3D Blu-ray Specifications Finalized, New TV Needed Probably

[admin]

The Blu-ray 3D specs have been finalized today, and there aren't too many surprises.

Blu-ray 3D will use a version of H.264 called Multiview Video Coding (MVC), which stores the two views needs to create 3D effects in separate streams, but will only increase the file size by 50% (as opposed to 100%) using various encoding techniques.

The PS3 should be able to handle Blu-ray 3D with a software upgrade, and some of the more powerful Blu-ray players may also make do with a firmware upgrade, but others will have to be replaced if you wish to view 3D. The good news is that 3D Blu-ray discs will play in any Blu-ray player and TV combination to produce a 2D picture.

The other requirement, other than the goofy 3D glasses, is the TV. Unfortunately, if you want 3D, you will probably need to upgrade your TV, unless it is one of the "3D Ready" models listed on this page.

With the 3D Blu-ray specs finalized, expect more and more TV manufacturers to bring out 3D ready TVs.

More:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/184993/3d_bluray_specs_finalized_but_what_about_your_gear.html

[admin]

And now a logo is available for Blu-ray 3D ...

[drfsupercenter]

What I don't get is, why the need for a special TV?

can't they just blur the picture like IMAX 3D and show it on a standard TV? They can do it with red and blue lenses, seems feasable to me.

But of course electronics companies are just out to burn holes in everyone's wallets...

[admin]

The red/blue glasses are the most primitive type of 3D. The type used by NVIDIA GeForce 3D requires a 120 Hz monitor, and there are also other types that will require a special monitor, like the Zalman 3D ones. There's even one in the works that won't require any glasses at all.

Most are using what's called Alternate-frame sequencing with special "shutter" type glasses. What this really means is that alternate frames display the image for one eye and then the other, and the glasses shutter quickly enough so that it blocks out the image for the correct eye at the correct time, thus producing a 3D effect. To support this, the monitor/TV will have to have 120 Hz refresh at least. With standard 60 Hz monitor, each eye is effectively only seeing a 30 Hz picture, which is too flickery to be comfortable. Then there's also the yet unavailable HDMI 1.4, which adds 3D specifications, and it's quite likely that for a TV to be truly "3D Ready" in the future, it will have to support HDMI 1.4 as well.

I believe IMAX 3D uses two types, one is the shutter type mentioned above, and the other is polarization where the glasses are passive, but the screen itself needs to be a special silver screen with two projectors in place.

[atifsh]

sony samsung and probably LG also released their new tv lineups including new 3d tv's.

[drfsupercenter]

Oh, well, never seen shutter lenses then, I've seen plenty of movies with polarized lenses (Avatar being the most recent).
I know they require two projectors... but why can't it be flattened into a single image? As far as I know, those just work by having the most blurred image appear the farthest away from the screen when viewed through polarized lenses.

One thing I've wanted to try (of course not in an actual copyrighted movie though!) is filming a polarized movie out of a cinema and seeing what happens when I use the same glasses and watch the video back. I wonder if it's been done before?

And um... haven't HDTVs been at least 120Hz for several years? Every LCD I see on the market is 120Hz and I've even seen plasmas at 600Hz. Our year-old Panasonic plasma, I believe, is 120Hz.

I'm curious how the kind that doesn't require 3D glasses will work, though. Seems physically impossible to me.

[admin]

The kind that doesn't require glasses is called Autostereoscopy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autostereoscopic

The problem is that TV manufacturers are choosing different 3D standards, and so the unified 3D Blu-ray standard may help to prevent another format war.

[admin]

The problem with today's 120Hz sets is that they only accept 60Hz inputs, which then frame doubles to 120Hz (or even frame quadruples to 240Hz). What you need is a TV capable of accepting 120Hz and displaying it like so. There's still some confusion on this point, and nobody seems to know the exact requirements, suffice to say that if the TV doesn't carry a "3D ready" label, and don't expect it to work with 3D.

[doctorhardware]

I used to work at Disney Quest in Chicago. They use to use the shutter style glases for one of the show attractions. When the glases quit working they were thrown out. If I knew what I know now I should have grabbed many pairs. There was a common flaw that would have been very easy to fix.

[admin]

Panasonic announced range of TVs and Blu-ray players that support 3D:

http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/CES-Panasonic-Demos-Complete-1080p-3DTV-Solution-Blu-ray-HDTV-and-3-D-Glasses.shtml

From the looks of it, the TVs support HDMI 1.4 (which is not a requirement of 3D, although the new version does mandate the support of 3D features) and also the ability to accept high bandwidth 1080p/24 signals with twice the information as a normal signal (one for each eye perspective, needed for 3D). So it looks like the main thing that current TVs lack is the ability to accept this high bandwidth signal and the process it, although Sony's PS3 is able to be firmware modified to output the signal via its HDMI 1.3a connectors, so theoretically, TV firmware can be modified to do the same, although the PS3 has a much more powerful and flexible processor, one that most TVs do not have.

Also, the 3D enabled Blu-ray players from Panasonic will have 2 HDMI outputs. One is version 1.4 for 3D output, one is HDMI 1.3 for output to HDMI equipped receivers.

[admin]

Here's a pretty good FAQ written by CNET on 3DTV:

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10434346-269.html

[mjf23]

I've read the (2) reasons for needing new technology to watch 3d at home would be;

1) Polorization Technique - Home flat screens would require 2 LARGE polarized sheets, the size of the screen, to display the 2 pictures required for stereoscopic vision. This would enable the same cheap glasses used in theaters. In a theater, only need a small polarized sheet, the same size as the projector lense. Since the sheets are currently expensive, wont see affordable 3d flat screens for a while. Rear projection TV's have had the capability for a few years now...

2) Shutter Technology - Should be capable on any 120hz TV, providing it has HDMI 1.4 jacks. Would need to install proprietary software from the Blu Ray disk manufacturer on a capable computer, then run the disk on that software connected via 1.4 to the TV. Must have compatible 3d glasses that sync with the software to provide the "shutter" effect at the proper timing. Glasses are expensive and software would be proprietary to different disk manufacturers. Also studies show headaches suffered from prolonged use of the "shutter" vision.

The article further states 3d technology has a few hills to climb before being widely accepted by mainstream consumers. Expect 3-5 years for affordable consumer technology to catch up...

[admin]

Welcome to the forum mjf23, and a good summary of the two main 3D techniques.