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Toshiba to Show No-glasses 3D TV Next Week

10.1.2010

Toshiba will unveil a 3D TV on Monday that doesn’t require the viewer to wear glasses.

Televisions that can show 3D images have been on sale for less than a year from major manufacturers. All have required that the viewer wear a special pair of glasses.

The glasses are needed because each eye must be presented with a similar but slightly different image so the brain can be tricked into seeing depth where there is none.

In current 3D TVs, images for each eye are displayed rapidly one after the other. Filters in the glasses flash on and off in sync with the TV picture so the right eye sees one image and the left eye sees the next.

Toshiba’s new technology does away with the glasses.

Precise details of the technology won’t be revealed until Monday, but research by several other companies has relied on a filter placed on top of the TV screen. The filter sends a slightly different image to each eye.

With the filter, the 3D image is projected to a single spot in front of the TV, and the viewer needs to be in that sweet spot to see it. In the past, that’s proved a drawback because other viewers wouldn’t get the 3D effect. Some companies are trying to change that.

At Germany’s Cebit IT fair earlier this year Singapore’s Sunny Ocean Studios demonstrated a prototype filter that could send a 3D image to 64 positions around the screen, allowing for considerable flexibility in seating and the number of viewers. (Video of the screen is at YouTube.)

Earlier this year Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Toshiba would have three TVs featuring the technology on sale in its home market before the end of 2010. One of the TVs will have a 21-inch screen, and will cost the equivalent of a few thousand U.S. dollars, the newspaper said.

Toshiba plans to give the new TVs their first public unveiling at next week’s Ceatec IT show, which begins on Tuesday in Chiba, near Tokyo.

Martyn Williams covers Japan and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn’s e-mail address ismartyn_williams@idg.com

Martyn Williams, IDG News

original post: http://www.pcworld.com/article/206421/toshiba_to_show_noglasses_3d_tv_next_week.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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