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END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION paperThe technology choices involved and the likely
routes by which 3D will emerge into the mass market.
3DTVTaking television to a new dimension
02END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
This paper from Ericsson is intended to help you as a
broadcaster or service provider to better understand
the current realities and options with 3D, the technology
choices involved and the likely routes by which 3D will
emerge into the mass market.
It’s a complex picture to understand, with many
different facets to it. Throughout the history of the
convergence sector, various discontinuities have
impacted on our abilities to make things work
successfully on a true end-to-end basis. We might
have had the processing power – but we didn’t have
the bandwidth. We might have had the bandwidth – but
we didn’t have the applications. And so on…Standards
were often incompatible, regional variations abounded
and legacy infrastructure and thinking sometimes
slowed innovation to a crawl.
That said, the number of players then involved
in the tricky work of ‘joining things together’
was comparatively small – essentially the IT and
Telecommunications communities. With 3D, that
complexity has grown almost exponentially and now
includes the satellite, broadcast, cable, film and media
production, and consumer electronics sectors – as well
as a host of supporting communities such as sport,
advertising, news gathering and gaming.
Just as critical in this context for 3D are the final parts
of the delivery chain – the family home and the human
eye and brain. While the telecommunications industry
has invested billions to solve the ‘last-mile’ problem,
3D necessarily involves a great deal of complex
engineering to solve the ‘last-meter’ problem – getting
the right signals into the consumer’s eyes at the right
time to ‘fool’ the brain into perceiving depth. These are
non-trivial issues, both in engineering and human terms
and many human factors need to be taken into account
if we are to optimize the entire 3D viewing experience.
The prizes are certainly worth aiming for. Research
from Ericsson’s Consumer Labs clearly shows that
consumers are willing to pay a premium for a high-
quality viewing experience, while feedback both directly
from box-office takings and from wider industry analyst
reports shows a growing wave of interest in 3D –
emphasized in a CES poll of 19,000 people where
50 percent said that they wanted 3D in some form.
Executive summary
Mankind has always been fascinated by the idea of
making the real ‘more real’. From prehistoric cave
paintings, where our ancestors used natural features in
the rock to give an impression of depth and movement,
to the development of formal rules of perspective by
Italian painters in the 15th century, there seems to have
been an inherent drive to draw the viewer ever deeper
into 3D worlds of artists’ own making. More recently,
over the last hundred years or so, various emerging
technologies have been employed to enhance these
effects – first with stereoscopic photography and then,
more recently, with cinematography.
The focus of various interlinked industries across
the world is now on continuing that journey further
still – but with a much greater emphasis on delivering
a high-quality experience across multiple platforms,
enjoyable anywhere from the cinema, over mobile
handsets and, finally, into the home on gaming devices
and televisions. Attempts in the past to deliver a 3D
experience through these media all too often foundered
on gaps in some part of the delivery and value chain.
Display or viewing technologies were primitive, content
was less than compelling and supportive business
models had yet to evolve.
In the fast-merging worlds of communications,
consumer electronics and content, those gaps have
been steadily shrinking over the last two decades or
so. A ‘perfect’ – and largely benevolent storm has been
sweeping across multiple industry sectors, driven in part
by technology change, but also by major shifts in the
regulatory and commercial environments in which those
companies operate.
The latest development – 3D – has been slowly creeping
into the headlines over the last few years, while more
recently a handful of films or special events have made
it a ‘must-see’ experience for adults and children alike
at cinemas and other venues around the world.
But what’s the actual substance behind the surface?
Are we on the brink of a major change in the ways that
we make, distribute, display and consume media, with
these first announcements just being the early ripples
that warn of a fast-gathering tidal wave of change?
Or is this just a lot of hype?
