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Stream TV Deal Advances Glasses-Free 3D

[Twice]

Stream TV Networks said Tuesday it has reached a manufacturing partnership agreement with Unihan (Pegatron) Corp. to produce Stream TV’s 3D without glasses devices. 

Pegatron will produce devices incorporating Stream TV’s proprietary Ultra-D technology that can be ported to most sized displays without any noticeable loss in brightness or resolution.

The intial manufacturing partnership with will be to assemble 42-inch 3D without glasses displays and accompanying Ultra-D Seecube converter boxes that autoconvert 2D, 3D animation and stereoscopic 3D into 3D in real time without glasses.

Other products planned for the partnership roadmap include tablets, smart phones, laptops, PCs, digital communicator and television sets of various sizes. 

Pegatron will also help to distribute Ultra-D devices worldwide, the companies said.

The companies said they will also collaborate to create a worldwide 3D without glasses format based on the Ultra-D technology as a standard for their customers as well as content and broadcasting companies.

“Unihan (Pegatron)’s enormous manufacturing and R&D capabilities will allow us to accelerate the release of Ultra-D products to reach consumers in 2012,” Mathu Rajan, Stream TV Networks CEO said in a statement on the partnership. “Ultra-D is the next generation 3D technology designed to replace 3D with glasses and win preference over 2D devices.”  …

See the full story here: http://www.twice.com/article/484595-Stream_TV_Deal_Advances_Glasses_Free_3D.php

Technology: Improving Depth Perception with 3D-HDR

[3D Roundabout – By Alan Chalmers, University of Warwick]

….3D-HDR, also known as Stereoscopic High Dynamic Range (SHDR), has the potential of bringing the diverse HDR and 3D technologies together, exploiting the advantages of both. This novel imaging method with an unprecedented level of realism has the potential to deliver both improved depth perception and a realistic representation of the scene lighting. There is even an added advantage of 3D-HDR when using glasses to deliver the 3D content: HDR images are much brighter than LDR images, so that the loss of contrast from the glasses is less noticeable.

Challenges

The major challenge with HDR video is the huge amount of data that is generated. By using 32 bits to represent each colour channel, a single uncompressed HDR frame at HD resolution requires 24MB. Capturing at 30 frames per second generates approximately 42GB for a minute of footage. This is equivalent to a CD worth of data a second. 3D-HDR only makes the problem worse. The key to HDR (and thus 3D-HDR) being successful is compression. At goHDR, we have developed a novel compression algorithm, based on in-depth knowledge of HDR, that is able to achieve at least 150:1 compression ratios with a <2% perceptual loss compared to the real scene. This enables all lighting information to be fully preserved and passed from capture to display on existing ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure.

Applications

3D-HDR video enables previously unattainable situations to be faithfully recorded and displayed. In addition to the obvious benefits to the film and television industries, such as the ability to clearly see the soccer ball as it is kicked from the sunshine into the shadow of the stadium, or the advertising board which is in the shadow in a tennis match etc., there are a number of niche applications as well. These include the filming of surgical operations, with its range of lighting, from the dark deep body cavities to the reflections of the bright operating theatre lights on the metal medical instruments, and security applications, especially in extreme lighting conditions. …

See the full story here: http://3droundabout.com/2012/05/7094/technology-improving-depth-perception-with-3d-hdr.html

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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