how much more 3-D, beyond the odd Imax spectacular, do people really want anyway?

Yet - apologies to the literary gods - seeing is 3-lieving. A few weeks ago, in a converted warehouse in Burbank, Calif., a rig housing two cameras shot a visiting columnist's image and transmitted it onto a flat-screen TV on the other side of the room. Donning polarized glasses, the visitor could see himself virtually leaping out of the television at ... himself. The company hosting the demo, called 3ality Digital LLC, is one of a bunch of players trying to push ahead with what is called stereoscopic broadcasting. Its calling card is that it made the U2 3-D movie that wowed audiences last year. While it is working on other film projects, 3ality Digital is focusing on the much bigger potential market for live TV.

In fact, demos of live 3-D have been quietly gaining buzz around the TV world, particularly in sport: Last year, for instance, the NBA All-Star game was broadcast in 3-D on a closed-circuit feed. "This is similar to where we were in 2003 with high-def," says Chuck Pagano, executive vice-president of technology at ESPN. "This is a big win for TV in general, because it is jaw-dropping when you see a football or basketball game in 3-D."

Indeed, one thing the first wave of Hollywood 3-D blockbusters has clarified is that 3-D can't make a crummy movie good but it might make a good movie better. But with TV, 3-D is much more of a no-brainer, because it enhances already proven programming. Picture events like the Olympics, or the much-discussed speeches at the U.S. electoral conventions, viewed with the illusory sense of depth and proximity that 3-D creates.

Unsurprisingly, the porn industry is also drooling over the potential for this new format. But as with all newfangled gadgetry, the big question is which standards will prevail, and when: There are already several "3-D ready" displays on the market from the likes of Samsung and JVC, requiring different types of image coding and viewing glasses. These are mainly for commercial purposes and video gaming. However, in Japan, one broadcaster is airing an hour a day in 3-D, and Philips has a 3-D monitor for sale that does not require glasses but is, for now, too pricey for mass rollout. "I think the glasses are a necessary evil for the next few years," says Wendy Aylsworth, a Warner Bros. studio executive who is heading an entertainment industry group's efforts to set technical standards for what is known as "stereoscopic" 3-D. Still, expect more and better 3-D TVs to be the buzz at next January's big consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.

ESPN's Mr. Pagano estimates the first 3-D broadcasts in the U.S. are three years away. But they might be sooner if Hollywood's 3-D craze gathers steam. Last month, Walt Disney's Hannah Montana 3-D concert film featuring teen popstress Miley Cyrus was released on DVD, after a surprisingly strong run in U.S. theatres. But the DVD uses the old-time 3-D format known as anaglyph, which requires those funky glasses with one red and one blue plastic lens. That format is what works on current TVs - sort of: Unlike the crisp stereoscopic images seen on the big-screen version - or Mr. Katzenberg's speech - the colours through anaglyph are pretty brutal.

Similarly, Warner (which, like Fortune, my employer, is owned by Time Warner) is planning to release its recent 3-D film Journey to the Center of the Earth in DVD, but also using anaglyph. That's the 3-D equivalent of releasing a colour movie in black-and-white for home viewing. And for 3-D aficionados, that won't do for very long.

By Richard Siklos, Fortune Magazine

iPharro Showcases MediaSeeker Video Content Identification at IBC

iPharro Media, spinoff of the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, will showcase its patent-pending video fingerprinting technology MediaSeeker that analyses video content to be identified from any video source – TV, Internet, video repositories, and more. Using iPharro’s MediaSeeker, digital video can be analysed, protected, and/or monetised at any point in the media distribution value chain. iPharro Media’s patent pending video fingerprinting technology allows for automated visual content detection across multiple media outlets.

