Building Big-Screen Momentum With Live 3D Events

http://www.digitalcinemareport.com/node/1676  

 

Submitted by Nick Dager on Fri, 04/30/2010 - 14:48.

 

By Richard LaBerge
Executive Vice President and CMO
Sensio Technologies

The boom in 3D movie releases in 2009 is news to no one, but what many don’t realize is that over the same time period, a greater number of live 3D broadcast events were shown in theatres than new 3D movie releases. More than a dozen high-profile sports and entertainment events were broadcast live in 3D at digital cinemas across the United States, Mexico, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The Orange/France Telecom broadcast of the men’s final at the French Open tennis tournament, GlobeCast’s broadcast of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” from the Rennes Opera House in France, the Arqiva broadcast of 6 Nations rugby matches in England, the NBA All-Star Saturday night, and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS Bowl) game are only some of the high-value events shown live in 3D — all having been distributed to theatres in the Sensio 3D format.

A growing understanding of how to deliver live 3D from start to finish is one key reason that content producers and networks have been able to launch their first live 3D broadcasts over the past year. Ongoing refinement of 3D production strategies, real-time, high-quality encoding and decoding equipment, and robust HD distribution networks have enabled broadcasters and other media and entertainment companies to take their first steps into live 3D at a lower risk level. The risk has been significant in part because the real-time element of live 3D leaves little room for error. Whereas issues such as left-right alignment, left/right-eye inversion, color balancing, framing errors, frame delay, exaggerated parallax, and improper flipping or flopping of left or right images normally would be fixed in post, providers of live 3D must be equipped to prevent or address these issues on the fly. Production itself presents new challenges, requiring 3D overlays and graphics, 3D switching, sufficient cabling to handle stereoscopic content, 3D monitoring, and expertise in creative effective and visually pleasing stereoscopic images. Many of the problems tied to providing an immersive and dynamic experience of 3D in conjunction with the excitement and timeliness of a live event, shown on the big screen, are being addressed by increasingly capable production teams, better workflows, and proven product integrations.

While resolving the new demands of shooting and capturing stereoscopic video presents some challenges, the actual integration of 3D technology into existing networks – and the management of all associated requirements – also is among the more difficult aspects of providing live 3D.

To ensure proper delivery of video from the event to theatres, large-scale live 3D events depend on multiple vendors and the use of real-time, high-quality 3D encoding and decoding equipment.  For nearly every live 3D broadcast to date, major broadcasters and production companies have partnered with Sensio to leverage their expertise accumulated from more than ten years in the 3D realm.

The Sensio 3D format transforms stereoscopic HD video (e.g., from dual HD cameras) into a compressed and visually lossless format that can be delivered over a standard broadcast infrastructure, such as a typical satellite network. The adaptation and refinement of leading 3D technology to meet broadcasters’ needs and to be compatible with their distribution networks has been essential to ensuring the continuity and quality of signal transmission from event site to cinema. In addition to providing a reliable and effective distribution mechanism, partnerships of broadcasters and event producers with Sensio, the only established live 3D solution vendor to move beyond testing and into real-world live 3D projects, have enabled significant improvements to the quality and content of successive live 3D events. With each new 3D broadcast, the continued refinement of live 3D production – including graphics, incorporation of 2D video, and use of other visual tools – is evident in the final product shown to theatre audiences.

As the visual quality of live 3D has improved, so too has broadcasters’ ability to incorporate live 3D into their larger business models. For the majority of broadcasters, close work with Sensio has sped this process. While working to improve and expand the live 3D distribution network, Sensio also has used its experience in facilitating live 3D events to build an informed model for pricing and the dispatch of revenues to the benefit of all parties involved. Armed both with proven technology and an informed business model based on real-world numbers, producers of live 3D shows can now quickly get down to the business of organizing production of the event itself and offering audiences a much more compelling viewing experience.

Live 3D is supported in a rapidly growing number of cinemas around the world. The Sensio network today represents the largest group of such theatres, beginning with 85 digital cinemas by the end of 2008 and since expanding to include 300 theatres across multiple countries and continents in a network capable of supporting simultaneous global broadcasts of singularly popular global sports events.

Even as 3D exploded on the big screen with high-profile movie releases in 2009, the stage was being set for bigger and better live 3D events – and more of them, broadcast to more theatres worldwide. As a result, live 3D is moving from emerging technology to proven large-scale live broadcast outlet. It’s not just possible; it’s happening. All of the pieces are falling into place: stereoscopic HD video, established and proven distribution technology, evolving trends business models, and the large network of 3D-enabled theatres ready to decode and broadcast the live 3D stream. As major industry players follow through on their promises of live 3D event broadcasts throughout 2010 and beyond, they have the benefit of building these new services on tried-and-true integrated platforms for end-to-end delivery of live 3D.