When 3D TV will appear on Satellite

[iravik]

When 3D TV will appear on Satellite

Watched Avatar in 3D some weeks ago and I can see how this technology can finally catch up with the consumer. I think people are getting more ready. I watched my first 3D cinema in early 1980s. I think the technology was the same then (2 polarised images viewed  via polarised glasses), even resolution was the same (35mm film). However, what changed is the skill and technology of making a good 3D motion picture. It's not perfect yet (and is likely to be substituted by real 3D soon), but it is ready for consumption. There are talks of moving 3D onto sat TV channels, but there is an issue of cost to consumer (you need 3D TV). The cost to broadcaster is minimal. Consumer may be ready psychologically, but not financially.

So the question is, when?

[jimux]

The cost to the broadcaster is really bandwidth.  HD TV is being slowed by the number of channels per TP and you can add 30% to that for 3D.   it is aimed at high end pay-to-view and those customers are stable/dropping in the current economic client.  There are also social issues with incompatible rival viewing specs.  What do you do when a group gather to watch a programme, and you only have 2 pairs of specs for the TV?

[wedgehog]

sly launched their first 3d channel a couple of weeks ago didn't they

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2009/07/30/sly-3d-channel-confirmed/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8483136.stm

[iravik]

ok, didnt't realise they started it already. your first link is dead btw.
but showing it to 9 pubs is not the same as rolling out a channel to millions of viewers. so they say it's gonna be end of the year? we will see

[wedgehog]

According to the sly website they are launching a permanent 3D channel for everyone in April this year. I tried to do a link to it but it just went 404, sly stuff is wierd, even their website is treated like its top secret 

[iravik]

April yuo say we'll see

[Sandra]

If 3D works on TVs with the different coloured glasses will it not also work with the polarised ones ?
Unless theyre using the shutter glasses or glasses less 3D I cant see why it shouldnt work.
All the reports I have read about 3D TV only seem to talk about watching it on Plasma and LCD TVs, how about projectors or HD CRT TVs. Both projectors and CRT TVs give better SD pictures than Plasma and LCDs and equal them for HD content so would they also show 3D in a better way without needing a new TV

[wedgehog]

I think the proper new 3d system needs a new tv like this one

http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/bravia-lcd-televisions/3/5?campaignId=12002698&s_kwcid=3d%20tv|4955308721

[Sandra]

Thats the technology using shutter glasses though Bob, I think sly are going down the polarised route, as they now do in the cinemas.
I wouldnt like to have to buy a new TV just for 3D when I would lose the quality of the SD and HD pictures that I already enjoy on my HD CRT.

[wedgehog]

Nor would I, I think it will be a long time before I buy one, it will be just like everything else, two weeks after you buy one there will be a newer and better one. In fact I am not going to buy one until we can have 3d without the glasses

[iravik]

Sandra, red/blue or red/green glasses work differently from polarised ones. for the former you do not need to modify the telly in any way. the image is a construct of two shifted (left eye, right eye) images superimposed one on another, which looks dreadful. however you can separate the two images back by using colour filters directing them to each eye. so this is chromatic approach, using colour. this is bed because you eitherget grey total 3D imgae or (if they only shift red) not completely true colour 3D image. the brain does quite a job at upscaling but it's not the same.

polarised light approach works in similar way but superimposed left and right images differ by the polarisation of the light. if you think of the light as a wave then polarisation is the direction in which the wave wobbles, for example up and down (vertical polarisation) or left and right (horizontal polarisation). our eyes can see both so that the total picture is a mess, but some materials can filter polarised light just like blue/red glasses filter different colours coming in. for this telly needs to show the picture in 2 different polarisations, which it does not.

it has nothing to do with LCD, plasma, CRT - all of them can do it. CRT is trickier as the pixels are not rigidly fixed on the surface, hard to calibrate. what you do is you put a film that polarizes the light in vertical polarisation, alternating between TV lines. with LCD and plasma it's easy to spray the film on the surface, with CRT, the beams can drift, your 3D stops working and the beam spread needs to be calibrated again. it's not only a matter of shift, but resolution - if TV lines do not exactly align the striped polarization film you will not get 3D.

also the fact that LCD displays use light polarization films (otherwise LCD doesn't work) in the first place helps, but you still need to make a new panel.

the shutter technology works differently, you either use interlaced format or 100HZ progressing - each frame then represents left,right,left,right - and shutters in the glasses close and open synchronised with the frame rate of TV. for this technology you need minimum modification to the telly, but watch out for that epileptic fit you get from the old TVs with low refresh rates.

ed: the link that Wedgie posted is the shutter technology, so I see they went the easiest route

[Sandra]

Great explanation Vik, thanks

[iravik]

OK, we know that by 2015 they plan to sell loads of TVs ...
see news in news section