The technology works with extremely high accuracy and does not require an audio track. iPharro markets MediaSeeker in two product configurations. The MediaSeeker software can be licensed by any organisation preferring to run content identification on its own hardware infrastructure. As MediaSeeker runs on standard PCs, set-up costs are minimal and the system can be scaled up simply by adding computers.

iPharro’s second product is the web-based service iPharro MediaSeeker Portal. It puts iPharro’s powerful content detection technology in the hands of organizations for which the large scale capabilities of a dedicated iPharro MediaSeeker software system is not necessary. The portal is as easy to use as any file upload on popular websites and can handle thousands of reference clips at once, each of which can be monitored for any TV appearance.

Current applications for iPharro MediaSeeker are for example:
- Television Ad Monitoring: monitor unlimited channels in real time - already in use by the Nielsen Company.
- Proprietary License and Copyright Video Detection: monitor TV, mobile, or Internet to find your content.
- Media Workflow Management: broadcasters can maintain meta tags and rights information at every step along the media workflow.
- IPTV Interactive Content Identification: identify IPTV content and provide users with additional information or revenue generating opportunities.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

DVEO - HD-SDI Master Quad/i PCIe

DVEO,will showcase their new four channel HD-SDI PCIe capture card, the HD-SDI Master Quad/i PCIe, at IBC. The HD-SDI Master Quad/i PCIe simultaneously brings in four independent HD streams to a PC workstation, making it a very effective input card for HD broadcasters and content providers. The high bandwidth available with PCI Express gives the card a total bitrate of almost 6 Gbps. The HD-SDI Master Quad/i PCIe is especially useful for ingesting multiple HD streams to a workstation for storage and editing.

With the HD-SDI Master Quad/i, users can select either 1.485 Gbps or 1.4835 (1.485/1.001) Gbps for the top and/or the bottom two channels -- to support video formats defined for true 60 Hz rates, as well as those defined for the 59.94 Hz rates commonly used in North America. Supported video formats include 1080i and 720p at 60 Hz and 59.94 Hz rates. Other features include onboard memory and a proprietary firmware design, to give low system latency. The card also monitors the incoming streams for CRC errors.

Suggested Retail Price: HD-SDI Master Quad/i PCIe – $3,995 U.S.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

Electrosonic Unveils Expanded Broadcast Range

Electrosonic is premiering the ES7100 SDI encoder/decoder at IBC Amsterdam 2008, alongside its range of new image processors and HD players.

Hotly anticipated by the broadcast and live event sectors and amongst the first 3G SDI IP encoder/decoder products available, the ES7100, for broadcast contribution over IP networks, is a uniquely versatile encoder / decoder which streams 3G SDI, HD-SDI and SDI video over any LAN, WAN or VPN at highly efficient bit rates – all the while, maintaining excellent image quality and incredibly low latency. It provides exceptionally robust protection against network errors making it ideal for quality critical applications in studio contribution, outside broadcast, studio to studio media exchange and post production.

The secret behind the ES7100’s class-leading combination of quality and reliable delivery is Electrosonic’s PURE3 codec, specifically developed by Electrosonic to optimize performance on networks. Supporting both Unicast and Multicast transport the ES7100 provides constant, real-time temporal and spatial image compression, plus extensive bit rate management for unsurpassed performance operating on IP networks.

Also making its debut at IBC is the ES9600 High Definition Player that features two independent HD playback channels with 3D and 2K video support at a reasonable price. It supports the same JPEG2000 video format used in digital cinema theaters producing sharp, vivid imagery ideal for large screen A/V installations.

The ES9600 incorporates 2K resolution via dual HD-SDI and dual DVI-I video outputs. It also features Timecode and Genlock, gigabit network, GPI and 16 channels of broadcast quality digital audio, plus an advanced user interface and confidence monitor.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

Streambox Announces New Solution for File-Based Video over IP

Streambox has released its innovative solution for file-based video management and acquisition. The solution, which is part of Streambox's platform for video over IP, comprises three products, each serving a unique role in the broadcast workflow. The Streambox Store and Forward Client, the Streambox Store and Forward Server, and the Streambox Media Station work together to provide greater control and management of field-generated video as it is edited and uploaded to the broadcast studio for multiformat playout.

