[opendtv] IBC: cameras and 3-D

  • From: Mark Schubin <TVMark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: Multiple Addresses Suppressed <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:52:13 -0400

A lot of you have been asking about IBC.

Here's a link to a camera story I just posted:
http://schubincafe.com/blog/2009/09/walkin-in-a-camera-wonderland/

THE hot topic at the show was 3-D (FYI, 4K was very downplayed if not rejected outright). There were MANY products and discussions about it, including such issues as where to put subtitles (Nagravision showed a 3-D electronic program guide), and we got to watch about 16 minutes of "Avatar." Canada's Communications Research Center had a fascinating demo at the New Technology Campus showing 2-D to 3-D conversion based only on color (reds towards the foreground and blues towards the background); even when it doesn't work, we often psychologically reject the error (e.g., a blue shirt). Amazing!

Here are the abstracts from two of the 3-D papers I found very interesting:

"Stereoscopic three-dimensional sports content without stereo rigs," by O. Grau and V. Vinayagamoorthy of the BBC <oliver.grau@xxxxxxxxx>

"An alternative approach to generate stereoscopic content of sports scenes from regular broadcast cameras without the need for special stereo rigs is contributed here. This is achieved by using three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction previously developed for applications in post-match analysis. The reconstruction method requires at least four to five cameras and computes the 3D information automatically. Two different target formats for the delivery of stereoscopic 3DTV are discussed: the display-independent layered depth video (LDV) format and conventional binocular stereo. The results viewed on two different displays demonstrate the potential of the method as an alternative production method for stereoscopic 3D content."

and

"The truth about stereoscopic television"
by David Wood of the European Broadcasting Union <wood@xxxxxx>

"Stereoscopic television can be regarded as a limited subset of 'natural vision'. It can provide an exciting viewing experience, but has constraints. Reviewed here is the relationship between the process of natural vision, the 'object wave' and stereoscopic television. The main elements of the creation of space image points from screen image points in stereoscopic television are oulined. From this, examples of the limitations of stereoscopic television are described: the potential convergence-accommodation conflict, infinity separation, viewing distance and depth resolution. Conclusions for programme production and the future use of stereoscopic television are drawn."

Wood was quoted in The IBC Daily on Saturday as saying "I plan to concentrate on getting broadcasters to take issues around eye fatigue seriously." "I want a government health warning on all 3D products and shows, but it won't say that 3D kills like cigarettes do. What this means is that when broadcasters screen 3D content, they should mention up front that there are viewers who cannot fuse left and right images." "Shows should at the very least carry a caution that viewers should not watch 3D for long periods."

Cute side story:

I got new eyeglasses just before leaving for IBC, and, given that my prescription had changed a lot, they felt very uncomfortable. One of the first IBC exhibits I hit was for Sky's upcoming 3-D channel. The content was very realistically shot, meaning that objects in the distance had essentially no stereoscopic disparity at all. The person handing out the 3-D glasses was complaining to a friend that the 3-D gave her eyestrain and that maybe viewing periods should be limited. I walked up, queasy from my new prescription, and placed the 3-D glasses over my own glasses. I felt instant relief from the forced separation of my binocular views. That was interesting.

TTFN,
Mark



----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:

- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word 
unsubscribe in the subject line.

Other related posts: