The London Olympics are 9 months away, and "Olympics fever" is still rather dormant. But for us 3D fans there is already considerable cause for excitement. A collaboration between the OBS, the BBC and Panasonic has been established in order to ensure that the 2012 Olympic games will be broadcast live in 3D. Both the BBC and Panasonic are pioneers in their respective industries in the field of 3D technology.
Roger Mosey, the Director of the London Olympics coverage for the BBC, has cited the enormous success of the 3D broadcast of the last Wimbeldon tennis tournament as a stepping-stone towards a significantly more elaborate and high-profile project such as the Olympic games. The corporation will be a veteran 3D broadcaster after the Olympics have been completed, with far more experience in executing the technology than any other of the rapidly increasing number 3D-producing TV networks.
Panasonic has been prominent in the 3D-products industry ever since 3D has made its comeback following the historical success of the 3D movie "Avatar". The company is heavily represented in most of the 3D-products categories, and is strategically positioning itself to jump ahead of the competition. Most resources by electronics manufacturers are invested on consumer products, which naturally garners the most publicity for a brand, but after the Olympics Panasonic will stand as the only manufacturer who's broadcast equipment (all across production stages) has been tested during such a comprehensive and high-profile media event.
The benefits for the parties involved is evident and substantial. But I want to make a bold prediction about the benefits for the viewing format itself. I'm reminiscent of my own experience at this point. Some 11 years ago, days before the opening of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, I decided I simply can't miss the Olympic basketball tournament on a big screen. In a process that was more resembeling an impulse-buy than a carefully thought-through purchase, I have got myself a big-screen TV (did manage to get a great price, though) with only this sports event in mind. And I'm hardly a rare case. It is a well established tradition that TV sales multiply several folds in the weeks leading to a FIFA World Cup tournament or the Olympic games. As the majority of new TV units sold today is already in 3D format, in the next 9 months until the games begin this ratio will only increase to the 3D TV's favour. But as mentioned, this process is happening anyway. My prediction is in regards to the final stage of 3D technology: Autostereoscopy.
Autostereoscopy is glasses-free 3D technology. Ever since Avatar brought 3D back from obscurity, market analysis has repeatedly shown that 3 elements prevent 3D screens from taking over as the mainstream viewing format: The first is of course the price of 3D sets, whether they are TVs, computers, or handheld devices. As with any new technology, the early products are expensive and as the technology matures the prices are dropped. This will happen to 3D products in time; The second element is the lack of extensive 3D content. We see more and more production companies converting to 3D, and a recent research by prominent analyst site In-Stat indicates that the number of 3D channels will considerably increase in the next couple of years, not to mention the expanding market of 3D games for gaming-consols and mobile devices; The last, and most challenging element, is the public's reluctance to use the often-awkward eyewear that is mandatory in the stereoscopic (glasses-on 3D) configuration.
Glasses-free 3D already exists. It actually functions successfully on small screens. Mobile devices such as the Nintendo 3DS, HTC EVO 3D and LG Optimus 3D are offering high-quality glasses-free 3D experience. But the current autostereoscopy is limited to better suit small screens. This is because the current display provides the deepest 3D image when there is a single viewer poisitioned directly in front of the screen. By enlarging the screen and adding further viewing angles (for more than 1 spectator) the depth of 3D effect is compromised. Toshiba and LG have enabled autostereoscopy on lager display systems (a laptop and a PC screen, respectively) by incorporating eye-tracking sensors into the screens, allowing a high-quality experience for bigger screens, but still a single viewing angle.
A couple of months ago, Toshiba has unveiled the first full-scale glasses-free TV to be commercially distributed (unfotunately this model, called "ZL", is not yet represented on the company's website). The feature that enabled such a leap in glasses-free screen-size is the option for multi-angle viewing. The TV also uses eye-tracking sensors, but in this device they can accommodate up to 9 pairs of eyes. It is based on the most common method of achieving autostereoscopy - an added layer of trasparent film called "Parallax barrier" which directs a certain portion of the image to the the other eye so that the 2-image display is presented to a naked eye. I do not have the engineering background to further elaborate on this method, so you would either have to believe me or dive into a deeper explanation.
Parallax barrier is currently the default method, and is being used by all major electronics producers, but some smaller hardware developers are playing with various methods. One that particularly caught my attention employs semi-spherical pixel elements rather than flat ones, thus allowing for a wider radius of 3D effectiveness. There are several other methods, and some small manufacturers have already produced fully-functioning prototypes. The rate in which glasses-free 3D is developing, it is quite realistic to expect that at least 1 or 2 additional models will be added to the range of glasses-free 3D TVs, and that the quality of the image would increase. Reports from Toshiba's unveiling talk about a reduced depth compared to current glasses-on 3D TVs, and clearly this technology has its way to advance before becoming a household native.
But 9 months is a long time. Long enough to expect that the TV you will be tempted to buy prior to the London Olympics will be a high-quality, reasonably-priced glasses-free TV. This might be the catalyst for mass adoption of the 3D format, en route to the inevitable outcome of 3D overtaking as the mainstream viewing format of all shapes and sizes of display system. I, for one, am eagerly anticipating this. What do you think?
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