The Streambox solution enables control room operators to better manage hundreds of video files as these are uploaded to the Store and Forward Server by field reporters or citizen reporters for on-demand or scheduled playout via an easy-to-use Web interface. The integrated Web interface provides metadata information such as reporter name, file name, and location, as well as a thumbnail clip preview of video file uploads and a list of active connections. The control room operator is also able to search video uploads based on metadata. The solution simplifies and streamlines the broadcast workflow from video file upload to video management and playout.

The file-based solution is well-suited for a variety of applications such as IP-based newsgathering, streaming to the Web, and live and on-demand Webcasting. The Streambox solution supports playout of raw ACT-L3 files, QuickTime-wrapped ACT-L3 files, and other standard video formats.

The Streambox Store and Forward Client enables users such as field reporters and citizen reporters to upload video files to the Store and Forward Server. Field reporters will typically upload video via UDP while citizen reporters will use HTTP for file upload. After the video file has been edited using any QuickTime-compatible NLE application, field reporters connect to the Store and Forward Server and log into the Web application. Reporters are able to optimize UDP uploads by selecting a predefined connection profile. Following user authentication, the server immediately enables reporters to begin video file upload. If the network connection is lost during upload, the Store and Forward Client automatically resumes the file upload once the network connection is reestablished.



The Streambox Store and Forward Server enables broadcasters to better manage and monitor field-edited files as they are uploaded by field reporters, remote bureaus, citizen reporters, and others. Capable of receiving hundreds of simultaneous video file uploads from multiple users, the server maintains a complete list of active connections established through the Store and Forward Client software. The server's Web interface facilitates a thumbnail clip preview of video file uploads. It also provides searchable metadata information such as reporter name, file name, location, and date and time stamps. The server can be customized to provide rule-based transcoding and scripting for multiformat playout through the Media Station.

The Streambox Media Station supplies direct output for both live and file-based SDI and composite video. It works in concert with the Store and Forward Server to provide superior control and prioritization for the video playout schedule. Once producers or editors have selected the desired video files or clips, the operator creates playlists and schedules those lists for playout through the Media Station's Web-based interface. The Media Station can be switched to decoder mode for live playout.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

Interview with Chris Chinnock of Insight Media

Can you explain the various 3D technologies?
Stereoscopic 3D means you create two images – one for the left eye and one for the right eye. These images are designed to simulate how we see in real life. There are lots of ways to create and display stereoscopic images – be it movies, still photos or animated games. You can create stereo images with two projectors or two LCD panels, but this is generally a more expensive solution. For more mainstream TVs, you want to use a single projector, LCD panel or PDP-TV. Most approaches use a time sequential method to flash the left eye image and then the right eye image. The switching mechanism can be at the display or in front of your eyes.

Will we need to wear those glasses that typically give the 3D effect in movie theaters?
Yes. The best 3D images are created when users wear glasses (either passive or active shutter glasses). Some solutions are available where no glasses are needed, but these often have trade-offs in resolution or color depth, so for the time being, these are more oriented toward advertising applications. More sophisticated systems can also be produced that include eye and/or head tracking, but you will pay more for these single-person monitors.

What’s driving adoption of 3D TVs?
3D movies in the cinema are the major driving force right now. These movies, like U23D, Hannah Montana, and Beowulf are very popular, bringing in lots of revenue for the studios and exhibitors. This is driving the creation of more content and also driving everyone to find a way to bring this content to the home. Hollywood derives perhaps 60% of its revenue from DVD/Blu-ray distribution, so being able to sell 3D DVDs is critical for long-term growth.

Who will supply the 3D content?
Many sources. New movies are being shot with stereoscopic cameras. Animated films are being made in stereo, motion capture is doing 3D now and 2D movies can be converted to high-quality 3D. In addition, technologies are in place to convert legacy content to 3D in real time – although not with the same quality level that the studios can do off line. Hollywood is putting the tools in place to make 3D a part of its long-term workflow process.

