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January 14, 2010
ITU: 3D TV Moves into Focus
Study Group 6 of ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has released a new
Report outlining a roadmap for future 3D TV implementation, which envisages
systems so smart they accurately mimic the way our eyes and brains perceive the
visual world.
The new roadmap would see 3D TV technology rolled out in three successive
generations (technically known as profiles).
The first generation — 'plano-stereoscopic television' — calls for two views to
be delivered to viewers’ TV sets. Wearing special glasses similar to those used
to watch 3D cinema, viewers will be able to see depth in the picture, although
the view will remain the same when they move their heads (in real life, our view
changes when we move our heads).
The second generation will provide for multiple views, with head movement
changing the view, for a viewing experience that more closely mimics real life.
The third generation will feature systems that record the amplitude, frequency,
and phase of light waves, to reproduce almost completely human beings’ natural
viewing environment. These kinds of highly advanced systems are technically some
15-20 years away.
"This new ITU report establishes a clear framework for the development of new
types of systems that will totally change the way we experience broadcast and
multimedia content," said Valery Timofeev, Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication
Bureau. "It maps out an exciting vision that won’t just change the look of
entertainment, but open up a whole range of exciting new possibilities in
sectors from education and healthcare to traffic management."
New 3D TV technologies being developed under the auspices of ITU will also have
major implications for the film and television production sector, as content
will need to be filmed using special new equipment in order for viewers to enjoy
the full 3D experience.
Christoph Dosch, Chairman of ITU-R Study Group 6 said: "This is an important
step forward on the road to globally-agreed ITU Recommendations on 3D TV. I’m
optimistic that we’ll make further advances at our next meeting in April 2010."
 
This table shows the anticipated development of 3DTV technologies in increasing
order of performance and complexity (indicating the degree of compatibility with
conventional 2DTV)
Note: The empty boxes are to be filled on the basis of the future work within
ITU-R.
SVC: Scalable Video Coding; MVC: Multiview Video Coding
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