03
CONTENTS
SECTION 1Looking into the future from the reaLities of the present day
› CInEMA
› 3D BROADCASTIng
› BLu-RAy
› TV AnD DEVICE MAnuFACTuRERS
› 3D gAMIng AnD OThER AppLICATIOnS
SECTION 2ChaLLenges for the 3d industry ‘extended famiLy’
› A pROFuSIOn OF ChOICES
› BACkWARDS COMpATIBILITy
› CuSTOMER DECISIOnS AnD ThE gLOBAL MARkET
› COnSuMER ExpERIEnCE AnD uSABILITy
› SuppORTIng BuSInESS MODELS
SECTION 3understanding the teChnoLogy options in deLiCering 3d
› FRAME COMpATIBLE
› 2D BACkWARDS COMpATIBILITy
› 2D + DELTA
› 3D-In-2D + EnhAnCEMEnT
› IMpLEMEnTATIOn TIMEFRAMES
› COnTRIBuTIOn 3D
› COnTRIBuTIOn IMpLEMEnTATIOn TIMEFRAMES
SECTION 4eriCsson soLution area tV produCts
SECTION 5important standards bodies
04END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
Industry momentum is building behind 3D. Many
observers – partisan and otherwise –increasingly seem
to see the distribution and display aspects of 3D as
essentially an enhancement to existing hD investment
and innovation - and not the major technological
discontinuity that some might expect.
Let’s start by looking at some communities that are
already having a central role in the current 3D jigsaw
puzzle, including cinema and entertainment content
producers; broadcasters; consumer electronics
manufacturers; manufacturers of 3D Blu-ray content;
and the wider gaming, mobile and applications players.
CinemaWhatever the underlying facts and figures are, parents
around the planet will currently be suffering from ‘pester
power’ at the hands of their children as each new 3D
blockbuster like Avatar or Alice in Wonderland reaches
their cinema – even though the latter film actually had to
be repurposed for 3D.
At the start of 2010, Avatar had already broken all world
records as the highest grossing film of all time – and
that was only 41days after its release. While only around
a quarter of the cinemas around the world were actually
showing the film in 3D, takings from these accounted for
over half of the revenues earned in the first weekend. In
the longer term, “Avatar: The game” shows the potential
for 3D gaming spin-offs, with the 3D-ready pC platform
version scoring high ratings for customer satisfaction
when set against other gaming systems without that
graphics ability.
In all, around 18 3D films are scheduled for release
in 2010 and the infrastructure required to show
them is being constantly upgraded. Digital screens
now account for about 15 percent of the world’s
modern cinema screen with over 55 percent of them
equipped with digital 3D. This deployment also seems
to be accelerating, with 3D screen deployments in
2009 having grown by 255 percent when set against
2008 levels.
Cinema owners are also discovering that they can
charge a substantial premium for a high-quality 3D
experience, with ticket prices rising by around 25
percent over standard features.
In addition, there are other 3D opportunities that
cinema owners may wish to exploit to expand their
revenue-generating base beyond the traditional offering
from the hollywood machine. A market does exist for
significant documentaries and nature and science
programming as well as event-based programming
in sport, music and possibly even religion.
Figure 1 - number of upcoming 3D releases scheduled by uS studios * includes pixar productions Source: IDATE
Looking into the future from the realities of the present day
17
Disney
*
Dream
Wor
ks A
nimat
ion
Fox
War
ner
Dream
Lions
gate
Sony
Param
ount
11
3 32 2 2
1
05
3D broadcastingWhile a few channels around the world have
experimented with 3D content for particular programs
and specific episodes, these have used necessarily
primitive viewing technologies and have been mainly
based on sheer novelty value.
BSkyB in the uk has announced ambitious plans for
its 3D strategy over 2010 and onwards, exploiting
its existing strengths, capacity on Astra satellites,
investments in hD infrastructure and its already well-
established 1.3 million base of hD-equipped premises
and households. In January 2010, the company carried
out a successful 3D trial, broadcasting a premier
League soccer match to nine uk pubs and this service
will be rolled to other pubs which already have hD
subscriptions with BSkyB. Its 3D channel will initially
be offered free to existing hD customers, while
BSkyB is simultaneously pursuing an aggressive
content acquisition strategy, including the production
of 3D content itself.
In Belgium, Belgacom is also adopting BSkyB’s trial
strategy and will be broadcasting national league
matches to selected cafes and pubs fitted with
Samsung 3D TVs.
Continuing this focus on sport as an important
crowd-puller in the short term to help spread the word
about 3D’s potential, ESpn announced in March 2010
that it planned to cover around 85 events over the
year through a specialized 3D channel – separate to
its normal hD channel – to take maximum advantage
of the differences in production grammar and camera
positioning required to optimize the 3D viewing
experience. key events that ESpn will be supporting
during 2010 include 25 FIFA World Cup matches and the
college football ACC Championship, while programming
for 2011 will also cover the BCS national championship
game, plus college basketball and nBA games.
