38 executive summary theibcdaily Advances in D-Cinema
“I don’t believe Ultra HD is going to overtake 3D as the next great advance in TV technology”
The future is 3D Barry Sandrew
Founder, CCO and CTO, Legend3D Region: US
Interview by Carolyn Giardina D
id ESPN and BBC jump into the 3DTV fray a bit too early with limited content? That is what Barry
Sandrew, PhD., founder, CCO and CTO of 2D-to-3D conversion company Legend3D, contends. In recent months, the two
broadcasters made widely- publicised decisions to discontinue their 3D efforts. Argues Sandrew:
“Contributing to this lack of content, both channels expressed a bias for ‘natively’ shot programming verses 3D conversion. Of course for live sports and other live venues, ‘native’ capture is often the only and certainly the preferred choice. However, I believe that both ESPN and BBC have an incredible wealth of archival content that is ideal for 2D to 3D conversion. “To me, it’s easy to
understand how a wider scope of venues and the more diverse genres made possible by conversion can only increase 3D’s attraction to a broader demographic, making broadcast 3D a viable industry,” he adds.
Legend3D has worked on conversions of recent films Man of Steel and The Smurfs 2, as well as library titles such as Top Gun and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Pointing out that a critical issue is cost, Sandrew relates that Legend3D has spent the past 18 months developing new technology, “separate and distinct from our theatrical pipeline that allows us to convert TV series, TV specials, music videos and commercials as well as new programming that makes use of archival footage. Furthermore, we can convert with exceptional quality at a price that is compatible with most TV budgets.” So what will the future of 3D look like? “I think the ultimate display will be full motion, full colour holograms, but today, that’s more science fiction than even science conjecture,” he says.
Near term, Sandrew believes
autostereo will progress in the way that Dolby and Philips’ Dolby 3D glasses-free system is evolving but “ultimately, autostereo technology will have to take on a uniquely different paradigm if glasses-free 3D in the home is ever going to become a ubiquitous consumer product. In the meantime, we’ll have to be content wearing passive glasses watching absolutely stunning HD or 2K 3DTV on the latest Ultra HD systems.”
But Sandrew believes that 3D and Ultra HD are complimentary technologies. “Scientists at NHK consider 8K the maximum resolution that 2D
TV will ultimately achieve. They claim that anything above 8K produces diminishing returns because the added resolution is essentially imperceptible to the human eye. They speculate that once 8K 2D has reached an installed base, futuristic 3D will become the highest priority in the development of TV technology. “I agree with this to a point,”
Sandrew says. “Ultra HD is one of the hottest buzzwords and a driving force in the industry today, but I don’t believe it’s necessarily going to overtake 3D as the next great advance in TV technology.”
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