Computer Graphics World

July 2009 78 n n n n Stereoscopy than four years to produce, averaging just 90 seconds of footage a week. Likewise, concert movies tend to have very long legs, with audiences coming back for more, but they don't usually have big opening weekends. is isn't a great situa- tion when there aren't enough 3D studios for the movies to find their audiences. And in the spaces between the 3D releases, the theaters aren't getting the premium they could for a stereo 3D production. e studios and theaters are leaving money on the table. ere's an imbalance until there is enough content and enough screens to keep the pipeline full. 3D Everywhere In the interim, there's broadcast as a source of instant content. One look at a football game in 3D, and even the non-sports fan is hooked. ere's an undeniable sense of immediacy in 3D. 3ality CEO Sandy Cli- man says that hearing non-sports fans talk about how great a football game is in 3D tells him that stereoscopic success is here to stay this time. He is also excited about the possibility of offering theatrical and opera performances in 3D. Not everyone can afford to go to New York City to see a first-run play or to the Met to catch Aida. If 3D happens the way Climan hopes it will, movie theaters will be full again, and there will be all kinds of people watching all kinds of content—and the audiences will expect the same kind of immediacy at home watching TV. Climan will tell you that there are no limits for 3D content in terms of genre or venue. His company has 3D trucks to en- able capture on site at sports events or live performances. On another front, 3ality collaborated on an episode of the TV series Chuck that aired the day after the Super Bowl, which had 3D advertisements, including promo- tions for Monsters vs. Aliens and PepsiCo's SoBe, complete with dancing lizards (see "Super Sunday's Best," April 2009). Cli- man sees the 3D episode of Chuck, which used anaglyph technology, as another landmark. It's live action and it's a com- edy (and, in another genre blender, it's also faux-horror). According to Climan, stereo 3D will take off when it does not cost much more than 2D. He maintains that 3ality can deliver 3D shots on a 2D schedule. "For Chuck, we were able to do 40 setups a day," he says. Unfortunately, 3D TV is a minefield with competing standards and no agree- ment on how broadcast 3D might work. SMPTE has volunteered to come up with standards for 3D TV, but in its first round of meetings, was defeated by the war- ring factions and wound up simply out- lining the various options and stating that SMPTE would define the 3D master, leav- ing broadcasters, TV manufacturers, and studios to sort out what happens next. Stereo 3D movies are being offered to audiences now on disc in the red and green anaglyph format—much to the consterna- tion of filmmakers, who want their movie to look as good at home as it did in the the- ater. So-called 3D-ready TVs are available to enthusiasts now—they're TVs based on TI's DLP chip, and new 120hz TVs with LED backlights are on the way to consum- ers for later this year or next year. But, there has to be content. First, in 2010 or so, the Blu-ray guys will offer 3D Blu-ray players. Panasonic has already an- nounced an initiative to provide end-to- end products supporting 3D, from cameras to TVs to Blu-ray players. Sony, Samsung, and the Blu-ray forum members will fol- low, and it's hoped (but not really believed) they'll manage to avoid yet another ridicu- lous standards war. e PC already has 3D games, thanks to driver tweaks that create and enhance the 3D effect. Nvidia is offering a graph- ics board, Samsung monitor, and shutter- glasses system. Another company, iZ3D, is offering a monitor and passive glasses system. Nvidia and iZ3D are in relatively friendly competition since both want to see 3D take off on PCs. Furthermore, PC vendors think that the personal computer might function as the Trojan horse, which will smuggle 3D media, games, movies, and TV into the home. Broadcast will eventually come in a few years' time, and by then, it is expected that a de-facto winner will manifest itself. e trouble is, it might not be the same system chosen by early enthusiasts. So, here we are at a place in time where so much work has been done, money has been spent, and powerful people have shot off their mouths that it seems there's no turning back. Furthermore, the Web and television technology has opened up new possibilities. And, best of all, people are showing a willingness to pay for new entertainment experiences. Wide vistas of opportunity are ahead—so long as nobody screws anything up. n Kathleen Maher is a contributing editor to Computer Graphics World, a senior analyst at Jon Peddie Research, a Tiburon, California-based consultancy specializing in graphics and multimedia, and editor in chief of JPR's "TechWatch." She can be reached at Kathleen@jonpeddie.com. The CG movie Toy Story is also embrac- ing the stereoscopic trend, and soon Buzz, Woody, and the gang will debut in stereo 3D. ©2009 Disney/Pixar.

• Cover