The U.S. film industry has turned to 3D digital cinema in recent years, and the television industry has also done its part by working on systems and devices that allow this experience to be transferred to the home. However, for 3D to be finally established, it is necessary to develop the technology that makes it possible to reproduce real 3D images with a natural and high-quality appearance. According to the experts present at NAB, 2009 seems to be the year in which this leap is finally made.
According to David Wertheimer, executive director of the Center for Entertainment Technologies at the University of Southern California and an expert in 3D technology, who participated in the '3D at Any Time' conference, "there is a high probability that the problems of the past will be overcome this year, because digital cinema standards have solved many conflicts and make 3D a trend in the present."
"We definitely see 2009 as the year of the breakup," said Mark Hartney, manager of the 3D@Home Consortium. "We've seen the momentum on the theatrical part that started two or three years ago. The studios are more sympathetic to this technology and understand the problems it creates in the workflow."
The abundance of new stereoscopic and auto-stereoscopic media has been introduced this year by major manufacturers, from Sony to Dolby Laboratories, and from Autodesk to Avid Technologies. They are joined by companies such as 3D@Home, RealD, 3dTV Corp and 3ality Digital that have also made outstanding advances.
These companies exhibited in the 3D Technologies Pavilion and the Content Theater a wide variety of these developments and demonstrated new applications such as the new 3D monitors, devices mounted on 3DHD heads from Stereomedia and the new electronic 3D glasses from 3dTV.
For Matthew Chang, director of consumer electronics at Dolby Laboratories, this abundance of new 3D technologies is fueling a trend but also creating a new one. "Although unlike HDTV/ATSC, 3D is not necessarily a mandate for change. From the increase in the production of 3D films and tests in some sports broadcasts, it was revealed that there is potential in the market and a clear trend on the part of manufacturers to cope with this demand."
In fact, content producers are using stereoscopic technology across a wide range of entertainment products for different audiences. Nearly a dozen 3D films will soon be on the market, spearheaded by animation projects such as Pixar's UP movie, Toy Story's 3D re-release, Fox's Ice Age III, and a quarter of Sherk, among others.
Wertheimer added that this abundance of 3D content aimed at young people will also serve to indoctrinate a whole generation of viewers who have not experienced 3D, but who express interest in doing so.
The resurgence of 3D in the industry has been driven by rapid advances in digital capture technology and the progressive installation of digital stereoscopic capability in projection rooms in countries such as the United States. With more than a thousand screens installed, 3D technology is able to meet the financial needs of large-budget projects that demand a large room to recoup the investment.
Television has also taken important steps in this process throughout 2009, beginning on January 8 with Fox Sports' live performance of the FedEx National Football Championship, which was made possible by the collaborative work between Sony, 3ality Digital, Cinedigm, and RealD.
"The last year has produced an enormous amount of 3D content. Now people are trying to figure out how to bring 3D content and experience into the home, just as they have done with their traditional 2D content," Hartney said.
Therefore, the challenge that comes in the coming years for television is to popularize the 3D experience in the home and offer visualization systems that are easily integrated into the configuration established at home.
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