- Feb 23, 2005
- 22,902
- 2,359
- 126
This is pretty neat! Im wondering if this technology can be back ported to older movies? This could be a nice market niche.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/12/hollywood-has-been-so-enthralled.ars
3D high-def movies coming to your living room on Blu-ray
Get ready for the 3D movie revolution to come your your home theater next year. The Blu-ray Disc Association has approved a final spec to deliver high def 3D movies on Blu-ray discs. If you don't want to spend the cash for 3D hardware, it is thankfully backward compatible with today's Blu-ray drives.
Hollywood has been so enthralled with the recent renaissance of 3D in the theater that the Blu-ray Disc Association has finalized a specification for delivering full 1080p high definition stereoscopic video on Blu-ray discs. The format relies on an extension to the H.264 encoding standard, and provides for a fallback to 2D output on players that can't decode the separate stereoscopic images. It's been a long time coming, but along with a recent update to the HDMI spec and a coming wave of 3D-capable displays, the technology is now in place to deliver the full 3D experience at home.
The specification, which will be published shortly for device manufacturers and content producers, specifies encoding two separate 1080p frames together using the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) extension to the H.264 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) codecone of the codecs already supported for creating Blu-ray discs. This method allows the two separate views, one for each eye, to be compressed together in such a way that common elements from both views are melded together. The result is that a 3D-encoded movie should typically only take up about 50 percent more space on disc compared to a 2D version, and players that aren't 3D-capable will be able to play back a 2D version instead, for backward compatibility.
Additionally, the specification is technology-agnostic when it comes to how to create the 3D effect. It will deliver two 1080p frames to the display, and the display will then use whatever method it can to create a 3D effectwhether it's passive filtered glasses, active filtered switching glasses, anaglyph, etc.
"Throughout this year, movie goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3D or 2D," said Victor Matsuda, BDA Global Promotions Committee chairman, in a statement. "We believe this demand for 3D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3D experience to the living room."
Of course, taking advantage of that full 3D experience will still require an additional investment in compatible displays, Blu-ray players, and other necessary hardware like specialized (and often expensive) glasses. The HDMI 1.4 spec enables transfer of two full 1080p signals from players to displays, and a number of current 120 Hz 2D displays can be used for 3D viewing with special glasses. Also, suppliers like LG and Sony plan to launch 3D-capable displays in the coming months. New 3D-capable Blu-ray players will have to be manufactured, but PS3 owners will be delighted to know that the specification should be compatible with work Sony has already done to enable 3D gaming on its console.
Still, 3D discs will still play just fine on 2D players, which should mitigate a storm of customer indignation which would follow if backwards compatibility had not been addressed. "We think the broad and rapid acceptance Blu-ray Disc already enjoys with consumers will be a factor in accelerating the uptake of 3D in the home," Matsuda said. "In the meantime, existing players and libraries can continue to be fully enjoyed as consumers consider extending into 3D home entertainment."
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/12/hollywood-has-been-so-enthralled.ars
3D high-def movies coming to your living room on Blu-ray
Get ready for the 3D movie revolution to come your your home theater next year. The Blu-ray Disc Association has approved a final spec to deliver high def 3D movies on Blu-ray discs. If you don't want to spend the cash for 3D hardware, it is thankfully backward compatible with today's Blu-ray drives.
Hollywood has been so enthralled with the recent renaissance of 3D in the theater that the Blu-ray Disc Association has finalized a specification for delivering full 1080p high definition stereoscopic video on Blu-ray discs. The format relies on an extension to the H.264 encoding standard, and provides for a fallback to 2D output on players that can't decode the separate stereoscopic images. It's been a long time coming, but along with a recent update to the HDMI spec and a coming wave of 3D-capable displays, the technology is now in place to deliver the full 3D experience at home.
The specification, which will be published shortly for device manufacturers and content producers, specifies encoding two separate 1080p frames together using the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) extension to the H.264 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) codecone of the codecs already supported for creating Blu-ray discs. This method allows the two separate views, one for each eye, to be compressed together in such a way that common elements from both views are melded together. The result is that a 3D-encoded movie should typically only take up about 50 percent more space on disc compared to a 2D version, and players that aren't 3D-capable will be able to play back a 2D version instead, for backward compatibility.
Additionally, the specification is technology-agnostic when it comes to how to create the 3D effect. It will deliver two 1080p frames to the display, and the display will then use whatever method it can to create a 3D effectwhether it's passive filtered glasses, active filtered switching glasses, anaglyph, etc.
"Throughout this year, movie goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3D or 2D," said Victor Matsuda, BDA Global Promotions Committee chairman, in a statement. "We believe this demand for 3D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3D experience to the living room."
Of course, taking advantage of that full 3D experience will still require an additional investment in compatible displays, Blu-ray players, and other necessary hardware like specialized (and often expensive) glasses. The HDMI 1.4 spec enables transfer of two full 1080p signals from players to displays, and a number of current 120 Hz 2D displays can be used for 3D viewing with special glasses. Also, suppliers like LG and Sony plan to launch 3D-capable displays in the coming months. New 3D-capable Blu-ray players will have to be manufactured, but PS3 owners will be delighted to know that the specification should be compatible with work Sony has already done to enable 3D gaming on its console.
Still, 3D discs will still play just fine on 2D players, which should mitigate a storm of customer indignation which would follow if backwards compatibility had not been addressed. "We think the broad and rapid acceptance Blu-ray Disc already enjoys with consumers will be a factor in accelerating the uptake of 3D in the home," Matsuda said. "In the meantime, existing players and libraries can continue to be fully enjoyed as consumers consider extending into 3D home entertainment."
Facebook
Twitter