More broadcasters are also lining up and carrying
out 3D trials and announcing firm plans for the coming
months – such as Discovery Channel, Cablevision,
Verizon, Comcast and DirecTV, with the last offering
three dedicated 3D channels to its uS subscribers
for free.
A flurry of announcements at the CES show in Las
Vegas in January 2010 shows the breadth of this
momentum – a stark contrast to the very flat market in
consumer electronics in 2009. The Discovery Channel
announced its intention to partner with Sony and
IMAx to deliver 3D channels, while panasonic is also
partnering with DirecTV to launch three hD 3D TV
channels by June 2010.
06END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
Blu-rayComplementing activities in the broadcasting space, the
introduction of Blu-ray-based 3D content also looks set
to spur customer interest still further. At the end of 2009,
the Blu-ray Disc Association announced that it had
finalized its Blu-ray 3D™ specifications, allowing every
player and movie supporting it to deliver full hD 1080p
resolution to each eye. Importantly, this specification
is agnostic as far as the display technologies involved
are concerned, supporting 3D across LCD, plasma and
other platforms, irrespective of which 3D technology is
actually used in the viewing glasses.
It is widely expected that 3D capability will become a
standard integral part of all Blu-ray consumer devices
within a few years, following a similar expected path
for Set-top boxes (STBs).
A number of films – such as Avatar – are already
scheduled for release in 2010 in 3D Blu-ray format,
while DreamWorks announced at the CES show that
it will issue its “Monsters vs. Aliens” film as a 3D
Blu-ray disk in an exclusive promotion with Samsung
and Technicolor.
TV and device manufacturersWhile content makers and broadcasters begin to
navigate their way out of the maze of 3D technology
choices, things are already starting to speed up at
the display end of the delivery chain with over 20 3D
TV models planned to reach market in 2010. historic
scepticism about the readiness of consumers to invest
in 3D TVs and STBs is being rapidly eroded, partly by
the huge revenue-driving success of recent 3D launches
in the cinema but also – and perhaps more importantly
in the long run – an expected rapid fall in the actual
costs of purchasing the required hardware.
07
Early on in 2010, Insight Media predicted that 3D
products would only carry a price premium of around
20 percent against a standard 2D hD device – and that,
based on experience with other consumer electronics
devices - that premium would erode over the next two
to four years. In hard terms, that translates into a fall
in price for a 3D set from the current average of $1770
to $825 by 2015. At the same time, market sales are
estimated to rise from an annual figure for 2010 of 3.3
million to nearly 50 million by 2015.
In terms of the actual viewing technologies that will
be used, most TV manufacturers see wireless-enabled,
active shutter glasses as the optimum route for
domestic use. The circular polarized glasses currently
used in cinemas are not suited to the home environment
and active glasses offer a number of enhancements to
the viewing experience, such as brighter colors, a
wider viewing angle and sharper contrast.
3D gaming and other applicationsAs already stated, pC-based games have an advantage
over other platforms that use standard TVs in terms
of the graphic engines used which do allow users to
convert 2D games to 3D. It is currently estimated that
there are already around 300 existing games that can be
readily adapted to 3D through the use of comparatively
straightforward re-purposing technologies. Indeed,
there are even products already available on the market
that promise to do this in real time, in the home for
games, films and TV – though these do require the use
of wirelessly-linked ‘active’ glasses, another highly
important technology choice that will be covered later
in this document.
nintendo, for example, recently announced that is will
be launching a new, glasses-free 3D-capable portable
platform into the mass market early in 2011 that also
offers full backwards-compatibility with existing games.
Around and beyond the more traditional gaming
applications lie other significant market opportunities.
Adult services, for example, have played a major role in
the mainstream success of first video technologies and,
later, the internet itself and many in the adult content
market expect 3D to play a similar role.
Similarly, the emergence of social networking sites -
from the avatar-inhabited ‘real’ world of Second Life to
the more two-dimensional environments of Facebook
and MySpace – could provide additional demand at
the viewing end.
Finally come wider developments in the networked
home. Increasingly being seen as the next battleground
for customer loyalty by telecommunications service
providers, ISp and broadcasters, is use of the
customer’s control interface on the TV to brand and
enhance interactions with an increasingly wide range of
home applications such as entertainment, security and
energy management will become ever more important.
