Three-dimensional (3D) viewing can bring excitement and viewer interaction into the privacy of homes but, as with all developing technology, it has its own challenges that still need to be ironed out.
Many consumers are sceptical about whether this second boom of 3D technology is just another fad and some have even questioned whether 3D televisions have been introduced before their time.
It is believed that 3D TV was released to the South African market too soon after the introduction of high-definition (HD) and liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs.
“The 3D TVs may suffer, compared with HD TVs, and a large portion of the market has already made investments in these sets, which can cost up to R23 000 for a 46-inch full-HD LCD set, and won’t be willing to make another high-priced purchase for a long time,” technology research company World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck tells Engineering News.
Although Sony has demonstrated its 3D capabilities with its Sony 3D World by broadcasting some of this year’s soccer World Cup matches in 3D, this does not seem to be enough to convince the average consumer that the extra cost is justified for now.
The price of a 55-inch 3D LCD TV can be as high as R50 000 and the glasses, which are mandatory for 3D viewing and are bought separately, can cost more than R800 a pair.
Goldstuck says that broadcasting the soccer matches in 3D was important in creating awareness of 3D but not for the actual viewing of the World Cup, as few South Africans saw the 3D broadcasts.
There are also a few other drawbacks for 3D TV, such as the space needed to appreciate it fully, which can be up to 6 m and is not ideal for consumers with cramped spaces for TV viewing.
Three-dimentional TV tends to diminish the experience of viewing good-quality films because, while certain elements are brought to the fore to create a 3D effect, the background and peripheral content is obscured.
Current-generation 3D TV does not do justice to high-speed action; for example, when watching sport, certain elements become blurred when in motion. However, Samsung has endeavoured to offer top-performing televisions with video showed at 200 Hz.
Goldstuck suggests that the technology still needs to advance to the point where it adds value to the viewer and the content it produces on an ongoing basis, instead of being just the occasional novel experience.
Cinema has stirred up major interest in the 3D trend. Fifty years ago, 3D movies were just a passing fad and private 3D viewing was something that could only be imagined; today, 3D cinema is one of the fastest-growing categories in live entertainment.
“The technology has come a long way from where it was 50 years ago. This shows that the technology is moving quickly, so it is likely that current 3D television technology will be overtaken within the next few years by technology that can create a more satisfactory viewing experience for consumers,” Goldstuck says.
Just a Fad?
Does the fact that there is still vast room for improvement on current 3D technology mean that it’s a fad and that it won’t be around for long?
Judging by the investments made by cinema companies and electronics producers, this seems not to be the case at all.
Samsung, for example, has sold a lot more 3D televisions than it originally estimated.
Samsung product brand manager Corrie Labuschagne says that the entire consignment of the first supply of 3D TVs was sold out within the first two months.
Samsung is making an investment in the technology, which shows confidence in the 3D trend.
This confidence is evidenced by the range of 3D-capable TVs that it has put on the market, such as the plasma range, and light- emitting diode (LED) and LCD screens.
The electronics producer also formed a global strategic alliance at the start of this year with animation company DreamWorks and entertainment technology producer Techni-color to accelerate the worldwide deployment of in-home 3D to mainstream consumers.
The solution includes a broad line-up of 3D-capable HD TVs from Samsung, its new 3D Blu-ray disc player, and an exclusive promotion that includes a first-time feature-length 3D Blu-ray version of a DreamWorks animation film created and produced by Technicolor.
Samsung expects that 3D will become an integrated technology that customers will soon come to expect when buying a TV.
Many cinema companies are also investing the extra money required for them to show 3D movies, so more consumers will be exposed to 3D and experience this type of entertainment and, this exposure is expected to result in increased demand.
Many of the large international film studios, such as Lionsgate, Warner Brothers and DreamWorks, are also investing in producing and developing 3D content to stimulate the trend and add more to the offering with regard to content.
“Forty per cent of all entertainment is still home entertainment, which means there is still a 40% demand from consumers wanting to have this entertainment at home, and that is why Samsung has chosen to invest in this technology,” says Labuschagne.
Samsung feels that the technology is now mature enough to be introduced into a mass market, which, in turn, means that more of the market is being exposed to 3D entertainment on a regular basis.
The Future
Although 3D TV may start on a low base owing to its cost, the exposure it receives now will fuel the appetite for 3D TV and it will start growing steadily.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) research study group six chairpersonChristoph Dosch explains that 3D viewing without the use of glasses is possible but impractical at this stage.
If the display is able to send the information from the screen for the right eye to the right eye and that for the left eye to the left eye, this is achievable.
