special report ibc 2012


even the cloud. Companion devices provide a means of control and interaction with the system. They communicate with the layout engine which updates the layout as commanded. The companion devices also monitor the output of the layout manager and produce a 'mirror' of what is shown on the main displays, providing a natural interaction point. To address scalability issues of bandwidth and resolution within the companion device 'mirror' they typically make use of alternate, low resolution static graphics. Layout metadata is used by the layout engine to determine what should be displayed, where these items should be displayed, and their relative priorities. Generally, though not necessarily, this information is time synchronised to the content. The majority of today’s broadcast video is landscape rectangular but our explorations have shown how compelling other shapes can be, especially when combined with the possibility of blending the video into the background."


Surround stereoscopy


Silvio Perkert and colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Architecture and Software Technology described their pioneering work on immersive 3D surround cinema (Figure 5): "Stereoscopic content raises the degree of immersion but on planar screens the action still happens in front of the viewer. Surround screens such as domes or cylinders significantly enhance the


18 l ibe l november/december 2012 l www.ibeweb.com


Figure 6: Software structure of an OHTV receiver.


Staying on the 3D theme, the prototype auto- stereoscopic displays exhibited by Dolby (in partnership with Philips) and by Sony generated a mixture of interest and shoulder- shrugging.


immersive effect of 3D content and avoid many situations where stereoscopy fails to create the illusion of 3D perception on planar screens. It is almost impossible to cover a surround screen using a single projector and the available resolution may be insufficient to achieve high quality images for a 360° by 180° field of view. To generate one seamless display using multiple projectors requires the images of the individual projectors to be aligned very precisely. The images of the projectors have to be warped to match the pixels in the overlapping areas. In addition to the geometric alignment of the images, soft-edge blending and colour correction are necessary to avoid the composite nature of the display being revealed. To generate the signals for the individual projectors at sufficient frame rates requires a distributed synchronised rendering system. If one wants to create content for a cylindrical screen, a panoramic movie can be produced by setting up a camera cluster where the different camera streams are combined."


Open Hybrid Television


Kim Yunhyoung, Lee Mankyu and Lee Dongjun from the Korean Broadcasting System's Technical Research Institute outlined a new on- demand service concept, Open Hybrid Television (Figure 6). This uses a combination of terrestrial digital television and the Internet. "OHTV is a service platform that allows TV viewers to enjoy on-demand


multimedia content and information services about TV programmes they are watching. OHTV services are channel bounded, which means that users can start a certain broadcaster’s OHTV services when they tune in to the broadcaster’s TV channel. OHTV target services consist of an advanced electronic programme guide on a web browser within the television. It also includes online video on demand, advertising on online videos and television programmes, web browser-based multimedia information and push VOD which delivers multimedia content to DTV receivers via spare bandwidth of a terrestrial DTV channel. VOD content is listed ordered by up-to-date, popular, and alphabetical order for easy UI for users. It is also possible to request VOD through Advanced EPG." In the exhibition halls, one of the most innovative new products was the conceptually simple but nevertheless ingenious SynthiA 3D post-production tool. SynthIA allows the interaxial distance between a stereoscopic camera pair to be adjusted during post-production, typically to correct the excessive depth which results from over-wide spacing. SynthIA was developed by Burbank-based Stereo D LLC which specialises in 2D to 3D conversion. Staying on the 3D theme, the prototype autostereoscopic displays exhibited by Dolby (in partnership with Philips) and by Sony generated a mixture of interest and shoulder- shrugging, supporting the comment made by one observer that a lot of 3D demonstrations look better if you close one eye! Another commented that 3D is too complicated for the improvement in viewing experience it delivers. This is certainly true of some ultra-high-tech approaches exhibited at NAB and IBC, notably Holografika's demonstration in the IBC2012 Future Technology zone, but the industry in still in its early days; the centenary of television broadcasting isn't due until September 2029. By then, perhaps smart-phones and smart-TVs will be full integrated with each other and maybe even with the wearer.


IBC 2013


IBC is back in Amsterdam from 12-17 September next year. Hotels are best booked early.


For further information about IBC2013, please visit the event’s website: www.ibc.org.


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