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Saying that you want to watch 3D at home is a sure way to get everybody to start laughing at you. Sure, there has been the occasional movie or TV show broadcasted in 3D to attract attention and gain ratings – but for the most part this “Holy Grail” is unobtainable to the average consumer who just wants to sit back and be entertained.
That the PC gaming world continues to thrive on 3D games doesn't really mean anything either – monitors no matter how big not being a part of a home theater or where more than one person can congregate for viewing. Nor does the very few high-end and highly technical devices that can be used in the home to provide a 3D view seem practical to the average consumer.
All We Need…
Two things are needed to enable 3D in the home to start gaining a foothold. First, there has to be new 3D content – not just reissues of that which had come before. Secondly, there has to be a way to watch that content at home that won't bankrupt the pocketbook – meaning 3D-equipped televisions from known and reputable dealers at prices consumers can afford.
2010 seems to be the date when both of these criteria will start to boil over. More and more movie studios are producing 3D films that will make their way to the home theater (both animated as well as live-action), and the increasing proliferation of some 7000 3D-equipped movie theaters by the end of 2010) should continue to promote and whet the publics appetite for 3D fare.
The consumer electronics world has taken notice and announced a willing participation for bringing 3D to the home theater, which is exciting news, even if details are sketchy. But we do know a few things about some of what the major players are up to that are worth sharing about and what will be happening as 2010 paves the way for 3D.
Blu About 3D
The simple fact is that 3D titles need not only be created but to have a way to make themselves available to the consumer in a mass marketing way. The Blu-ray association has announced that Blu-ray discs will be incorporating 3D into their format; the resolution and storage capacity of Blu-ray allowing for the needed bandwidth and capacity for providing a packaged 3D movie for playing at home. Just as Blu-ray disc has paved the way for next generation, high definition home entertainment, it will also set the standard for 3D home viewing in the future, says Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee Chair.
Of course a 3D-enabled Blu-ray player will be necessary, but at minimum the storage capacity of Blu-ray discs will allow for a full high-definition 1080p 2D version of the content to be included along with the 3D presentation.
Bravo To Sony
Sony has often been a world leader in consumer electronics, and their plans for 3D television looks to replicate the past. Sony 3D TVs will make their way to consumers in 2010 – 3D compatible “Bravia” LCD TVs accomplishing this through frame sequential display technology working with active-shutter glass systems. A proprietary high-frame rate will enable the 3D imaging to be displayed in full high-definition, with each eye seeing a 1920 ×1080 pixels image per eye.
Mitsubishi's 3D View
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics announced compatibility with 3D in their recent 737 and 837 LCD Home Theater HDTV line. The HDTVs require source devices to support the present standard of checkerboard display formats for displaying 3D games/3D content. This makes them, along with Mitsubishi's LaserVue Laser TV, suitable for use with existing 3D systems. This does not insure, however, compatibility with any yet-to-be proposed 3D standard. (Other HDTV manufacturers such as Samsung among others, also have HDTVs which can display 3D along the same lines as Mitsubishi.)
Panasonic's Three Way
Panasonic is looking to bring 3D into the home – and in a real way. The company has been touting their “Full HD 3D” system, although it will not be available in production models until well into 2010. The 3D system consists of a 1080p Panasonic Plasma TV, a pair of active 3D polarized glasses and a modified, 3D-enabled Blu-ray player. Taking the components separately explains the process: the 3D player provides a dual video stream of the content to the Plasma, which outputs a picture in a high-resolution of 1080p and at 240 Mhz. The active polarized glasses are then presented with this image, which they “split” up into each eye's seeing half of the total frames (there being an emitter built into the Plasma TV to sync with the glasses). The high speed of the Plasma TV enable the frames being seen to reach the high-definition watermark that many feel is as important to 3D's success as a simplified method of presentation is.
The demonstration of the Full HD 3D was seen at a recent trade show and everyone was impressed. True, it was under ideal circumstances (a trailer presenting the 3D on a 100-foot Plasma few would be able to afford), but the depth and effect of the 3D was startling good, and free of headaches and other annoyances that can plague the 3D viewer. Probably the most impressive during the examples of 3D-enabled movies and sporting events that were presented were those 3D effects that appeared “in front” of the screen – snowflakes flying up and away from the trailer of Disney's “A Christmas Tale” – as opposed to the depth of field effect more commonly seen between objects in the background and a foreground object placed just behind the “glass” of the screen.
According to Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic Corporation of North America's Chief Technology Officer, “Full HD 3D enables the home viewer to have virtually the same quality and immersive experience as in 3D theaters.” Panasonic, who partnered with others to promote James Cameron's “Avatar” film (the first live-action 3D movie to be released to theaters), recently opened the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory Advanced Authoring Center (PHL-AC), located within Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) in Universal City, CA. PHL-AC will work directly with Hollywood studios to provide 3D title development services for Full HD 3D Blu-ray titles. Panasonic also noted recently they had started the development of a professional Full HD 3D production system consisting of a twin-lens P2 professional camera recorder and a 3D-compatible High Definition Plasma display.
Steve Storozum, Board Member, Video Services Forum, was also present at the demo and agrees that this demonstration exhibits how 3D is making great strides. He points out that Panasonic is able to provide for a true 3D experience due to the monitor's frame rate which was increased to 240 Hz. This allows for a full 1080p60 frames per second display image to be seen by each eye (thus enabling full HD resolution).
“Using shutter glasses synchronized with the display in this manner provides an example of what the ultimate 3D home viewing experience might be like,” says Storozum, who points out that the experience was definitely enhanced by the completely cinema-darkened space and sterling surround sound system that accompanied the 103″ 3D display.
Moving Forward… in 3D
While most consumers could not afford this Panasonic home theater setup, Storozum sees the key feature being that, if you step down from the huge monitor, megawatt sound system, and acoustically/visually perfect room, a reasonable 3D experience can probably be had by most average consumers for a relatively small uptick in equipment price compared to a standard HD home theater. “Flat-panel display technology is essentially there when it comes to displaying 1080p60 images at high frame rates and many high-end monitors already feature 120 Hz frame rates,” he says. “Blu-ray disc players can be improved to play out 3D content without a lot of expensive mechanical retooling, and no change in audio technology will be needed to move into the world of 3D. Finally, shutter glasses will be mass-produced to bring their cost down to consumer-friendly price points. All of this will provide a 3D HD home theater that will be well within the means of most people who were going to spring for a 2D HD setup anyway.”
While no one will argue against the strides that 3D viewing at home has made, its being ready for “prime time” still seems a bit off. EG
Online Resources:
Blu-ray Disc Association
http://www.blu-raydisc.com/index.htm
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America
www.mitsubishi-tv.com
Panasonic 3D
http://www.panasonic.com/3D
Sony Corporation
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200909/09-099E/
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