News 3D at
News 3D at IFA Setting the stage for a new dimension in entertainment By Richard Barnes Yet again this year, 3D will be a major feature for most manufacturers. In the weekend edition of IFA International, we will be presenting a “close-up” of “Life in 3D”. In this preview edition, we bring you some key news from top manufacturers at IFA concerning the evolution of their 3D technology. Not only will we be seeing new, improved 3D “with glasses” technology, there are an increasing number of products being developed that require no glasses at all. Even within the “with glasses” technologies, there is a new battle developing between makers using active shutter glasses and those employing passive, polarised glasses. One of the key issues with active shutter technology has been the fact that each manufacturer had its own proprietary glasses, meaning a lack of economies of scale, thus higher prices and confusion among the public. ‘Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative’: Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, & Xpand 3D join forces to develop Joint Licensing on 'BLUETOOTH enabled RF' & 'IR' consumer 3D Active Glasses Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics, Sony Corporation and X6D Limited (XPAND 3D) have announced their intent to collaborate on the development of a new technology standard for consumer 3D active glasses, under the name, “Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative.” With this new agreement, the companies intend to work together on the development and licensing of radio frequency (RF) system 3D active glasses technology, including RF system protocols between consumer 3D active glasses and 3D displays such as televisions, personal computers, projectors and 3D theatres with XPAND active shutter glasses. The standardisation will also include multiple types of infrared (IR) system protocols between 3D active glasses and 3D displays, ranging from the protocols jointly developed by Panasonic and XPAND 3D, to the proprietary protocols of Samsung and Sony, respectively. “Panasonic has been working to standardise 3D glasses technologies, and in March, we announced a joint licensing of IR system protocols with XPAND*, backed by several participant companies. We are very pleased that today’s latest collaboration will incorporate our previous concept into these new standardization efforts,” said Masayuki Kozuka, general manager of Media & Content Alliance Office, Corporate R&D Division, Panasonic Corporation. “We hope the expanded collaboration on this 3D standardization initiative will make a significant c o n t r i b u t i o n t o w a r d accelerating the growth of 3D-related products.” 3D On Demand! Sony Launches New “3D Experience” On Demand Streaming Service Offering Promotional Video Clips for 3D Capable “BRAVIA” LCD TVs At IFA, Sony Europe will be demonstrating its latest 3D TVs, but the most exciting advancement for the marketplace is their “3D Experience”, a new, free of charge on-demand streaming service offering a range of promotional video clips and trial content in 3D, including highlights of “Wimbledon 2011”, all in 3D. The service will be available from July 13th to owners of 3D capable Sony “BRAVIA” “... there is a new battle developing between makers using active shutter glasses and those employing passive, polarised glasses...” LCD TVs immediately after purchase and without registration, and plan to expand to Sony’s 3D capable “Blu-ray Disc” Player and “Blu-ray Disc” Home Theater System. It will initially launch in five countries: the UK, Germany, France, the U.S. and Canada.. “3D Experience” will provide instant access to an extensive range of 3D clips and trial content from a wide variety of genres, including movies, music, sports, and documentaries, with about 30 titles available at launch. Content available via this service will include highlights of “Wimbledon 2011”, movie trailers from films such as “Green Hornet” and “Monster House” in 3D, and 3D music promotional video clips. Going forward, Sony plans to further expand the content lineup and promote “3D Experience” among content holders as a forum through which to showcase their 3D offerings. www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 29 th August 2011 11
