Archive for the ‘News’ Category

If you have problems viewing three-dimensional images, then conventional 2D TV sets are for you.

The depth perception is limited in around 5-10% of population. Far more people have other vision problems that may prevent them from seeing 3D images in movies or the new 3D TV.

To maike a 3D film requires two cameras that capture two images, simulating the different perspectives of the left and right eyes. 3D glasses enable each eye to see the proper perspective and the brain combines them into a stereoscopic image.

People whose eyes aren't perfectly aligned because of strabismus (eyes don't align when focusing) or amblyopia (one eye loses the ability to see details) or who struggle to keep their eyes lined up and moving together will probably have difficulty fusing the images into a 3D experience. Moreover, the challenge might cause eyestrain (dry, irritated, or painful eyes), which could lead to headache.

If you are having problems viewing 3D images, consult an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

There are some six million people in the UK, the Eyecare Trust claims, who have poor binocular vision. This means their eyes have difficulty processing and viewing the 3D effects, so they’re more likely to see blurred images, resulting in headaches and other unpleasantness.

The Eyecare Trust commented: “You may not have realised that you have poor binocular vision before because your brain will often try to compensate for any visual inadequacies.”

“The good news however is that binocular conditions can be easily detected during a routine eye examination and treatment may be as simple as a new pair of glasses or some vision therapy.”

Recent scientific research shows that major myth of 3D TV being dangerous to your health is not exactly true. Some experts aired a number of concerns. One of them was about the depth-of-field issue for your eyes. Some claimed that prolonged viewing can alter the viewer's depth of perception for up to several hours after they take their 3D glasses off, which could lead to serious accidents. Even Samsung, one of the leading 3D equipment manufacturers, clearly stated on their website a safety guidelines document, which has many precausions to 3D viewers.

These recent findings discovered that 2D actually causes more of a strain than 3D. It is understandable that like with anything else in human life, we should not want 3D TV excessively. Watching 3D television under normal conditions is unlikely to be damaging to the human visual system, scientists from The Vision Centre say.

Professor Colin Clifford of The Vision Centre and The University of Sydney, says it is very unlikely that 3D TV could cause any long-term harm, provided people only watched it for a few hours a day.

“For objects viewed beyond reading distance, the eyes are pretty much pointing in parallel and very little adjustment is required to see things in depth.” Since 3D TV is usually watched from a longer distance it is unlikely to affect how the eyes and brain perceive depth of field. “In actual fact, two-dimensional TV creates more of a conflict for our visual system than 3D TV, because we have to interpret a 3D image out of a flat screen, whereas 3D TV is just giving us a 3D picture.

Reuters reports that The Walt Disney Co will release three 3D movies to IMAX Corp theaters in 2011. These movies include the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" film.

Chuck Viane, president of distribution for Disney, said in a statement the recent performance of the studio's movies in IMAX theaters has "demonstrated that the combination of IMAX and Disney resonates with moviegoers worldwide."

The movies covered under the new agreement are "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz; the animated "Mars Needs Moms" with voice work from Seth Green and John Cusack; and the Disney/Pixar cartoon "Cars 2."

IMAX has emerged as a major player in 3D exhibition, taking advantage of an audience appetite for a more in-depth visual experience that has helped drive box office growth.

"Toy Story 3," Disney's latest 3D release from its Pixar animation division, played in more than 4,000 theaters in the United States and Canada when it opened this past weekend. Of those, 180 were IMAX theaters, which contributed $8.4 million to the film's overall gross of $110 million.

Microsoft division displayed a new technology: 3D without glasses. Although it has been around for awhile but it has always had some limitations. One of the largest limitations is that it only works for one viewer and that viewer must keep their eyes within a specific area. The monitors do this by using lenses or filters that divide the image between the viewer's eyes creating a 3D effect.

Microsoft's new display relies on a wedge shaped lens that doubles as the screen. It uses motion tracking capability to track up to 4 viewers and display a 3D image to each of them. The motion tracking is necessary for displaying 3D without glasses as this form of 3D is impossible without knowing the viewer's head position. There is no need for head tracking but it only works for one viewer and that person must keep their head in a very specific position or the 3D effect will be lost. With the motion tracking ability the display can focus the 3D effect in real time on the viewer by detecting and constantly updating their position. 

The real breakthrough with this Microsoft display is the ability to track and display 3D to 4 viewers at once. Currently the technology is limited to a 20 degree viewing angle though the researchers feel they will be able to get it up to at least 40 degrees. In the case of LCD and LED screens you'll experience picture degradation at angles wider than this anyway so it's not such a big deal.

Taiwan researchers predict mass use of non-glasses 3D TV by 2015. This technology will be able to show depth of field without polarising lenses

Consumers will likely see 3D LCD TVs that don't require people to wear polarised glasses out on global markets by 2015, it was a forecast made by a Taiwanese research group.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute already displayed a 42-inch glasses-free 3D LCD TV, and the company can currently make them with screens as large as 65 inches, according to Stephen Jeng, director of ITRI's 3D System & Application Division.

The technology will foster getting 3D into more people's living rooms. Analysts say most people don't want to wear polarised glasses to watch 3D TV, and many balk at the price, up to $200 per pair for some of the glasses.

Jeng says ITRI's technology will be used in digital signs and 3D digital photo frames initially. The main issues for glasses-free 3D TV are broadcasting, availability of content, and eye safety, he said. Small quantities of glasses-free digital signage and 3D photo frames are already available on the market, he said, but may yet take a year or two to take off.

