Questions on 3D? We've got answers

As those who have been reading my blog know, my comments have been incorporated into the 3D mini-site created by Panasonic USA.

But now there are additional resources at Panasonic that help explain Full HD 3D, Panasonic's commitment to it, upcoming products, and an excellent primer on 3D technology.

The new site, which you can enter by clicking here, has been a joint effort of Panasonic colleagues throughout the world. At the site, you can learn all about Panasonic's 3D roll-out plans both in the U.S. and in Europe, and see our new 2010 Full HD 3D ready product lineup.

You can also gain a better understanding of how Full HD 3D TV works, and how Panasonic will be marketing this new technology.

But wouldn't you rather see Full HD 3D TV in action today? You can right now. Through our partnership with Best Buy, Panasonic Full HD 3D TVs are on display in specially-designed areas in Best Buy's Magnolia Home Theater store-within-a-store concept.

At Magnolia, you'll be able to experience several models of Panasonic Full HD 3D TVs, in a setting designed to maximize your enjoyment and the 3D experience.

If you're not near a Magnolia Home Theater store, we're happy to let you know that our Panasonic Touch the Future Tour is in full swing. Visiting 15 cities between now and mid-April, the Tour showcases the latest Panasonic Full HD 3D displays, 3D ready Blu-ray players and many of our newest Lumix cameras, and Panasonic camcorders.

You'll be able to test some of our products' latest features, learn about our partnership with DirecTV to bring three 3D channels to consumers later this year and even enter for the chance to win a complete Panasonic Full HD 3D home theater system.

For more information and a list of venues throughout the country that will be hosting rhe Panasonic Touch the Future Tour, click here.

Real World 3D TV

When it comes to deploying 3D TV, it's full steam ahead in the U.K.

A few weeks ago, Sky, Britain's largest satellite TV provider, broadcast a 3D version of the Premiere League match between soccer teams Arsenal and Manchester United, in pubs throughout the country. And the satellite service will launch its own dedicated 3D channel this April. As in the States, viewers will need to purchase a new 3D-capable TV, but will be able to use their existing HDTV satellite converter box to pick up the signal.

You can read more about the match here.

The soccer match was one of the first times when the public, as opposed to the TV industry, has been able to see 3D TV. And what's the verdict?

According to one person who saw it, the presentation was "impressive."  Sky "will have been pleased by the response from the select few who witnessed yesterday’s match," he said.

This writer noted that Sky paid careful attention to camera placement and camera angles, to maximize the 3D effect. He said that the cameras placed behind the goals were particularly effective in showing depth, whereas the cameras on the halfway line didn't work as well; when the players ran across the field of view, the depth effect was lessened.

These are the kinds of issues that the 3D production community will be exploring as we move up to the launch of our own 3D channels in partnership with DirecTV. 

One of the pioneers of HDTV famously said that the very first HDTV sets were "the worst HDTVs we'll see." Similarly, the quality of the 3D productions will only get better as the industry becomes well versed in the technology.

HDMI 1.4 Specs Released to the Public

If the above headline leaves you scratching your head, let me explain.

HDMI is a technology standard that allows both audio and video to travel through one cable. If you don't have an HDMI cable and you want to see HDTV, you need to use component cables--those sets of three cables--plus another two for audio. But you can't use component cables to watch true Blu-ray resolution; only an HDMI cable can transmit a 1080p picture from a Blu-ray player to a 1080p-capable display.

The HDMI standard has been continually updated. The problem with the current standard, called HDMI 1.3, is that it does not have the bandwidth capable of transmitting two complete 1080p images at 60 frames per second. But that's what's needed in order for consumers to see Full HD 3D TV. The current standard now in use can only transmit two 1080i images at 60 frames per second.

Which is one of the reasons why the HDMI consortium came up with a new version of the standard which, of course, is called 1.4. The new standard not only supports the transmission of two, 1080p images at 60 frames per second, but it also allows a broadband signal to be transmitted through the same cable, which the previous standard did not.

The new standard is a bit of old news; the HDMI consortium decided on its parameters months ago. What is new is that the specs are now available to anyone who's not a part of the consortium. So now other hardware manufacturers and game developers can start work on their own 3D content and hardware to help move the transition to 3D forward at an even more rapid pace.

Simulated 3D: Does it Work?

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, several TV set manufacturers exhibited 3D TV sets they plan to introduce later this year.  And a few of them offered a new feature that they presumably believe will help fill a short-term void in 3D programming and encourage consumers to buy a new 3D set: simulated 3D.