Will 3D TV require additional infrastructure to reach consumers or will existing cable providers etc. be able to deliver it?
This is where things get a little tricky. Clearly, a solution that uses existing ways to distribute content is needed to gain acceptance, minimize risk and provide for uninterrupted 2D content flow. But we are trying to squeeze two images into the space normally occupied by one, so encoding of the stereo images is needed. There are several approaches available now that are being evaluated by many industry players. Expect rapid progress in this area. In fact, Insight Media and the US Display Consortium are in the process of forming the 3D@Home Consortium right now. In their efforts to speed the commercial adoption of 3D TV, dealing with the format and distribution issues is the number one goal of the Consortium.

How soon do you think 3D TV will be available for the average consumer?
You can buy it today. The DLP sets from Samsung and Mitsubishi are 3D enabled, Samsung’s PDP-TVs will arrive this Spring and SpectronIQ plans to launch its LCD 3D TV this summer. This is just the beginning.

Will it be a costly system to install?
No, not really. The DLP TVs and PDP TV carry a tiny, if zero, premium to offer 3D. The LCD technology will add some cost to go 3D, but it will be within the means of many consumers. These are geared to be mainstream products to enhance 2D HD TVs.

How do I learn more?
Insight Media has published a report called 3D TV. This follows a more comprehensive report published in 2007 that looked at all 40 market segments where 3D is used. Insight Media publishes monthly newsletters with continuing coverage and analysis of 3D related developments, plus, the 3D Home Consortium will offer a great way to become more engaged with this exciting new direction of the TV industry.

Source: HomeToys

CEDIA Report

CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) 2008 is the largest expo of home theatre gear in the world. There were a small number of 3D displays, with only a couple pieces of new gear.

- Samsung 50" plasma 3D
1368x768. Looked coarse, not smooth in detail. Ghosting was bad, even using their own heavy nose-bridge-bashing shutter glasses. Did not seem to flicker, but the colors were dead. Compared to a real plasma TV like the awesome Pioneer Kuro, just a bummer.

- Da-Lite "3D virtual gray screen"
Rollable, but not foldable. Goes on a rigid Da-Lite "fast frame" via snaps. Gray (gain 1.3), lumpy (like Harkness Hall but bigger lumps). "Much cheaper than Stewart". Good extinction. Da-Lite claims a "best in business" 99%. But it's hard to tell in a demo that is not side-by-side. The presentation used 2 Panasonic DW5100's (5000 lumens) onto an 11' wide screen. Just barely bright enuf, but not snappy in color/contrast, and very grainy. They played a DepthQ/Lightspeed production that was fairly good in itself, but it showed poorly.

- Mitsubishi DLP 73" RPTV
This had excellent color, sufficient sharpness (given the diffusive effect of RPTV), and good material (they played Beowulf, etc.). Glasses were small and light, and the images were ghost free. The Regional Rep said they will have a demo package for retailers before Christmas, so maybe you will be able to see 3D at BestBuy's one day. Aspen Media Products will distribute glasses and 3D material. The Mitsubishi 3D line uses TI DarkChip4 and arc lamps. The similar-operating Sammy RPTV's (not shown at CEDIA) uses DarkChip3 and LED (or arc). I kinda liked the look of the DC4.

- JVC-RS2
JVC-RS2 projectors (2) with retarder plates rear-projecting circularly polarized material (including Beowulf) onto an 8 foot Stewart Screen. This was clearly the best 3D at CEDIA. Bright enough (in the totally dark room), and with the best sharpness and color of any 3D. Minimal ghosting. Most apparent when Angie lifted her gold tail up against the black cave wall (but who was watching the tail). The rep said JVC will supply the RS2 and RS20 in 3D setups for $1000 more (presumably for the retarders and mounts). He claimed this system would work well (in a darkened room, with dark walls, etc.) on a front projection screen of up to about 10 feet wide.

