News Stories

Slowly but surely, television seen moving to 3D

4.11.2011

[by (no by line), www.independent.co.uk]

Three-dimensional television is growing at a slower than expected pace, but industry experts remain optimistic that it will reshape the way the world watches the small screen.

The number of 3D TV channels will break the 100-channel barrier by 2014, according to market research group In-Stat, with sports, the arts, big music events and movies set to spearhead growth.

“When we said three years ago that 3D would be a success, people criticized us,” said Vincent Teulade, a Paris-based technology and media consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, at the MIPTV trade show that ended Thursday.

“But 3D has arrived and it is known by the mass market.”

Between 50 to 70 percent of Hollywood’s box office income now comes from 3D movies, thanks in part to the higher ticket prices charged by cinemas to view them, Teulade noted.

For television, MIPTV this year saw a bigger selection of 3D programs up for international sale.

These ranged from spectacular wildlife and traveldocumentaries to children’s cartoons, stunning ballet, breakdancing and circus performances, and – for older viewers – a large choice from the adult entertainment industry.

“Over the last few months we have seen increasingly more content that is in 3D,” Laurine Garaude, who heads the television division at MIPTV organiser Reed Midem, told AFP.

Many of the programmes offered at the MIPDOC documentary convention that preceded MIPTV were presented as being “cross-media,” Garaude noted.

But consumer electronics and broadcasting experts cautioned that a number of hurdles still must be overcome before there remains a number of major hurdles to overcome before 3D television can take flight.

The volume of 3D production remains low, the number of 3D channels is only slowly expanding, and a big question mark hangs over how quickly consumers will buy 3D sets after many only recently shelled out for high-def screens.

Sony Corporation’s senior manager for 3D, Akira Shimazu, was nevertheless upbeat in Cannes about sales of 3D TV sets, saying there has been a sharp rise in Europe and the United States.

Sony’s planned launch of a 3D hand-held video camera this year could also speed-up 3D uptake, panelists at a MIPTV seminar on the topic noted.

South Korea is deemed to be well-placed to lead the 3D revolution in Asia, as its consumers are expected to buy 3D sets in a big way when analogue broadcasting ends next year, Phil Yoon, director of South Korean satellite platform Skylife said.

Film-making in 3D remains on a steep learning curve, however, with producers in both film and television still trying to get to grips with how to shoot great-quality 3D.

“We still need quality content to capture audiences,” said Ghislaine Le Rhun-Gautier, head of 3D projects at French telecoms operator Orange.

“You have to create something great for the viewer if you want to keep them,” added John Cassy, director of Sky3D in Britain.

Exceptional events such as the 2012 Olympics in London could also convince more viewers to sign up to 3D.

Cassy acknowledged Sky3D’s failed attempt to cover Prince William’s forthcoming wedding in 3D, which might have been a turning point with an estimated two billion people due to watch the event worldwide.

But royalty fans will have a chance to see pomp and circumstance in 3D when Orange broadcasts 3D coverage of the marriage of Prince Albert of Monaco to his South African-born fiance Charlene Whitstock on July 9.

Original post here:  http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/slowly-but-surely-television-seen-moving-to-3d-2265583.html

Stergen 2D-3D ‘even better than the real thing’

4.11.2011

[by www.tvbeurope.com]

Chairman and founder of Stergen Hi-Tech, Miky Tamir, has invented a new 2D to 3D software conversion tool which he believes boasts superior technology to that of live 3D captured natively with rigs.
Tamir is confident that his patent-pending software will be used by European sportscasters for the 2011-12 football season. The software is optimized for soccer, but versions for American Football, rugby, tennis and baseball are being developed; and it has been trialed by four broadcasters, with Stergen set to announce first sales at NAB.
“There are many 2D – 3D conversion systems and software codes based on general purpose algorithms which, when applied to a sports feed, give an impression of 3D but very far from real 3D because the depth perception is very weak,” says Tamir, who previously co-founded virtual sets specialist Orad Hi-Tech and sports data and tracking systems vendor Sportvu.
Stergen’s concept, specific to sports, takes cognizance of the geometry of the pitch and stadia: “If you could convert the video to a 3D model you could render the other eye very accurately,” says Tamir. “With sports we know about the environment such as the playing field, goalposts and stands, so we are able to separate every frame into its component objects – ball, players, stands, posts; and to each component, we apply appropriate geometry to generate a true and accurate 3D conversion.”
The geometry is classified as players and goal poles are vertical, the pitch is horizontal, and stands have a known slope. The bulk of soccer editorial is captured using the high and wide shot position which in 3D is widely regarded as looking flat.
“The virtual cameras in Stergen’s process have the versatility to be placed one or two metres apart from each other thus enhancing the 3D effect,” says Tamir. “We can play with convergence and converge as a function of a zoom which cannot be done in reality,” he says. “We have proved it to customers – our virtual cameras generate better 3D than real ones.”
The software, which runs from standard HP Z800 workstations, can be placed anywhere on the video path and will automatically detect a cut between camera and select the right algorithm for that camera angle.
“Broadcasters can operate it from the stadia or in a studio, saving greatly on the costs of a 3D outside broadcast,” says Tamir.
Input to the system is 2D SDI and output is either two SDI signals or side by side, line by line or whatever 3D format is required. Tamir says there’s a two second delay on the process, being brought down to one second; and that the technology is even applicable to horse racing or golf where there is undulating ground and less of a pre-defined area.
Interestingly, archive clips of legendary soccer players Maradona and Pele have been post converted using Stergen’s software.
In addition, Tamir claims the technology is uniquely positioned to contribute 3D content to autostereoscopic displays: “To produce autostereo content you need not just two views, but eight to nine views; and to produce that, you need eight to nine cameras beside each other, which is simply not possible. So in that case you are left with generating the views in software – this is a byproduct of our system.”
Stergen High-Tech is an Israeli company founded 18 months ago and 20% owned by graphics developer VizRT.
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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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