Deconstructing the innermost workings of the TV industry
Technology moves fast. It seems like only yesterday I was hooking up an LCD TV and mastering an HD PVR. Now the newest television technology is here and commanding attention: 3-D TV. That’s right, the movie house staple has graduated from the big screen to the small, meaning that families will soon be strapping 3-D glasses on their heads and reaching out at things that aren’t there.
What used to be a unique occurrence at the movie theatre has now become commonplace, with animated films and slasher flicks both utilizing the technology. TV has become the new medium for the burgeoning industry as well, realized with the 2010 FIFA World Cup being filmed in 3-D and Avatar coming out on 3-D DVD at the end of August.
Phil Lelyveld is the program manager at the Consumer 3-D Experience Lab Entertainment Technology Center at USC Entertainment Technology, as well as a technology and business development for Reel Word Consultants. He gave me the skinny on this technology, whether it’s a passing fad and if we will always have to wear those darned glasses.
TVGuide.ca: I was just getting used to my HD PVR and now 3-D TV is upon us. How long has it been in the works?
Phil Lelyveld: Our lab has been in existence for about two years, so it’s been more than two years.
TVG: There has been a big push with regard to 3-D TV in the last six months or so. You go into Best Buy and the TVs are pretty expensive — ranging from $1,800 to $3,400 — and you need the tethered glasses to go with them. Do you see it becoming a viable option for homeowners, or will it be a niche item?
PL: No, it’s going to be a viable option. Prices for TVs are coming down rapidly and moving forward, the technology will just be a standard part of television sets.
TVG: Did the move in North America from analog to digital TV hasten 3-D TV along?
PL: Yes, the move from analog to digital corrected a lot of things that were problematic in the past in terms of production and distribution of 3-D content. This is just the next generation of display technologies, and building 3-D capability into standard HD television sets.
TVG: Do people require a big TV to get the true 3-D effect?
PL: No. It’s a function of how far you are away from the screen. So, if you have a small screen and sit close, it’s just as good.
| TVG: Does this technology require special software or cameras at the television production level, like they currently do for HD television? PL: There are three ways that you can create 3-D content. One is CGI, and that works for both animation and video games. There is also capturing with two cameras, which is clearly a change from past filming technology. And the third is 2-D to 3-D conversion, which for Hollywood quality is very expensive and time-consuming. So these three ways require changes, but which of those three you go with determines what kind of change takes place. TVG: It seems as though kids’ animated movies and horror flicks are the ones that 3-D is being used on the most. Do you see it being used on romantic comedies and dramas as well? |
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TVG: Will there be a time when we can watch 3-D without those glasses?
PL: Yeah, but it’s probably between three and 10 years away. It’s been 10 years away for the last 20 years, to be honest. There have been a couple of breakthroughs that I’ve read about that may move us closer. 3-D without glasses works very well in public spaces where you are just walking by and it catches your eye, and on hand-held devices where it’s just a single user. But when you get into the living room there are problems between the technology and the way people live that inhibit the current technology. I wouldn’t wait on that technology if you’re going to buy a 3-D TV.
TVG: What are some tips that consumers should keep in mind when they do decide to buy a 3-D TV?
PL: They need to know that what they’re seeing right now is active shutter technology. (The polarized glasses block out colours to create the 3-D effect.) Coming this fall, expect a second technology, which is a polarized television set. The polarized sets will be more expensive, but with much cheaper glasses. If they go into Best Buy now and look at active shutter glasses, they should put on the glasses for each set and compare how they feel because the technology inside those glasses is not standardized yet and they all perform differently. There is a difference in how quickly they change to give you the 3-D effect.
And if they think about buying universal glasses — glasses that work with any active shutter television set — keep in mind that they still haven’t standardized that technology either, so there may be different minor differences between television sets.
TVG: We know that technology moves pretty quickly. Where do you see this technology in a year or even six months?
PL: I think you’re going to see more competition and prices coming down. I think you’re going to see refinements in how the glasses work and probably improvements in the technology in the glasses. I think you’ll see smaller screens and more of a push onto laptops and other places where you will see multimedia experiences.