Interesting (2D) Items:
- Mitsubishi had some nice LCD projectors (G polarized horizontal, RB vertical, or vice versa, which will work with 45 degree polarizers). The HC7000 has about 1600 un-tuned lumens. The HD8000, at 5000 lumens, would light up a big screen (at a street price of around $10K each). IMO the LCD images (from these and from the Epsons and Panny's) were inferior to the LCOS/DILA/SXRD's. Not as smooth tonally.

- The Projection Design two-head F10 1080p 3D shutterglass DLP was not at the show. Bummer.

- Chilin had the only LED driven DLP projector, using Phatlites. It's a big box and puts out only 600 lumens. But the image is very saturated, wide-gamut, and with a claimed 100,000:1 contrast. Optoma (not at CEDIA at all) is said to be coming out with an LED-drive projector in Q1-2009. My guess is it won't be bright enuf for polarized 3D.

- Mitsubishi had the first laser-illuminated RPTV. Not 3D though. More saturated colors, especially the reds. It uses three semiconductor lasers for the three primary colors.

- I was very impressed with the Sony VPL-VW10 "entry level" $3K 1080p SXRD projector. The bright (8' wide screen, gain 1.3) images were crisp, sharp, saturated, and with great contrast. Subtle shadows were good enough. With an ~8' wide high-gain silver screen, a home setup using these would be great, except that the beam appears to be circularly polarized in a strange way. I held a pair of JVC's circular glasses up to the beam when it was white. On the screen, the beam coming though one lens was pure green, and the beam coming through the other was magenta (R+B). Rotating the glasses had no effect at all. A linear polarizer changed color slightly (somewhat yellow tint to blue tint, sort of) when rotated. So, the colors appear to come out of the projector circularly polarized but in opposite rotations for G and R+B. Can one do something cute with this?

- The JVC-LCOS HD750 projector (and the Pioneer KURO clone) were great with normal (2D) material on a 130" diagonal (9 foot wide) screen. These can be used with low-loss retarders for circularly polarized 3D projection. DLP's were not well represented or demo'd at the expo, except for some $50K+ ones from Wolf Cinema and Digital Projection. The stars of this expo were LCOS/SXRD.

- Though not a 3D gig, the super-nova of the show was, IMO, the JVC DLA-SH4K (4096x 2400) "consumer" (according the Regional Rep) projector, and its relative, the Meridien 810. Driving these beasts requires some computer horsepower. JVC showed native material, from Canon 1Ds-2 still cameras and from their own recently-introduced 4K video camera. Meridien showed scaled up "readily available" content like movie trailers. The JVC blew me away with the full-rez stuff. It was like being in IMAX but with no film grain, better color, corner-to-corner sharpness, no jitter, etc. With one of these $150K puppies, who the heck needs 3D? The images have so much "depth" as is. They had two SH4K's stacked as a pair, and the rep said they could provide them with the same circular polarization setup as they had going with the RS2's (though I didn't get to see them operating in this mode). 3500 lumens, 10,000:1 native contrast, no external air-cooling, 115 volts. Awesome stuff on a 20 foot wide, gain=1.3 screen. Significantly better than the RealD/Christie 2K x 1K DLP units in commercial theatres. Considering that prices for really good 1920x1080 projectors have come down by a factor of 10 since the early Qualia's, maybe in a decade or so this will be a home standard (at least in second homes in towns like Aspen...;-).

By John Hart, Crystal Canyons

Elecard and Triaxes Starts 3D Video Project Development

Elecard in association with Triaxes inform about beginning the stereoscopic (3D) video encoding and data transmission system development.

The project includes following activities:
- Creating 3D codecs based on MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (AVC) standards.
- Creating systems of conversion “regular” 2D films into 3D and 2D+Z formats of stereoscopic visualization.
- System integration of the 3D video content with IPTV system, VOD servers and players developed by Elecard.

Triaxes company has been developing software and technologies in the area of 3D visualization during 5 years. The main product of the company is 3DMasterKit CS, a software package for creating stereo-vario images.

