A Look At The Challenges of 3D Broadcasting
Broadcasters will struggle to deliver the same 1080p ‘Full HD’ as BD for some time to come due to a combination of limited available bandwidth and technical considerations such as the lack of a real-time 3D video encoding system.
Fortunately, technology solutions exist which enable 3D to be delivered over an existing 2D HD broadcast infrastructure. The most common of these is known as ‘side-by-side’, where the left and right images are squeezed to half width and placed side-by-side in a standard video frame. The images are then separated in the consumer’s receiving equipment, usually in the TV.
The benefit of such a ‘2D wrapper’ system is that it requires very little upgrading of the broadcast infrastructure and, even more important, programming can be delivered via the existing installed base of set top boxes.
A number of cable, satellite and IPTV operators around the world have been conducting trials using the side-by-side technique, the most notable being in Japan over the BS11 satellite, BSkyB in Europe and Orange in France.
BS11 has been running a 2-hour loop of acquired programming that can be received by any Japanese consumer willing to pay upwards of $2,500 for a 46” LCD TV fitted with a polarizing lens. BSkyB in the UK and Orange France, meanwhile, have been producing a range of original 3D programming in different genres – soccer, boxing, tennis, opera, ballet, music videos, even a quiz
show – but these are closed trials and not currently available for public consumption. 3D broadcast services are expected to start later this year. Initially these will be from pay TV operators such as BSkyB, which has committed to a launch during 2010.
Technicolor’s UK-based broadcast playout center, has already demonstrated its ability to handle a 3D encoding and transmission chain in a number of formats to meet its clients’ needs by establishing an end-to-end 3D broadcast channel infrastructure The major US networks and European public service broadcasters are unlikely to begin any form of regular 3D services this year, possibly not until 2012. The BBC is expected to provide 3D feeds from at least some of the London Olympics sites and by then there should be a sufficient installed base of 3D TVs in many territories to justify coverage by the networks.
In markets like the US, advertising support will be critical to 3D’s success; the key question is whether advertisers will be prepared to pay a premium, something they have been reluctant to do in the case of HD.
Source: Technicolor
Sony Bravia LCD TV KDL32W550 0U Model Cutting Edge Technology
Sony Bravia sets have a very good reputation as far as TV’s go and the Sony KDL32W550 0U is the latest model in this range. This is a top-of-the range TV with a standard 1920x1080p Full HD panel. The “W” series was the first of these to employ this technology.
It is a LCD TV, what else? And for this type of technology the price is excellent; the KDL32W550 0U has a USB port, and Ethernet jack for Applicast which allows the TV to be connected to the internet with full browsing features. The USB can handle all kinds of music, video and photo files and with 4 HDMI inputs you have pretty much got every base covered.
Technology used includes 100Hz Motionflow and of course the Bravia engine image processing. Retailers are stocking these KDL32W550 0U TV’s at reasonable pricing and this is one of the more attractive aspects of buying this technologically advanced TV.
The KDL32W550 0U consists of a 32″ screen although it does not look as large as this because of the attractive glossy black bezel which frames it. They come packed with a protective film over all the parts which may get scratched. So one has to assume that these parts should be kept well protected! But this is the way of the world, even out cell phones come with these protective coverings and they get scratched eventually with use.
The KDL32W550 0U is definitely a compact unit so it is ideal if you don’t want a television to dominate the room. Let’s face it, most of us girls don’t want the kind of TV that does this. We want something that looks good and serves its specific purpose. I have read reviews that say the Sony 32E5500 looks better but I really don’t believe this is true.
Most of the menus on Sony Tv sets are of the “Wega Gate” variety, the KDL32W550 0U differs in that the menu is represented by icons. These closely resemble the icons used by the Playstation 3. It is a far more inventive user interface, I like it but others may disagree and might prefer the more traditional type of menu with a faster response time.
It may take you time to get use to the menu, but at least you will have fun messing around. If you are technologically inclined, you won’t have issues but the older generation may not know what the hang is going on when they try to tv set the contrast on the KDL32W550 0U. I would not hand this remote over to my 75 year old father to use. Hide it under the cushions in the couch and pretend you have lost it.
The KDL32W550 0U has a great video processor, and to be honest that is about all I really need to know. If you want more technical product information, you should be reading the specs elsewhere. I am a television user, not a designer, all I look for is a great picture and good looks. As long as I can watch videos and DVD’s I am happy.
