News Stories

Witbe Plans for 3DTV QoE Monitoring (Cable/STB/display monitoring)

10.20.2010

Witbe is offering a solution for quality of experience (QoE) monitoring for 3DTV.

The new system for 3D stereoscopic TV was announced at the SCTE CableTech Expo in New Orleans, and it is expected to be available by year-end.

The Witbe 3DTV monitoring system anticipates will give TV service providers and broadcasters a means to handle quality assurance with 3DTV broadcasts, helping to preserve viewer satisfaction.

The solution uses active robots that interact with any kind of 3D services: on-demand or live content, including the set-top boxes (STB). The system performs real user actions, and verifies the on-screen results.

Among the parameters checked are: availability of both the left and right 960◊1080 images; visual channel changing time; and picture quality based on a subjective mean opinion score for left, right and stereoscopic images.

The MOS quality check is based on ITU-R BT.500 recommendation for non-reference video quality analysis for digital TV and was developed by Witbe under the auspices of the 3D-HD Alliance in cooperation with Cisco, Nagra, Numéricable, Panasonic and Sagem.

See Witbe for more info – http://www.witbe.net/qoe/index.php/english/Home.html

Related post on THX Blu-ray certification program here: https://www.etcenter.org/2010/08/thx-announces-a-3d-content-certification-program/


original post: http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/108200

3D Free Viewpoint Video in Sports Stadium

10.20.2010

KDDI R&D Laboratories has developed the world’s first technology for synthesizing and displaying 3D video of stadium sports in real time, from any angle chosen by the viewer. This technology was exhibited at CEATEC JAPAN 2010.

“Until now, the viewing angle for live soccer has only been changeable by switching between camera positions. This technology provides a new video experience, by offering views from angles where cameras can’t be installed, such as the middle of the pitch or in the air.”

“This screen shows the stadium as seen by eight HD cameras, and these are synthesized pictures from places where cameras aren’t installed, including aerial views, and shots from in among the players. On the other hand, this screen shows pictures from a single high-resolution camera, of the sort used for 4K rather than HD. This system creates pictures from any angle chosen by the viewer. Because the camera has such a high resolution, there’s relatively little loss of picture quality even if it zooms right in among the action.”

This technology uses a unique method to enable high-speed estimation of players’ positions on the field in 3D. It utilizes the fact that when soccer is broadcast, the image consists simply of players and a background.

“What viewers mainly want to see is the players. So we thought of technology for synthesizing pictures that look natural, by cutting out just the parts with players, and putting them against a plane. Then, the plane is transformed, in line with the direction or angle the viewer has chosen. The pictures you’re seeing now are being synthesized in real time using a single PC. So if you have a PC at home, this kind of 3D processing can be viewed immediately on a 3D TV.”

KDDI has also developed server technology that stores stadium 4K video content taken from many angles, then extracts and delivers pictures at high speed with low processing load. This achieves a real-time delivery system for pictures from any angle chosen by the viewer.

view the video here: http://www.diginfo.tv/2010/10/19/10-0211-r-en.php

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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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