3D TV at CES 2010 - Was it Actually Like HD a Decade Ago? (Part 1)

[Rodolfo]

The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in Las Vegas between January 5 and 10 (the first two days were for the press). The show received approximately 120,000 attendees and 2500 exhibitors, according to preliminary estimates.

I visited all the exhibits relevant to audio and video, including the high-end audio exhibits at the Venetian and THE Show, and the usual non-CES high-end audio event, this year held at the Flamingo, in addition to 62 meetings I planned with companies, 90% related to 3D this year. If you wonder why, you might be the only one who did not see Avatar.

Although it was an exhausting effort, it was worth every minute of it. CES was a great opportunity to see ...

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[hharris4earthlink]

I read about hardware being offered. I even hear about 3D television plans. What I haven't heard (or perhaps I missed it) is a single 3D standard. If it exists, I would appreciate a technical discussion of exactly what the standard is. What is the resolution (or set of resolutions)? Are active shutter glasses the standard and, if so, what is the technical standard that it follows? I hope this isn't a case of lets throw stuff at the public and hope something sticks. I think 3D television is a great concept, but I doubt the incremental increase in enjoyment is large enough that it would be immune to a mishandling of its introduction.

[Rodolfo]

Some of those 3D formats/structures (the standards you mention) are listed on Part 2.

Some are mandatory, some are optional.

The recently approved 3D Blu-ray standard is dual 1080p full resolution images, uses active shutter glasses, and a good number of CE manufacturers presented players and displays using that standard (Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, etc).

Other formats/structures to be adopted by service providers (such as satellite, cable, terrestrial broadcast) use half resolution per frame to been able to fit the 3D signal into their current HD distribution infrastructure, and avoid using more bandwidth.

That means that tuners and STBs would have to meet those standards (as new equipment or as an upgrade with firmware), such as the over-under format, and some display manufacturers also introduced products that work with half-resolution as well (such as JVC).

I provide more details on the other articles of this series and the links to late 2009 conferences.

Best Regards,

Rodolfo La Maestra