The Sony Bravia KDL32W550 0U is a great top of the range Sony model, it works perfectly with my decor and was exactly the right price for me. It blends well with my modern/art deco style furniture, and fits beautifully into the corner that has been awaiting its arrival.
3D TV Will Soon Be In Your Home
The technology behind 3-D entertainment has come a long way since those “land in your lap” sci-fi shockers of the 1950s, which could be viewed only by theater-goers willing to wear dorky cardboard spectacles with red and blue lenses. And we’re not just talking about advances at the cineplex as evidenced by movies like Monsters vs. Aliens or Up. Today some of Asia’s leading electronics companies are developing flat-panel displays and TVs they hope will soon add a new dimension to home theater systems, rejuvenating sales in the flagging audio-visual market.
Manufacturers are taking a variety of approaches, each testing the bounds of consumer acceptance in what is still a miniscule market. Mitsubishi and Samsung are selling rear projection 3-D TVs. JVC in April launched a 46-in., 3-D LCD monitor aimed at business users. On May 27, South Korea’s LG Display announced it was developing a 23-in. 3-D screen. Hyundai created a 46-in. LCD TV that can display 3-D images, but it’s available only in Japan, costs $5,000, and only shows special programming offered just a few hours a day by a Japanese satellite network. (See pictures of television’s longest lasting shows.)
Because the displays that are currently available cost thousands of dollars, it’s clear 3-D is not ready for the masses. But as content increasingly becomes available, some analysts are predicting that sales could be about to take off. “In 2009, we hope that the 3-D market will start booming with LG, JVC and Panasonic as they start to commercialize their 3-D, flat-panel displays,” says DisplaySearch senior analyst Jennifer Colegrove. “I expect more 3-D televisions to come to market in the near future.”
Panasonic is on a major push to make 3-D a must-have for consumers by creating an entire ecosystem for the technology. The consumer electronics giant is working on high-definition, 3-D home theater systems, including a monster 103-in. plasma display. Panasonic also set up an R&D facility in Hollywood to develop 3-D technology for Blu-ray players, so consumers can purchase content. And in April, the company announced that it was developing a professional production system, including a camera, for shooting 3-D movies and TV shows. “This time we might get (3-D) right,” says Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, vice-president of corporate development at Panasonic. (Read about 3D online.)
Tsuyuzaki notes that consumers today are willing to pay nearly 50% more for the 3-D experience when they go to theaters. “A 3-D screen — although it’s a rarity — does about 2.5 times more in revenue than a conventional screen,” he says. “That’s helping to pay for the rollout of digital cinema, and that is helping studios create more 3-D production. From that perspective,” he says, “it makes sense to try it across all forms of distribution and packaged media” such as Blue-ray discs. In addition to Up, Hollywood is moving forward with several new 3-D releases this year, including non-computer generated films such as James Cameron’s Avatar and A Christmas Carol from Robert Zemeckis. “This could potentially be something big,” Tsuyuzaki says.
And those dorky glasses? You may still need to wear them. Some manufacturers are working on ways to display 3-D-like effects automatically on screen. But Panasonic’s technology incorporates something it calls “active shutter” glasses. They receive infrared signals emitted from the display that cause the lenses to rapidly switch on and off alternatively, which tricks the brain into processing the twin images into a single 3-D image.
Not all companies are as enthusiastic about 3-D’s growth potential. In April, Philips decided that there wasn’t promise to justify its investments and axed its 3-D display division after about 3 years of development. Colegrove says that the electronics companies pushing the technology are the rear projection and plasma display makers that are trying to beef up their product lines as more popular LCD TVs eat into their market share. “They have to think about something new, something niche, something special to make their products alive and more popular again,” says Colegrove.
Analysts say 3-D will likely be a novelty product for the foreseeable future, largely because the TVs will cost more than most consumers are willing to spend and because content will remain limited. Japan’s 3-D display market is expected to reach about $220 million a year by 2014 but could grow to nearly $4.4 billion by 2019, according to Yano Research. Panasonic’s Tsuyuzaki says that, eventually, the technology could have a huge impact. “Think of what could happen,” he says. “Anything visual could become 3-D. That is a huge rejuvenation of the audio-visual market.”
