News Stories

3D Video Primer, Part 2

9.25.2011

[DP Review]

Why 3D, Why Now?

3D Video: Who’s playing?

All of the major television manufacturers offer 3D-compatible TVs, and today’s big 3D releases are available for purchase on Blu-ray, to watch in the home. After a long wait, there is now a standard for 3D video.Announced earlier this year, AVCHD 2.0 includes support for 1080 60p and 50p, and high-definition 3D movies encoded using Multiview Video Coding (MVC). As far as 3D video creation is concerned, Panasonic and Sony are currently the only two companies that offer an ‘end-to-end’ 3D solution in both professional and consumer spheres, but in the consumer space they are also joined by JVC. 

As well as 3D display solutions, JVC currently markets two 3D camcorders, the twin-lens, twin-sensor GS-TD1B full HD 3D Everio, and the single-lens, single-sensor GZ-HM960BUS Full HD Everio, which can convert 2D footage into 3D in-camera. Like the GZ-HM960BUS, Panasonic’s HDC-TM900K is a conventional single lens, single sensor 2D camcorder but when paired with an optional 3D conversion lens it can record 3D footage.

Sony debuted its HD 3D Camcorder, the Handycam HDR-TD10, earlier this year. The twin-lens, twin-sensor TD10 allows the user to switch between recording in 3D and 2D, and if you don’t have a 3D-compatible TV or computer, footage shot in 3D can also be played back conventionally in 2D. Sony also markets the 3D ‘Bloggie’ compact video camera. Dual lenses provide 1920×1080 3D HD video and like the TD10, the Bloggie offers the option to record in 2D as well. 

The advantages of twin-lens, twin-sensor designs, like those shown above from JVC and Sony are primarily the ability to adjust the convergence of the two lenses (either manually or automatically), which is useful when shooting at close focussing distances, and low-light performance. With a single sensor per lens, there are many more pixels available to assemble the image, and in low light this means that downsampling (where the signals of neighboring photosites are combined to produce a cleaner, less noisy image) is more practical. 

Systems that use twin lenses but a single sensor cannot be adjusted for convergence (although this isn’t a problem in most shooting situations) but more seriously, they must necessarily use a smaller area of that sensor to record each of the left/right channels, limiting the options for downsampling, and thus increasing the risk of noisy footage in low light. Naturally though, twin-lens single-sensor systems are potentially less bulky and – of course – less expensive.

Still 3D Imaging

Life in 3D

Adoption Worries

Read the full story here: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/5239141538/3d-video-primer-part-2

New Book Explores Future of 3D for Consumers

9.20.2011

[Press Release]

What happens when consumer electronics companies push glasses-based 3D on consumers who want nothing to do with 3D glasses in a world of social media and disruptive innovation?

Breakthrough author Keith Fredericks answers these questions and more in “The Future of 3D Media: Bringing Stereoscopic 3D to Consumers” (ISBN 1466239182), an examination of the evolving industry of stereoscopic 3D.

“The Future of 3D Media” covers a range of topics from “Introduction to Stereoscopic 3D,” to “Usability and 3DTV.” Against a backdrop of today’s social media, “The Democratization of 3D,” contrasts emerging products of stereoscopic 3D with personal computers in the 1980s.

Noted 3D researcher and author Héctor Olmedo Rodriguez, says, “This book gives the reader a simple but exact knowledge of the state-of-the-art of stereoscopic 3D technology from its beginnings to its future while anchored in the here-and-now of consumers, social networks, and business.”

Acclaimed 3D photographer Andrew Payne, says, “…comprehensive and informative. Especially good for newcomers to 3D with an interesting reference to it’s history”

About the Author:

Keith Fredericks has been developing and producing stereoscopic 3D systems for 25 years. His work includes the first glasses-free 3D video conferencing system using commodity hardware and the first live stereoscopic 3D daily Webcast. His company, General 3D operates a Website at http://3DF33D.tv where you can view stereoscopic video, photos and applications.

Contact the author keith@General3D.com to arrange interviews, speaking or consulting.

Available at Amazon in paperback http://amzn.to/qhPsfA or ebook (Kindle) at http://amzn.to/mUxelp.

Contact:

Keith Fredericks

keith@General3D.com

646-206-0863

http://General3D.com

See the original press release here: http://www.mmdnewswire.com/book-explores-future-of-3d-keith-fredericks-67573.html

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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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