Technical specifications for 3D movies on Blu-ray disc have been finalized by the Blu-ray Disc Association, allowing for a uniform industry standard for the introduction and roll-out of disc players and TVs/displays early next year offering 3D programming in full high-definition (1080p).
The announcement early this morning (Thursday, Dec. 17) was long-awaited and several months overdue, but meets an unofficial deadline this month in advance of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month where most consumer electronics companies plan to introduce 3D-enabled Blu-ray players and TVs.
Once these players and displays hit the market, studios will begin releasing some of the biggest recent 3D movies for viewing in 3D at home on Blu-ray, such as “Up” and “Avatar.”
Dubbed “Blu-ray 3DTM,” the specification represents the work of the leading Hollywood studios and consumer electronic and computer manufacturers.
“Throughout this year, movie-goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3D or 2D,” said Sony’s Victor Matsuda, chairman, BDA Global Promotions Committee. “We believe this demand for 3D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3D experience to the living room.”
The “Blu-ray 3D” specification fully leverages the technical advantages of the Blu-ray Disc format to deliver unmatched picture quality as well as uniformity and compatibility across the full range of Blu-ray 3D products, both hardware and software. Moreover, the specification is display agnostic, meaning that Blu-ray 3D products will deliver the 3D image to any compatible 3D display, regardless of whether that display uses LCD, Plasma or other technology and regardless of what 3D technology the display uses to deliver the image to the viewer’s eyes.
Jim Bottoms, Director of UK-based Futuresource Consulting, said that today’s announcement “ensures a unified route forward.”
“Our research shows that 3D-enabled BD players will be available in Q2 next year to support the major push on 3D TVs that will start at CES and build throughout the year. Further interest will be driven by owners of PS3 consoles, which will be able to play ‘Blu-ray 3D’ content.”
Mike Fisher, Convergence & New Technologies Consultant, Futuresource, says TV display manufacturers are already promoting 3D-ready sets and there is expected to be a major US push on these devices early in 2010.
With the World Cup in June and July set to be shot in 3D, this will help to significantly raise the profile of the technology. Given the positive impact that this sporting festival always has on TV demand we can expect the retail trade to put its full weight behind 3D very quickly.
“From a technological perspective, (Blu-ray) is simply the best available platform for bringing 3D into the home,” said Benn Carr, chairman, BDA 3D Task Force. “The disc capacity and bit rates Blu-ray Disc provides enable us to deliver 3D in Full HD 1080p high definition resolution.”
The Blu-ray 3D specification is also designed to allow PS3 game consoles to play back Blu-ray 3D content in 3D. Additionally, the specification supports playback of 2D discs in forthcoming 3D players and can enable 2D playback of Blu-ray 3D discs on the large installed base of Blu-ray Disc players currently in homes around the world.
The Blu-ray 3D specification calls for encoding 3D video using the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec, an extension to the ITU-T H.264 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) codec currently supported by all Blu-ray Disc players. MPEG4-MVC compresses both left and right eye views with a typical 50% overhead compared to equivalent 2D content, and can provide full 1080p resolution backward compatibility with current 2D Blu-ray Disc players. The specification also incorporates enhanced graphic features for 3D. These features provide a new experience for users, enabling navigation using 3D graphic menus and displaying 3D subtitles positioned in 3D video.
The completed specification will be available shortly and provides individual manufacturers and content providers with the technical information and guidelines necessary to develop, announce and bring products to market pursuant to their own internal planning cycles and timetables.
– By Scott Hettrick