NAB 2009: Panasonic Pledges End-To-End 3D Technology

Lee Stewart · 04-20-2009, 11:13 AM

Will create 1080p-based production system

Quote:

By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/20/2009 8:13:22 AM MT
NAB 2009: Complete Coverage from Broadcasting & Cable

Panasonic, which announced at the CES show last January that it would push to create a 3D HD standard for Blu-ray discs by next year, declared at NAB Sunday that it will begin developing a professional "3D Full HD" production system based on the 1080-line progressive HD format, as part of an end-to-end 3D content chain that includes Blu-ray disc players and 3D-compliant consumer displays.

Panasonic was showing concept models of the system, which will include a twin-lens P2 professional camera recorder and a solid-state-based field recorder that use "AVC-Ultra 3D" compression, under glass in its booth. The system would theoretically give 3D HD producers a ready-made alternative to the home-grown systems they have been using, many of which consist of two cameras mounted side-by-side on a single platform to provide the left- and right-eye images needed to display a 3D effect.

As it did at CES, Panasonic was showing private demos of its 3D HD technology on a 103" plasma display. Along with a clip from the upcoming Disney/Pixar animated feature "Up," the 3D HD footage also included some sample skiing footage from the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. The footage of a giant-slalom skier was impressive, with snow crystals leaping off the screen into the air with each turn the skier made.

Considering that Panasonic announced at NAB that its P2 cameras will once again be the official recording format for the Olympics' host broadcaster, through a deal with Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver, one can expect that Panasonic will showcase its 3D HD technology in some form at the Games.

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, VP of corporate development for Panasonic, says that the work on the Blu-ray standard at Panasonic's Hollywood labs is going well and has engendered strong interest from film makers. He says that Blu-ray discs have enough storage capacity to record the dual 1080p camera sources for high-quality 3D HD, and adds that consumer standards necessary to broaden the adoption of 3D HD across consumer devices, such as an extension to the secure HDMI digital networking interface, could come as soon as this year.

Rolling 3D HD out on cable and satellite systems will naturally come after Blu-ray discs for games and movies, says Tsuyuzaki, and widespread live 3D HD production for sports is likely years away. He points out that the adoption of HD took 20 years, though guesses 3D could go faster, simply by the industry's move to digital TV and the vast number of HD displays now available. He views creating a professional 3D HD production system as a necessary step in Panasonic's overall 3D HD strategy.

"We would like to give consumers the option of 3D-ready TV, and to support that effort, you'll eventually need ENG cameras and 3D editing solutions," he says

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/art...Technology.php

Lee Stewart · 04-23-2009, 05:35 AM

Panasonic: 3-D Is Critical

Quote:

April 21, 2009, 2:38 pm

By Eric A. Taub

How important is the development of 3-D television? As far as Panasonic is concerned, it’s “critical.”

According to Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, the company’s general manager for its Blu-ray Disc Group, 3-D television “could be as significant as the transformation from standard- to high-definition TV.”

In a discussion on Monday during the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Mr. Tsuyuzaki said that Disney had been particularly keen on getting Panasonic’s help in the development of 3-D TV standards, so that the company could make additional revenue for its 3-D animated features by selling versions for the home.

If 3-D television takes off, it could fall right into the sweet spot for Panasonic’s products: large plasma displays that have received high marks for their picture quality. 3-D TV looks best on large screens, and Panasonic thinks the technology could significantly increase sales of its sets, as well as a new generation of 3-D Blu-ray players (current Blu-ray players cannot be used to show 3-D content).

The sets will be positioned in the middle of the market, priced just slightly more than standard HDTV models, Mr. Tsuyuzaki said, to encourage mass adoption.

Panasonic is pushing for a system that would use so-called active glasses, with shutters that electronically open and close over each eye to create the depth effect. Mr. Tsuyuzaki figures that several pairs would probably be included with each new 3-D-capable TV. By the time the dog chewed them or the kids stepped on them, economies of scale would have lowered the replacement price to a nominal amount.

Panasonic has been lobbying hard for the adoption of 3-D TV standards by the end of this year, so that it can get 3-D-ready TVs and Blu-ray players into the market by 2010. The company is concerned that if the technology doesn’t become available soon — within a year — the industry will miss an opportunity to sell the next generation of large-screen displays, because that many more people will already have purchased a flat-panel set thanks to the imminent transition to all-digital broadcasting in June. And once the market is saturated, not that many customers will be ready to buy a new set anytime soon.

How big could the market be? Panasonic says it thinks 3-D could represent 10 percent of TV industry sales within two to three years.

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/...f=personaltech

**PFC5** · 04-23-2009, 11:42 PM

I think he is right about the industry deciding quickly before people buy the new main display without 3D and then 3D not getting much market until people start replacing them again years later.