In this context, the ability to support 3D graphics in
these interfaces and displays will increase service
provider stickiness and loyalty.
08END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
Challenges for the 3D industry ‘extended family’
While the predictions from industry analysts are being
echoed by real and tangible investment in programming
content and broadcasting technologies by the major
players in those sectors, there are numerous issues
that remain to be addressed. Just as all hardware and
software in communications and IT relies on shared
clocks and synchronized activities, so too must the
many different parts of the 3D value fall into line – and
fit into the wider swings and changes in customer
purchasing behaviors, consumer confidence and
domestic viewing patterns.
A profusion of choicesAs will be covered in more depth in a later section,
broadcasters have a number of different options
available to them in terms of the technologies that they
can use to distribute 3D content. Some may already
have invested heavily in hD platforms, while others
are still at a greenfield stage.
Backwards compatibilityIntegral to the technology choice issue comes the
question of implementing 3D on legacy infrastructure.
Which options can give the fastest payback on
investment – while simultaneously protecting
future flexibility?
As highlighted earlier – and as is explored in more
depth in the following technical sections – everyone
involved must adopt a truly holistic perspective that
encompasses the entire value chain if 3D is to reach
market quickly and cost-effectively. Fortunately, a series
of first and second order standardization and industry
groups are well advanced in both developing and
coordinating the required content capture, management,
compression, security, transmission and display
technologies involved. A number of the most important
of these are profiled at the end of this document.
SECTION 2
09
Customer decisions and the global marketOn one hand, customer purchasing decisions may be
delayed while there is apparent uncertainty amongst
mass market consumers about the appropriate
technology choices to be made – and the current
20 percent premium involved when compared to hD
hardware. On the other, the huge publicity generated
by headline grabbing 3D sporting events and releases
of films like “Avatar” – and the fact that broadcasters
actually own a powerful promotional tool themselves
– seem capable of eroding that market inertia fairly
quickly, especially given the rapid falls in device costs
mentioned earlier.
As far as the wider economic picture is concerned, it
must be remembered that experience so far shows
that consumer spending on communications and
entertainment focused around the home either stays
stable – or actually increases – during a downturn.
Costs for entertainment expenses through a single
subscription or device are amortized across multiple
family or community members, while associated costs
for food and drink during an ‘entertainment experience’
remain far more containable and controllable than
during a typical night out. This in turn makes family
budgeting much more straightforward and stress-free.
In terms of the variations in the eventual shape of the
global market, the penetration of hD in north America
and Western Europe will raise some legacy technology
issues, while other markets will benefit from ongoing
standardization work.
Consumer experience and usabilityThe appearance of any new, radically different
technology often throws up unexpected issues
when it comes to ensuring that the end-user’s
experience is a consistently high-quality one – and
this is where broadcasters with hD platforms can
ensure their strategic dominance against competitors
in IpTV and cable who may be lagging behind in
technology deployments.
Some specific technical factors need to be taken into
account when delivering 3D, such as guaranteeing that
frames and phase are correctly aligned across both
right and left channels.
Supporting business modelsSo far, all the services being offered by broadcasters
– or those in the planning stage – are being made
available as part of an existing hD service subscription
or on a pay-by-event basis. The ability of broadcasters
to offer live-to-air 3D events is a valuable differentiator
when set against their competitors using other
delivery mechanisms.
END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
10
Understanding the technology options in delivering 3D
Television broadcast differs greatly from pre-packaged
cinema or Blu-ray content, having to contend with an
infrastructure containing numerous, often independent,
stages of content repurposing.
Essentially, there are two methodologies for delivering
3D content: frame compatible 3D (“3D-in-2D”) and 2D
compatible 3D.
Frame compatibleBroadcast and Direct-to-home (DTh) 3D services being
launched in 2010 will be based on 3D content that has
been created from pre-processing separate left and
right eye images in such a way as to appear to existing
broadcast equipment and consumer STBs as if the 3D
content is standard 2D hD content.