The glasses-free 3D LCD TV on display from ITRI this week showed pictures of objects that ITRI's software converted into a 3D image. The image was blurry and the technology appears to still be a long way from being ready.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is being filmed in 3D for the first time. Up to 25 of the games will be captured using 3D cameras.

Initially the 3D footage was planned to also be shown at public events in seven cities around the world.

Sony technology will be used to film the games in 3D.

The majority of existing 3D set-ups use two-camera systems to record images tailored specifically for the left and right eye of the viewer, which requires special polarised glasses for viewers.

However, earlier this year, Sony announced a single-lens camera, which is especially suited for sporting events. The camera takes a single image which then is split by mirrors and recorded on two sensors.

It is predicted there may be 13.6m 3D TV sets installed in Europe by 2013.

In 2008, the BBC broadcast the world's first live sporting event in 3D, beaming back an England vs. Scotland game from the Six Nations to a cinema in London.

Due to the World Cup, the most watched football tournament in the world, Korea's electronics producers are enjoying a major boost in the sale of 3D television sets.

Samsung Electronics reported it sold more than 6,000 3D TVs here in the first two weeks of June, compared to a monthly average of 5,000 sold during the February to May period.

Driven by the World Cup, Samsung expects domestic sales to surpass 10,000 units by the end of this month.

Although the price of Samsung 3D TVs ranges from US$2,388 to $8,154, there is not enough in stock to meet the rising demand.

LG Electronics also saw a jump in 3D TV sales, selling more than 3,000 units at home in June. Experts forecasts that LG will sell 10,000 sets in the domestic market before releasing models overseas later this year.

The world's most popular video sharing service YouTube quietly made an upgrade one year ago — it introduced a 3D content support. This feature was developed by one of Google employees in his spare time, as we know Google allows its staff to work on their own projects for 20% of the work time. The name of that person is Pete Bradshaw, he is a YouTube software engineer.

I bet you have not even noticed that Youtube was supporting 3D. But the service now supports the uploading of stereoscopic footage (2 video streams) that it will mix, in real time, right within your browser.

Here is what Pete says about his achievemnet:

So I went digging for 3D content on the site. And there was a lot, but the issue was that sometimes it was mixed with different colors (because you can get different colored glasses). There's red/green and yellow/blue and all these other things. So if you were uploading 3D video, you basically planned for one specific kind of glasses you wanted to support. If you didn't have just the right pair, you were out of luck.

...We came up with the idea that, well, we could mix the left and right views inside the player and give an experience that works on any of the different-colored 3D glasses.

And so 3D was integrated into the player in a way users could actually use. The shooter uploads two videos side by side, and then we do the mix in the player. Then the viewer tells us the color of their glasses, or if they'd rather do some of the crazy, cross eyed things.

From the first demo, I probably spent 3 weeks of actual work—not all of it continuous because, given my background, I'm more on the backend server side of stuff here at YouTube than the player side.

I definitely think 3D is coming, and it's going to be a standard feature. But adoption rates and exact technologies, if I knew that stuff, I would be investing.

Based on this post.

Over 800,000 households are estimated to buy a 3D-ready television in 2010, but less than 10% will actually be able to watch 3D programmes on it.

This year has been predicted to have a "3D boom" as consumers rush to buy 3D TV sets following the hype caused by the film Avatar and the promise of viewing sport such as football via the new technology from BSkyB. But the report from Informa Telecoms and Media predicts that while 845,000 households worldwide are likely to have 3D TV-ready sets by the end of the year, just 101,000 homes will be watching 3D shows.

By the end of 2015, 3D-ready sets will have reached 70m households, some 5.1% of all homes that have a television. But once again a huge number – up to 68% or 48m – will not actually be watching 3D TV shows on them. Just over 30%, or 22.2m homes, will be watching 3D TV shows.

Other factors include consumers buying TV sets more for 3D DVDs or 3D games than an interest in television shows.

By the end of the year the number of homes watching 3D TV programming globally will be 101,000. Of those 60,000 will be in North America with just 22,000 in Western Europe.

Samsung - a pioneer of 3d TV technology - trying to reduce legal risks, published on its web site a detailed list of precautions for those who plan watching Samsung 3d TV sets.

The first concern is about glasses: fluorescent lighting may cause a flickering effect and direct sunlight may affect the operation of the 3D glasses.

Then it goes on health warnings. It is presented similar to drugs' instructions. They claim that some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. So you need to consult with a medical specialist if you or any of your family had epilepsy or stroke in the past.

You should stop watching 3D and see a doctor if you have altered vision; lightheadedness; confusion; dizziness; involuntary movements;  nausea; convulsions; cramps; and/or disorientation. Parents should pay closer attention to children watching 3D TV. Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain, and decreased postural stability. You should not watching 3D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been drinking alcohol. Be aware that watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your eyesight. Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or fatigue. Some viewers may experience disorientation.

Panasonic has already increased its 3D television production by 30 per cent, being encouraged by the general public, after US demand for 3D sets exceeded its expectations when they went on sale in March.

The Panasonic plasma panel factory works at full capacity and they increased 3D panel production by 30 per cent compared to our original plan. Panasonic is hoping that business will embrace the technology as well as the entertainment industry.

The major television manufacturers have been quick to embrace the new technology – seizing on a prime opportunity to push a new generation of television sets to a public still coming to terms with HD. TV makers hope to ride the wave of interest in 3D initiated by the box office success of James Cameron's Avatar. They are not alone, with entertainment content producers like movie studios and, particularly in the UK, Sky television racing to produce enough content to fulfil demand.

Just imagine how old, famous paintings of great artists could look in 3D.