I personally would love to see 3D take off and have been salivating over it since seeing the Terminator show at Universal Studios Florida. Hope fully there will be ONE standard decided quickly that can be made at fairly low prices for the mass market.

cbcdesign · 04-24-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

I personally would love to see 3D take off and have been salivating over it since seeing the Terminator show at Universal Studios Florida. Hope fully there will be ONE standard decided quickly that can be made at fairly low prices for the mass market.

I feel the same way having seen Ghosts of the Abyss in 3D. It was absolutely fantastic floating over the bow's of the wreck and seeing all the detail in 3D. The anchor chains were huge! An unforgettable experience.

Lee Stewart · 04-24-2009, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

I think he is right about the industry deciding quickly before people buy the new main display without 3D and then 3D not getting much market until people start replacing them again years later.

I personally would love to see 3D take off and have been salivating over it since seeing the Terminator show at Universal Studios Florida. Hope fully there will be ONE standard decided quickly that can be made at fairly low prices for the mass market.

1. I just don't see the industry acting quickly - to set standards. We are talking about a new round of licence fees and royalties. And everyone is going to want a piece. They shouldn't make an attempt to by-pass SMPTE.

2. I initially see 3D as being very limited for the consumer. If BD is to be the first to offer it, then you need all the equipment ($$$). The number of 3D titles is going to be not only limited in number but also in selection (genre).

3. CST doesn't have the same desire to offer 3D, though in the UK SKY-TV is on a big push to get 3D into consumers hands.

Dare · 04-26-2009, 04:14 AM

Stereoscopic 3D has been available to gamers for years, using anaglyph and shutterglasses and whatever other methods. Almost everyone has experimented with them, but nobody uses them long term. They all go back to 2D.

That's not to say it isn't cool. I played some games in stereoscopic 3D, and it's the coolest thing I've ever seen, but I can't keep it up for long periods of time. It just isn't totally compatible with brains and eye muscles. Everyone wishes it to work, (even I have a beamsplitter for my camera and play with it a lot) but that horse isn't going to get up. It'll always be a novelty at best.

cbcdesign · 04-26-2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dare

Stereoscopic 3D has been available to gamers for years, using anaglyph and shutterglasses and whatever other methods. Almost everyone has experimented with them, but nobody uses them long term. They all go back to 2D.

That's not to say it isn't cool. I played some games in stereoscopic 3D, and it's the coolest thing I've ever seen, but I can't keep it up for long periods of time. It just isn't totally compatible with brains and eye muscles. Everyone wishes it to work, (even I have a beamsplitter for my camera and play with it a lot) but that horse isn't going to get up. It'll always be a novelty at best.

Anaglyph has terrible colours and ghosting, Shutter glasses mute the brightness of the image, produce ghosting in some cases and rarely operate fast enough to elliminate flicker. In short, there is no comparison whatsoever to modern digital 3D. Even my interlaced 3D Hyundai polarised 3D PC set up makes both of those 3D systems look pathetic!

**kamspy** · 04-26-2009, 04:03 PM

What technology is that Terminator 3D demo at Universal Studios in Orlando using?

IIRC, there wasn't even glasses involved. (Could be wrong, it was a long time ago).

Dare · 04-26-2009, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbcdesign

Anaglyph has terrible colours and ghosting, Shutter glasses mute the brightness of the image, produce ghosting in some cases and rarely operate fast enough to elliminate flicker. In short, there is no comparison whatsoever to modern digital 3D. Even my interlaced 3D Hyundai polarised 3D PC set up makes both of those 3D systems look pathetic!

The depth adds way more to the coolness factor than the brightness takes away, and awesome brightness and no flicker don't eliminate eyestrain. Overactive eyecrossing is fundamental to the basic concept of stereoscopy. No technical tweaks are going to fix it.

04-23-2009, 11:42 PM	#3
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,379	I think he is right about the industry deciding quickly before people buy the new main display without 3D and then 3D not getting much market until people start replacing them again years later. I personally would love to see 3D take off and have been salivating over it since seeing the Terminator show at Universal Studios Florida. Hope fully there will be ONE standard decided quickly that can be made at fairly low prices for the mass market. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

04-26-2009, 04:14 AM	#6
Dare I moon you. Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 4,436	Stereoscopic 3D has been available to gamers for years, using anaglyph and shutterglasses and whatever other methods. Almost everyone has experimented with them, but nobody uses them long term. They all go back to 2D. That's not to say it isn't cool. I played some games in stereoscopic 3D, and it's the coolest thing I've ever seen, but I can't keep it up for long periods of time. It just isn't totally compatible with brains and eye muscles. Everyone wishes it to work, (even I have a beamsplitter for my camera and play with it a lot) but that horse isn't going to get up. It'll always be a novelty at best. __________________ LG GGC-H20L Super Multi Blue Blu-ray & HD DVD ROM Drive 58 31

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04-26-2009, 04:03 PM	#8
kamspy Esteban Moderatoro Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cincinnati,OH Good Posts: 12 Posts: 13,048	What technology is that Terminator 3D demo at Universal Studios in Orlando using? IIRC, there wasn't even glasses involved. (Could be wrong, it was a long time ago).