News Stories

Cable-TV slowly steps into stereo 3-D

9.14.2010

Cable-TV operators and their suppliers are stepping slowly into the new era of stereo 3-D television, but it could take years before they can handle full high definition content.

Some cable networks are broadcasting handling a growing schedule of 3-D events while vendors test interim standards using firmware upgrades to support partial high def signals. Set-top boxes, TVs and back-end encoders will need a new generation of video and interface chips to carry stereo-3D broadcasts in full high definition.

“It’s coming in steps,” said David Grubb, chief technology officer at set-top maker Motorola Home. “First we’re making 3-D as compatible as possible with existing video infrastructure,” he said.

“We’ve worked in past year on sorting out agreements on 3-D formats, making the consumer experience easy so when they tune into a 3-D channel the TV automatically switches to right mode and presenting 2-D graphics like closed captions and program guides in 3-D space,” he said.

CableLabs, the R&D consortium of the cable-TV industry, expects to finish interoperability testing of its so-called frame-compatible approach in about six months. “We have lab prototypes of encoders and set-tops and we’ve seen end-to-end demos,” said David Broberg, vice president of consumer video technology at CableLabs.

The group released in early September its specification for encoding stereo 3-D signals. It defines metadata to let set-tops identify 3-D content and its format type and pass that information to a 3-D capable TV over an HDMI version 1.4a interface.

That capability will let TV’s automatically decode the signal. Today consumers need to manually select the correct 3-D mode on the TV after they tune into a 3-D channel.

Today CableLabs and HDMI 1.4a support three 3-D formats for packing signals for two eyes into one existing video channel—separate top and bottom formats for 720-progressive 60 Hz and 1080p 24 Hz signals and a side-by-side format for 1080-interlaced content. The result is a signal presented to the TV for decoding at something less than a full high definition resolution.

The metadata supplies information to a graphics engine about how to find and decode 2-D graphics data in the formats.

Rick Merritt

9/13/2010

link to original post at http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4207580/Cable-TV-slowly-steps-into-stereo-3-D

DVB plans 3DTV specs by the end of 2010

9.11.2010

The DVB said during a press conference it anticipates completion of the specification for DVB-3DTV by the end of 2010. This will follow the approval of the Commercial Requirements for a 3DTV Frame Compatible system.

“DVB’s Technical Module is actively working on a specification to meet the Commercial Requirements. This work should also provide useful input to the other bodies working on 3DTV. We believe the die has been cast on ordered and standardised broadcast and cablecast 3DTV for the Frame Compatible community,” said David Wood, chair of DVB’s Commercial Module for 3DTV. “Progress is now on target,” he said in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, the introduction of DVB-T2 across Europe is progressing quickly. The UK’s Freeview HD service was launched officially in March this year and already one third of all receivers sold in the UK are now HD capable with set-top boxes retailing for as low as £70 (€84.8). Italy has seen the recent launch of DVB-T2 for pay-TV services.

In Finland, the operator DNA Oy is to launch two HDTV multiplexes in VHF band III using the DVB-T2 with H.264 encoding. The services are to be commercially available to 40% of Finnish households by the end of 2010, with coverage expected to reach 60% in 2011.

The Swedish broadcaster Teracom has commenced the upgrade of its network to provide HD services using DVB-T2, which are scheduled to be on-air in early 2011. Advanced trials are currently taking place in Austria, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Reports in the German press that there would be a ‘hard switch-over” to DVB-T2 in 2014 are based on “miss-interpretation”. Kurt Beck, prime minister in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, reportedly said at IFA he wanted to ‘shred’ DVB-T by 2014. In reality, no decision has been taken as there are many possibilities, one of them would be to simulcast for some time, the other solution would be to complement the existing T services with new T2 services.

At the moment there are several test going on in the country, one in Munich by Bayerische Fernsehen and one in Hamburg as well as a pilot in Berlin during the summer. With these test many types of transmission are broadcast to address the various questions, who still need to be answered. Will T2 be used for HD? And what about mobile reception? There are 2 million DVB-T receivers built in cars in the country.

And what about outdoor antennas? Germany has opted for DVB-T that can be received indoors without the need of an outdoor antenna. Another issue is the involvement of the private broadcasters. With DVB-T the big broadcasters RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 have been very careful selecting the areas in which they broadcast over the air. RTL is experimenting with a low pay model in two cities.

By Robert Briel

Published: September 11, 2010

link to original post at http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2010/09/11/dvb-plans-3dtv-specs-by-the-end-of-2010/

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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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