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Broadcast Engineering on 3-D
Archive for December, 2010
by Michael Grotticelli December 28th, 2010
 The new surround 3-D camera was inspired by the eye of a common housefly, with the capability to see everything around it simultaneously and in real time. A new surround 3-D camera has been developed, inspired by the eye of a common housefly.
EPFL Labs, a Lausanne, Switzerland-based facility that specializes in vision-based robots, has developed the new dome camera that can grab views from nearly all angles. Then, with a special output algorithm, the camera can construct genuine 3-D images.
The camera uses a hardware platform that can calculate the depth of each camera image and then reconstruct a 3-D visual based on how far away the various elements in the picture are located. This is far more sophisticated than today’s stereoscopic approach to 3-D used by TV.
The new camera sees everything around it simultaneously and in real time, and then reproduces the images in distortion-free 3-D. It works without mirrors or mechanical parts of any kind. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D, camera, EPFL Labs, omnipresent, production, vision-based robots
Related Topics: Acquisition, Broadcast, Film, Infrastructure, News, Products, Professional video |
by Michael Grotticelli December 28th, 2010
 ESPN has added three NBA telecasts to its eight-game, regular-season schedule on the ESPN S3D channel lineup. Sports network ESPN understands the need for 3-D content in the home and is doing its part. The sports network has added three NBA telecasts to its eight-game, regular-season schedule on the ESPN S3D channel lineup, including a Christmas Day matchup (Dec. 25) featuring the Chicago Bulls at the New York Knicks at noon (EST). The Phoenix Suns will also host back-to-back ESPN 3-D games in January. They will take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday Jan. 5 and the Knicks Friday, Jan. 7 (both games at 10:30 p.m.). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D, channel, ESPN, games, NBA, outside broadcast, production, schedule
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, News |
by Michael Grotticelli December 27th, 2010
 According to PGA Tour representatives, the 3-D feed of the Sony Open will also be made available to its broadcast partners around the world. The Golf Channel is taking a big new bet on 3-D technology. The network will air the Sony Open in Hawaii, Jan 15-16, with 16 hours (eight of those live) of 3-D coverage from the Waialae Country Club in Oahu, HI.
The Golf Channel will work in conjunction with Comcast, production company NEP Superhsooters and Sony on a production that will present views from the second green, at the third and fourth holes, and the 16th green, at holes 17 and 18. The broadcasts will use six Element Technica rigs equipped with Sony 3-D cameras. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3D, Broadcast, coverage, Golf Channel, outside broadcast, production, Sony Open
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, News |
by Michael Grotticelli December 27th, 2010
 Canon’s lenses have been used for a majority of the 3-D sports production done to date. While you might think that the recent explosion of 3-D production throughout the United States, particularly for sports and movies, would be a windfall for manufacturers of broadcast and professional production lenses, the results have been decidedly mixed. It depends upon which vendor you ask.
Some productions to date have used existing Canon HD lenses pulled from the shelf and paired up for stereoscopic image capture, but this requires a certain technical skill to get the optical alignment right. Others have employed a new generation of 3-D-compatible lenses (from such companies as Fujinon and Thales Angeneiux) to get the job done, but there’s still some technical tweaking to be done. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D, cameras, Canon, FUJIFILM, Fujinon, lenses, synchronization
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, Film, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli December 20th, 2010
 Apple’s patented auto-stereoscopic 3-D display technology shows promise because it allows a group of viewers to have the same visual experience from a variety of angles. Apple has been granted a U.S. patent for a new 3-D projection technology that enables multiple viewers to watch 3-D without the glasses.
Although quite complex, its design concept is described simply as providing “highly effective, practical, efficient, uncomplicated and inexpensive auto-stereoscopic 3-D displays that allow the observer complete and unencumbered freedom of movement.”
The term “auto-stereoscopic” means without 3-D glasses, which has become the Holy Grail of 3-D imaging. Apple’s patent states, “Most voyages into virtual reality are currently solitary and encumbered ones: Users often wear helmets, special glasses or other devices that present the 3-D world only to each of them individually.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Apple, autosteroscopic, patent, projection, technology, Three-Dimensional Display System
Related Topics: Application, Broadcast, News, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli December 14th, 2010
 Vizio also is set to launch a new 65in 3-D TV that uses the same passive technology found in movie theaters. While virtually all 3-D TV set manufacturers have introduced home sets that depend on glasses that use expensive active-shutter technology, Vizio is launching a new 65in model that uses the same passive technology found in movie theaters.