This is known as frame compatible 3D - or 3D
delivered in 2D infrastructure (‘3D-in-2D’). In the
majority of cases, this will be done by using horizontal
resolution sub-sampling (spatial compression) and
then multiplexing the “half resolution-per-eye” images
together. The reverse process is employed in the newly
announced 3D TV sets, where the TV set is aware that
the received 2D-compatible content involves, in fact,
left eye and right eye multiplexed images and internal
post-processing (including up-sampling and left/right
polarization) is done to render the images as 3D.
There are many possible spatial sub-sampling methods
defined, but the two most common are side-by-side
(half-resolution horizontally) and over/under (also known
as “top-and-bottom” or “half-resolution vertically”). At
the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2010
at least six major TV manufacturers announced that they
will be shipping 3D TVs that support frame-compatible
side-by-side packing during 2010.
An example of ‘3D-in-2D’ subsampling and multiplexing, using
1080i image format and frame-compatible side-by-side packing.
The advantage of a frame compatible or “3D-in-2D”
solution is that it allows the service provider to use
existing content storage, play-out, and broadcast
transmission equipment and - most importantly - their
existing deployed hD STB population to support 3D
services. Of course, the consumer needs to purchase
a 3D TV set and view the images using the included 3D
glasses (unless it’s an auto-stereoscopic display, which
will not be common for many, many years) in order to
see the picture in 3D. Existing 2D TV sets will render
two separate 2D images (side-by-side in the example
used in the above figure) with or without the consumer
donning any 3D glasses that happen to be in the home
which is clearly not an acceptable viewing option.
The disadvantages of this solution are:
The image has only half the resolution of normal hDTV.
In the example above, horizontal resolution is reduced
- but other methods would reduce vertical resolution
instead or a combination of vertical and horizontal
resolution reduction. While resolution reduction
has not had a major impact on current 3D movie
presentations in cinemas which use a similar method,
the industry is still actively studying this issue. While
this may be acceptable at the consumer’s end of the
broadcast chain, reduced resolution is not acceptable
for production, post-production, editing, storage etc.
More details on this aspect are covered in the Content
Contribution section later in this document.
SECTION 3
11
Additionally, this solution does not allow existing 2D
TVs to display a compatible 2D image and such a
service is 3D TV compatible only. A separate 2D service
or program must be simulcast if the service provider
wishes 2D TV users to view a full-resolution hD 2D
version of the same content.
The advantages of this solution are:
Operators can start to offer 3D services as soon as they
can source 3D content and have a 3D pre-processor, a
standard (2D) hD encoder, and sufficient bandwidth for
a hD service.
Operators can offer 3D services via deployed hD STBs
and do not need to wait for new decoder silicon to
reach new STB designs before launching 3D services.
note that some operators have announced that their
deployed STBs will have their firmware upgraded to
support 3D, and such upgrades will be performed in the
background through the existing transmission channel
with no consumer involvement or negative impact.
In the future, operators will be able to enhance their
service offering by providing full resolution hD 3D (Full
3D) to new STBs based on new decoder silicon, while
still providing 3D to their customers using current STBs
(3D-in-2D), by deploying a new 3D video encoder.
For more information on this please see the 3D-in-
2D+enhancement section later on.
2D backwards compatibilityThere are also industry efforts to deliver full resolution
hD 3D TV to the home, as well as methods that
enable the same content to be used by both existing
TVs (all 2D) and the new 3D TVs. This is known as 2D
backwards-compatible or 2D-compatible 3D.
The existing standard for Multi-view Video Coding
(MVC) – an amendment to the h.264/MpEg-4 AVC
standard - provides a potentially interesting technology
path for bit-rate efficient, full-resolution
hD, stereoscopic (3D) transmission.
The latest generation of Blu-ray Disc players will
have MVC-compatible chipsets capable of decoding
full-resolution hD 3D TV, but the timelines for such
silicon reaching DTh STBs is currently unclear. There
is also a legacy issue with deployed STBs that do not
support MVC or the higher resolution 3gbps+ hDMI
(in particular hDMI 1.4 or later) that would be required
for full resolution hD 3D TV signals to be delivered from
the STB to the 3D TV.
The two most commonly discussed 2D backwards
compatible methods are “2D+delta” (stereoscopic MVC)
and “3D-in-2D+enhancement”.