Interested parties are looked to cooperate with.

Source: Elecard

Are You Ready for a 3D Mobile Phone?

If the answer is, not quite, you’re in luck: they’re not quite ready.

But that doesn’t mean that you won’t soon be consuming 3D content on your mobile phone. So says, Chris Yewdall, president/CEO of Digital Dynamic Depth (DDD), whose 3D chips will be embedded in next-generation 3D-enabled TV sets from Samsung and a range of 3D PC desktop monitors from Hyundai.

Right now, the wrinkles still haven’t been ironed out to create momentum for the 3D experience in the home theatre. But we’re not too far from that reality, says Yewdall as well as many other 3D experts. SMPTE (the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers), which brought the industry together to create a single Digital Cinema standard, is already engaged in similar work related to 3D TV.

When it comes to improvements in functionality for the mobile phone, Yewdall is a believer in the trickle-down theory.

“The mobile phone market is an adjunct to [Digital Cinema],” he explains. “Cinema is driving content into home consumer market, initially on TVs. But devices like PCs and mobile phones have to try to keep current to deliver a competitive experience to what people are getting on their TV screens.”

If you live in Japan or Korea–or are just following the mobile news there–you know that Sharp launched a 3D mobile phone on NTT Docomo in Japan in 2003 and Korea’s SK Telecom launched a 3D phone (from Samsung) a year ago, in July 2007. Yewdall reports that DDD licensed to Samsung for that application, which was capable of turning any number of 12 TV channels into 3D on the handset, on the fly. The Samsung mobile phone was indeed 3D without glasses. “There’s an extra layer of optical technology that is manufactured into the display screen,” he says. “It can be switched on and off electronically. When it’s switched off, you see 2D. When it’s switched on, the software reformats the images and you see 3D.”

Mobile phones have another, intrinsic benefit. Rather than the multi-viewing of TV, where many viewers are jostling for the “sweet spot” where 3D’s two images converge, the mobile phone generally involves a single viewer. “So you can’t have three or four people gathered around the phone,” Yewdall says.”3D imagery works very, very well-–if you’re dealing with one viewer. The sweet spot is pretty forgiving on high-res mobile displays.”

So, back to the adventures of 3D mobile phones in Japan and Korea: What happened? “The big challenge is there wasn’t enough content, and no automatic 3D conversion [from 2D to 3D],” he says. “It was very popular with consumers, but didn’t drive data revenues for Docomo.

Ah yes, the challenge of actually monetizing something as potentially cool as 3D on the mobile phone. If we’re still embroiled in figuring out ways to monetize 2D content, is 3D realistic?

Yewdall’s answer is simple. U.S. consumers will soon have not only 3D-enabled TV sets but 3D content. The next year will see the release of nearly a dozen 3D films, including James Cameron’s Avatar and offerings from Disney and DreamWorks. Those studios will want to market those 3D films...in 3D, whether it’s a display in a movie theatre lobby or, say, a mobile phone.

“The most enlightened scenario is with what Samsung and Mitsubishi are doing with TVs, that mobile carriers will want to add mobile to keep it relevant and competitive,” says Yewdall. “I see that as the key driver.”

“There’s a real possibility of 3D in the next generation of mobile phones, driven by 3D displays and more powerful processors,” he adds. “The key here is that some of the more sophisticated high-res displays combined with 3D optics gives a higher quality image and larger sweet spot.”

The “wow” factor will also be appealing to carriers and handset manufacturers, he says. “This is a way to deliver that experience, cost effectively,without glasses. The interesting thing is that the application doesn’t have to be very sophisticated to get that wow factor. It can just be wallpaper jumping off the screen 3 or 4 inches.”

By Debra Kaufman, MobilizedTV

TI Feeds the Frenzy

Not surprisingly, LED-based and 3D projectors were the focus of the Texas Instruments booth at Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), the world’s largest Consumer Electronics trade fair, according to the organizers. What was a bit surprising was the full scope of the products and manufacturers who are embracing these new products.