In a surprise to the 3-D market, Vizio discretely introduced the XVT3D650SV model on its website with no announcement. The new passive set features a 65in edge-lit LCD, a 120Hz refresh rate and built-in WiFi for Vizio Internet applications. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3DTV, displays, LCD, passive glasses, set, Vizio
Related Topics: Application, Broadcast, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli December 14th, 2010
 Technicolor’s R&D team has developed a 3-D analysis software tool that allows stereographers to quickly and precisely diagnose many of the issues that create viewer fatigue and discomfort. Technicolor has launched a new 3-D certification program, Technicolor Certifi3D, that is geared toward broadcasters and network service providers looking to deliver quality and comfortable 3-D experiences to consumers.
The Technicolor Certifi3D program ensures that 3-D material meets minimum quality requirements before it is delivered to consumers. As part of the service, Technicolor evaluates each shot against a set of objective criteria for stereographic reproduction, including a 15-point quality checklist to identify common errors in production, which result in suboptimal 3-D content. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Certifi3D program, certification, content, quality control, Technicolor
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, Film, News, Professional video |
by Michael Grotticelli December 14th, 2010
 Production crews for “The Hobbit” in 3-D will use up to 15 rigs, with two RED EPIC 5K cameras mounted on each, for the anticipated months-long shoot in New Zealand. Famed feature film director Peter Jackson has secured up to 30 RED EPIC cameras built especially for his next production, a two-film adaptation of “The Hobbit.” Production starts shooting in New Zealand early next year.
Although not commercially available yet, EPIC claims 5K resolution, can shoot up to 120fps and has a new HDRx mode for high dynamic range. RED representatives said they took lessons learned from building their first camera, the RED ONE, and designed the new EPIC to be a smaller, lighter camera that is more powerful and more fully featured.
“The Hobbit” will be one of the first productions in the world to use EPIC, and at least 30 cameras will be required by the 3-D production. EPIC’s compact size and relatively low weight make it ideal for mounting two of them on each 3-D rig. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D Production, cameras, Epic, feature film, Peter Jackson, Red Digital, The Hobbit
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Film, News, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli December 14th, 2010
 The 15-page “3D Briefing Document for Senior Broadcast Management” offers some interesting data for Europe's public service broadcasters. Suggesting that Europe’s public service broadcasters “take a pragmatic approach to 3-D services,” the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has released a 15-page status report (what it calls a briefing) on the display market, availability of content, acquisition techniques and a variety of production issues relating to 3-D content creation and distribution.
Its findings won’t be news to most of those who follow the growth of the medium; instead, it provides validation for many of the issues management and production professionals are now discussing privately on a regular basis.
The EBU’s “3D Briefing Document for Senior Broadcast Management” discusses managing and developing the required infrastructure for 3-D broadcasting. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D, EBU, European Broadcasting Union, production, stereoscopy
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, News, Post Production |
by Michael Grotticelli December 13th, 2010
 Using 3D Tile, broadcasters can deliver HD and 3-D content as two 720p elements (right and left eye) within a single 1080p/50 HD signal. Like NTSC and DTV before it, the holy grail of 3-D TV is a scheme that enables broadcasters to send a single transmission that can be displayed by both new (HD with 3-D) and legacy (SD) DTV sets. This backward-compatible strategy saves broadcasters bandwidth (money) and helps to smooth consumers’ transition from one transmission standard to another.
Several different types of frame-compatible methods have been experimented with (and deployed commercially) that display two sides of a stereoscopic image simultaneously, but each has suffered from some type of image degradation due to the fact that they are basically halving or partially reducing the vertical or horizontal resolution of the source image. There’s side by side, top and bottom (over/under) and quincunx (checkerboard). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3D Tile, backwards compatible, CSP - Innovazione nelle ICT, Quartarete TV, Sisvel Group
Related Topics: Application, Broadcast, Infrastructure |
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Michael Grotticelli is writer and editor of Broadcast Engineering’s “Beyond the Headlines” and “Sports Technology Update” e-newsletters. Each week, he provides a fresh perspective on the latest in 3-D technologies and innovations as well as report on real-world applications of 3-D in the broadcast, professional video and film industries.
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