This approach is quite different from what Hollywood's studios do when they have their most skilled production talent go back into their archives (think Titanic, Star Wars) and painstakingly hand craft, with the use of very high-end processors, new 3D titles. (And, it's not just catalog. As I understand it, Disney's G-Force was originally shot in 2D only but then processed in 3D for theatrical distribution)

The new TVs with the simulated-3D feature will, in a sense, upconvert existing 2D images to 3D, and do so in real time with a built-in processor.  The aim, as one manufacturer said, is to let you watch "everything" in 3D, even before everything is actually in 3D.

Panasonic will not be offering this technology. Not because we can't, but because we strongly believe that simulated 3D, like simulated stereo or HDTV, is never as good as the real thing. If it's shot in traditional 2D, keep it that way and play it back in glorious high-definition! However if it's shot in 3D let's see it the way it was intended and created. How many people do you know who colorize their family or other personal photos from black and white to colour? Likewise, do any take their standard definition camcorder video and bump it up to high definition?  Not many, I would think.

In the world of 3D, it's more than just display resolution. Creating quality 3D imagery is a complex process. Camera angles and framing need to be optimized to create a compelling 3D effect; certain scenes and movements don't lend themselves to 3D and can possibly even result in eyestrain.

While it's certainly technically possible to create a simulated 3D effect in the TV using processing algorithms, the versions I've seen look nothing like real 3D. Instead of three dimensional objects in three dimensional space, the images often more resemble the dioramas we made as kids, with flat planes suspended in three dimensions. Some portions of the image will disproportionally stick out. With a small processor, there will be compromises and judgement calls that will be made that will inevitably affect the image.

Panasonic strongly believes that when creating 3D, it's necessary to put our best foot forward, and not take any shortcuts that could turn some people off to 3D. Our goal is to bring the magic of Hollywood to the home pristine and intact without alterations and, as much as possible, accurately represent the artist's vision. To do that, we need to insure that we do the best possible 3D work we can, at all times. And that is what we will do.

Debunking 3D Myths

In the 1970s, an influential book entitled Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television provoked a lively debate amongst social critics about the negative influence that TV was having on the lives of its viewers. The title was a bit tongue in cheek; the author stated he knew that TV would never be eliminated, but he wanted a provocative title to stimulate discussion.

Now in a similar vein, a number of critics have come out with statements about how 3D will ultimately fail. For example, a few weeks ago Ecoustics.com posted 10 reasons why 3D may not work. I doubt that they expect that the technology will literally disappear, but their arguments are certainly worth a discussion, and a refutation. So here goes:

Nobody will wear 3D glasses-- Nobody will probably wear 3D glasses all day long, but the popularity of the 3D experience in theaters proves that they will wear them. 

TV viewing is a social experience. If you're wearing 3D glasses you can't converse. How hard is it to remove a pair of glasses to chat or get something to eat from the fridge? People who wear reading glasses do it all the time.

My kid's going to sit on the glasses and break them. And I'm not going to buy ten pairs of glasses so my friends can come over and watch the big game in 3D. It's most likely a very small minority of people whose children break things around the TV. Do your children sit on your remotes? While you might not want to buy 3D glasses for all your friends, this is only a temporary issue. As 3D TV becomes ubiquitous, eventually everyone will have their own pair.

3D technology is confusing; no one will be able to understand what they need to buy in order to see 3D TV. Think back ten years; how many people understood 720p, 1080i, 16:9, composite video and a slew of other terms? Now, everyone knows about 1080p, even if they don't really know what it is. In the same way, 3D terminology will enter everyday speech. Some people may not know what HDMI 1.4 is, but they'll know they'll need it to watch Full HD 3D TV. And that's fine.

Video discs are on the way out; so using Blu-ray to deliver Full HD 3D is a losing strategy. There's been a lot of hyperbolic talk about how streaming video will soon replace DVD and Blu-ray as a way for consumers to watch movies. While it may eventually happen, it won't replace video discs any time soon. Most people simply don't have the broadband speeds to make it practical. And in addition, people enjoy physical media; more than one analyst has pointed out that people like holding things in their hands, including books and Blu-ray discs.

It took a decade for HDTV to take off, and that was with a government mandate to convert to digital TV. So 3D will take even longer, if it ever happens. I don't think anyone in the consumer electronics industry expects 3D to be an overnight success. We've always known it will take several years. But during that time more and more people will purchase Full HD 3D TVs and more and more great 3D content will be available via Blu-ray and television. 

At the dawn of HDTV, many well-respected consumer electronics executives predicted its imminent demise, as there was simply no good business case to be made for its success. They were wrong then, and the naysayers are wrong now. In several years, I predict we'll be amused by the fact that we even had this discussion.