You are here:
Home Page »
Broadcast Engineering on 3-D
Archive for the ‘Infrastructure’ Category
by Michael Grotticelli November 22nd, 2010
 Figure 1. The 3-D image in Figure 2 shows how captioning can be disconcerting for the viewer, compared to the 2-D captioned image in Figure 1. As more content is being produced in 3-D, the need for captioning, now mandated by the U.S. government, has been brought to the forefront. While all of the vendors in this category are aware of the need to do it, very few customers have asked for it, which holds back development.
“We certainly have the capability to produce captions in 3-D space, but we’re not investing a lot in R&D until there is customer demand and a standard specification for how to do it,” said José M. Salgado, president and CEO of Los Angeles-based SoftNI, a veteran captioning and subtitling software provider. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3D, CEA, closed captions, Computer Prompting & Captioning, FCC, industry standards, SoftNi, subtitles
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, Infrastructure, News |
by Michael Grotticelli November 8th, 2010
 All of Miranda’s Kaleido multiviewers can now provide stereoscopic 3-D monitoring, while the company’s Densité 3DX-3901 signal-processing card performs all of the necessary conversion to go from full stereoscopic to frame compatible, as well as providing camera alignment adjustments. In this time of broadcaster uncertainty, manufacturers of 3-D production and distribution equipment have been challenged to figure out how to sell their next-generation products to a customer base that doesn’t necessarily want it. At least not right now.
What many manufacturers, such as Miranda Technologies in Montreal, have done is tailor their message to those most interested in launching new 3-D channels by next year. Theoretically, the rest will follow at some point. It’s enough to cause headaches among sales personnel far worse than what some 3-D content elicits.
The first goal of manufacturers is to educate the market about what needs to be done to existing infrastructure to make 3-D broadcasting a reality. Whereas new production tools are required to create the content, legacy servers and automation systems can still be used to distribute it. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Michel Proulx, Miranda Technologies, OmniBus
Related Topics: Acquisition, Application, Broadcast, Film, Infrastructure, News, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli October 26th, 2010
 STAN gives camera operators, stereographers and production staff the ability to figure out the correct stereo parameters and camera settings for any given scene. To support the increase in 3-D production for movies and TV, equipment vendors and research organizations are working to solve the mystery of stereographic video image capture.
The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), based in Berlin, has developed a hardware/software system called the Stereoscopic Analyzer (STAN) that helps camera operators in the field and directors on-set figure out the depth of subjects in a scene and how they relate to each other. This includes far and near objects as well as the convergence plane and the depth of focus. Getting these parameters right avoids jarring images that get in the way of a pleasing viewing experience. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D, cameras, convergence, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, KUK Film Production, production, STAN, Stereoscopic Analyzer, stereoscopic production
Related Topics: Acquisition, Broadcast, Film, Infrastructure, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli October 21st, 2010
 ISee3D engineers say that a single 3-D image can be captured by rapidly alternating between the two sides and two images of the same subject from slightly different focal points. Teleproduction companies producing 3-D programming continue to look for ways to reduce costs wherever possible, either by combining crews or facilities. One of the reasons is because 3-D uses either a pair of cameras and lenses rigged together or a new especially designed integrated 3-D camera.
Supporting this need to reduce operating expenses, ISee3D, based in Toronto, says it is has developed a way to shoot lower-cost 3-D video with a single-lens camera. According to the company, one needs only cover up one-half of the camera lens, which shifts the focal point, and then cover up the opposite side of the lens, shifting it again. Rapidly alternating between two images of the same subject from slightly different focal points results in a 3-D image. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D, cameras, ISee3D, single lens, video
Related Topics: Acquisition, Broadcast, Film, Infrastructure, News, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli September 24th, 2010
 Zero Creative’s LCD screens provide a bright and clear 3-D effect without the need for special glasses. As it searches for new applications in the commercial world, 3-D technology is now moving past motion pictures and TV to 3-D electronic signage. At IBC2010, Zero Creative, a Dutch company, showed digital signs that pop out of the screen, which caught the eyes of many unsuspecting attendees.
Zero Creative offers an array of tools used to create, manage and deploy 3-D commercials on a 3-D digital signage network. These LCD screens provide a bright and clear 3-D effect without the need for special 3D glasses. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3D, advertising, auto-stereoscopy, conversion, digiatl, displays, electronic signage, Zero Creative
Related Topics: Application, Infrastructure, Products |
by Michael Grotticelli July 27th, 2010
Transmission services provider Broadcast Australia has developed a white paper that discusses the challenges of establishing Australia’s new 3-D TV environment and highlights the importance of laying the foundations to ensure the country’s free-to-air broadcasting infrastructure is ready to deliver such service. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D TV, Broadcast Australia, terrestrial broadcast, white paper
Related Topics: Broadcast, Infrastructure, Post Production |
by Michael Grotticelli May 7th, 2010
 Jannick Rolland, a professor at the University of Central Florida’s School of Optics said watching 3-D content could put a strain on your eyes if the system is not well-implemented. Three-dimensional TV is being introduced into the marketplace with very few short-term studies and no long-term studies about the technology’s effect on the health of viewers.
Last month, Samsung issued a warning about possible health effects associated with 3-D TV, including altered vision, lightheadedness and even stroke or epileptic seizure. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington have published papers that found that visual disparities in 3-D TV images can put physical strain on viewers.
Many questions remain regarding the one-size-fits all approach that has to be taken for mass audiences to enjoy the 3-D experience, Jannick Rolland, a professor at the University of Central Florida’s School of Optics, told EETimes. Rolland is known as a pioneer in virtual reality studies.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3DTV, experience, health issues, University of California, viewing
Related Topics: Application, Broadcast, Film, Infrastructure, Products |
by Angela Snell May 6th, 2010
 In January, Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX announced they would collaborate to create the first 24/7 3-D TV network in the United States. In January, Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX announced they would collaborate to create the first 24/7 3-D TV network in the United States. I recently talked with John Honeycutt, executive vice president and head of international business operations for Discovery, to learn more about the technology behind the 3-D network.
Building out a 3-D TV network
From a distribution point of view, Discovery Communications will provide network origination services from its Sterling, VA, facility that services Discovery, TLC, all of the owned Discovery Networks and BBC America. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3-D TV, DIRECTV, Discovery Communications, ESPN, IMAX, Panasonic, Sony
Related Topics: Application, Broadcast, Infrastructure, News |
-
-
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.
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