This is possible using autostereoscopic displays that have vertical lens arrays in front of the screen. Samsung has already showcased a few of these monitors but they are not yet available for mass production, but are used in specific professional applications, such as computer- aided design.
Although it is possible to watch a 3D screen without glasses, this has more drawbacks than benefits; for example, the viewer is position dependent and the head needs to remain fixed in front of the screen.
Also, normal 2D TV cannot readily be watched on a glasses-free 3D TV.
With the current 3D-capable technology, the viewer can change to 3D to watch movies or play games and then switch it off to watch normal 2D programmes. So, for now, glasses are the best solution to 3D viewing.
Dosch says, however, that research institu-tions and the consumer electronics industry are constantly working on research and development (R&D) projects to improve the technology of 3D viewing.
“Stereoscopic viewing is not ‘real’ 3D. If you move sideways, the image remains the same. The depth impression changes when the viewer’s position changes. R&D is ongoing to find new ways of capturing and displaying 3D – for example, using an array of micro lenses to create multiple images for an improved 3D experience,” he explains.
Researchers are working on solutions that will allow the viewer, at least within a certain range of viewing angles, to move the head sideways, or up and down, and detect all objects visible within this range.
Other approaches would be to generate multiple views by making use of a multitude of cameras, for example 15 cameras for 3D filming instead of just two, which will also create a more realistic 3D impression.
Dosch says that, ultimately, although a far-off concept, one might envision something resembling holographic images that enable a person to move within a reproduced 3D scene, allowing ultimate viewer immersion.
However, up to now, nobody has been able to master this technique for colour videos; the number of cameras would be too high, the cost would be astronomical and the data stream almost infinite, so, while technology con- tinues to progress, the glasses will have to stay.
3D Evolution
Three-dimensional film has come a long way from when film was first invented almost 180 years ago and the trend continues to grow as technology evolves.
In the 1900s, film producers started to explore the possibilities and 3D viewing.
Between 1950 and 1960, the technology saw its first golden age with the success of more than 60 3D movies; however, the trend didn’t last because of the convoluted equipment needed to show movies in 3D.
Three-dimensional
cinema remained dormant for the first part of the 1960s but resurfaced between 1973 and 1985 when interest in 3D technology once again sparked but was short lived, supposedly because of audiences’ dislike for the cardboard glasses needed to see the 3D effects.
The launch of Imax in the mid-1980s stirred up the revolution for 3D entertainment; although used mainly for specialised productions, the technology had now established itself in the cinema arena.
Today, 3D technology has reached a new milestone in its timeline with the introduction of computer animation and a number of new technologies, such as 3D home enter- tainment systems and 3D-capable digital cameras.
Three-dimensional viewing in cinemas has been available in South Africa since 2007, when the first 3D movies were shown at two theatres, in KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg, and now the 3D home entertainment revolution has reached the local market.
International electronics producer Samsung was the first in the African market to launch a 3D plasma TV about two years ago.
Other brands have also introduced their versions of 3D television sets, such as Panasonic, and Sony, which will be introducing its 3D version this month, as well as LG, which launched its full LED 3D TV, the LX9500, in May this year.
LG sales and marketing consultant Gavin Spark says that the LG TV employs shutter glass-type 3D technology and incorporates a dual infrared emitter, which sends signals syncing the lenses with the TV.
Having dual emitters ensures that con- sumers can watch 3D content with a wider viewing angle and at a greater distance.
“The television also supports Multi Picture Format, the world standard for 3D pictures, which enables user-created 3D content, such as home videos and photos, to be seen on screen without the need for a computer,” he explains.
How It Works
Three-dimensional viewing, using 3D glasses, gives depth to certain elements of an image on a 3D TV. These monitors are made to create two images – one for each eye.
“People perceive depth with 2D objects appearing at a slightly different angle to each eye. The brain processes the two 2D views, works out the difference between them and translates the information into a 3D image,” explains Labuschagne.
Entertainment media with 3D rely on the same technique.
Slightly different images appear on the screen at the same time, with only one image seen by each eye.
For a long time, 3D was limited to cinema because LCD and cathode ray tube televisions did not have the refresh rate that is needed to display 3D images.
Speeding up the refresh rate of a TV is just one of the required steps to make a television set 3D ready.
Televisions also have a built-in processor that deceives the viewer’s brain on how it perceives an object, which is why 3D glasses need to be worn when watching a 3D movie. These glasses are no longer the conventional red- and green-coloured-lens glasses that are traditionally associated with 3D viewing.
Dosch explains that modern 3D viewing devices include active shutter glasses that are battery-operated and interact with the display of the television set.
By: Mary-Anne O’Donnell, Sept. 17, 2010
link to original post: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/3-d-viewing-a-real-experience-2010-09-17