In addition to its booth at IFA, TI posted a special site on their DLP website to cover DLP action at IFA. In the video, Michael Guillory gives a virtual booth tour and discusses these new projectors in English. Christian Thevot and Hanif Shangama give similar tours in French and German, respectively.

Click to watch the video
Guillory first shows off the 3D DLP LED-based home theater front projector. There has been a lot of talk about 3D RPTV with DLP technology and LEDs or Lasers, but DLP front projectors can do 3D as well.

He goes on to discuss the 1080p LED-based, 700-lumen home theater projector, to be built by Delta in Taiwan and to be marketed by Optoma, Vivitek and others. It is unclear if the 700-lumen projector is a 2D-only or a 2D/3D model, however.

Guillory showed a Toshiba pico-projector based on the DLP pico chipset and said Optoma will also have a similar projector on the market by the end of the year. He also demoed the LG pocket projector, presumably the HS-102 demonstrated at Projection Summit in June. In addition, a Lenovo gaming projector based on DLP imager and LED light source was shown, although the projector was not turned on. The Lenovo projector may be billed as a "Gaming Projector" but it sure looks like a pocket projector to me.

A brief video hosted by Thomas Möcker of Toshiba was also posted on the TI website. He discusses DLP/LED projectors from Toshiba, from the first pocket projector in 2006 to the pico-projector to be available soon. This will be followed by a 100-lumen pocket projector in the first half of 2009 and a 700 lumen front projector to be released in late 2009. None of the projectors in the on-line video were shown operating. Toshiba briefly exited the pico/pocket projector segment, so their re-entry seems to be emblematic of the renewed interest in the category by many players.


Click to watch the video
You can expect additional coverage of IFA in the September MDR and October LDR as we get more details from our man-on-the-scene. In addition, the upcoming Insight Media report on LED based pocket/ultraportable projectors will take a deep look at the markets and technologies for these projectors.

By Matt Brennesholtz, DisplayDaily

Optoma Introduces its Pico Projector

Freeing users from the constraints of tiny video screens, Optoma introduces its Pico Projector and enables Home Cinema sized viewing from personal media players, mobile phones, PDA’s, camera’s and gaming devices.

Click to watch the video

Venice Looks Toward a 3-D Future

The 65th Venice Film Festival looked to the future Tuesday with a high-caliber confab on 3-D cinema. Fest topper Marco Mueller has made clear he is eager to launch pics in the format from the Lido. Venice presentation "The Industry of Digital Cinema: Content That Creates Values" provided proof that Hollywood's 3-D craze is spreading globally. Venice Biennale prexy Paolo Baratta recently vowed that the fest's new screening facilities will be a "temple of high tech," with the Lido totally 3-D ready starting next year.

With at least 15 3-D titles from the major studios scheduled for next year -- including Monsters vs. Aliens, Ice Age 3 and Avatar -- it's clear the majors are "driving the momentum, even though there are not enough screens for their releases yet," said Screen Digest analyst Charlotte Jones.

The number of 3-D outlets in the U.S. and Europe is steadily growing, with 1,500 3-D screens worldwide now available. There are 7,200 screens equipped for digital cinema worldwide, up from 6,400 at the end of last year, according to Screen Digest.

Other key fresh facts from the Venice Screen Digest presentation:
- North America still accounts for the majority of 3-D screens, but its share has declined to some 68% from about 75% in 2007.

- By the end of 2011, some 9,000 digital screens are expected worldwide, about 6,000 of which will be in the U.S.

- While the North American market has stalled, Europe is seeing steadier growth at the moment.

- In terms of digital development, the U.K. is way out in front with 300 screens, but Germany and France are playing catch-up quickly, with France now at about 200. The Italian market is fifth in Europe with about 50 digital screens.

- In the U.K., some 21% of screens have also added digital capability; in Italy and France, the proportion is more like 15%.

- In Russia almost 80% of the screens have digital capability.

By Nick Vivarelli,Variety