2D + deltaThe principle used here is that a 2D image - for
example, the left camera image only - is transmitted
for use on 2D TVs, with a delta signal also transmitted
that contains additional view information with which to
create a 3D image (i.e. create the right camera image
from the left camera image and the delta data). As
left and right images are very similar, the bit-rate cost
for the delta stream may be only 40-60% more than
the 2D image, as opposed to double the bit-rate. The
advantage of this solution is that a service provider can
offer a single service that can be displayed by both
legacy 2D TVs as well as new 3D TVs. While this may
appear to be a good solution for greenfield deployments
where 3D-ready STBs will be deployed, some factors
need to be considered:
The production values and grammar of 3D and 2D
are very different. Contrast the typical camera setup
at a sports stadium for 3D - low angle, long distance
shots for good 3D effect – versus that for 2D - in closer,
camera panning, and so on. As a result, the industry is
presently questioning the likelihood of a 2D production
being the same as either the left or right image of the 3D
production. If it turns out that separate productions are
required in the majority of cases, the practical use of 2D
+ delta is far less than ideal.
Early-to-market deployments, based on the need to use
existing deployed STBs, will begin transmissions with
3D images spatially compressed into a single 2D image
- or 3D-in-2D, as described earlier in this document.
As such, there will already be a legacy 3D deployment
situation in the marketplace.
END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
12
3D-in-2D + enhancementThe principle here involves transmitting the same 3D
image as used in early-to-market deployments (left
& right 3D images with spatially-reduced resolution
combined into a single 2D image), as well as the
additional information from an enhancement layer.
This contains the spatial information not present in
the base layer feed and delivers increased spatial
resolution of the two images that are finally presented
to the user as the 3D image. Due to a high level of
correlation, the enhancement layer bit-rate cost is
substantially less than double the 3D-in-2D base
layer image.
This solution will allow early adopter 3D customers
(3D-in-2D) to continue normal use, with no STB
replacement required.
For new users, with new 3D-supporting STBs, then
both the base layer and enhancement layer streams
are processed together to provide “Full 3D”, involving
discrete, full resolution hD left and right images, for
use with displays that support full 3D.
The service provider can therefore support both 3D
technologies (3D-in-2D and Full 3D) within a single
service. With the imminent implementation of new
3D signaling techniques now in discussion within
standards development organizations (a proposed 3D
SEI message), there is a possibility that a legacy STB
will be able to recognize the 3D-in-2D format and scale
one of the views to 2D hD. The resulting image will be
half hD resolution, of course, but at least this would
provide a 2D-compatible solution. If full resolution hD
2D is required, however, then a separate 2D service or
program must be simulcast.
Discussions are on-going with content providers to
determine what percentage, if any, of productions will
be done with common 2D/3D in mind, and whether
live productions such as sports events and concerts
will require a rethink on camera placement.
An MVC example where the right eye images reference the left eye images, so that either the delta or the enhancement stream requires less bandwidth than sending separate left/right streams. The left eye temporal references are the same as in a typical 2D AVC-encoded bitstream.
Further standardization of 3D, including improved
MVC, is in progress as well, but the results of this will
be longer term, long after 3D services have been
launched to consumers.
Implementation timeframesFrame compatible 3D solutions can be launched
today, as long as careful consideration is given to
interoperability issues. As noted earlier, all of the
announced broadcast/direct-to-home (DTh) 3D
services that are planned to launch in 2010 will be frame
compatible 3D. production equipment already exists,
existing 2D broadcast equipment and consumer STBs
can be used, and new 3D TVs are already available for
sale, with more models being rapidly added over the
next 3-6 months.
2D compatible 3D will first appear in Blu-ray Disc
players, although not much content will be available in
2010. however, it’s likely that it will be after 2011 before
2D-compatible 3D will be used for broadcast television
for the legacy equipment reasons explained earlier.
Broadcasters launching frame-compatible services now
will need to continue to provide frame-compatible 3D for
the duration of the typical TV set swap-out cycle. 3D-in-
2D + enhancement will therefore be more attractive to
markets such as north America and Western Europe,
while greenfield deployments will have more flexibility
and choice available to them.
As such, unless there is a break-through in common
3D/2D production, 3D-in-2D+enhancement will likely
follow frame-compatible platforms in late 2011 or 2012.
13
Contribution 3DThe issues for Contribution 3D applications differ greatly
from DTh, with the most important being the need for
the best picture quality possible - defined as full spatial
resolution, 4:2:2 chrominance, 10-bit precision, and
other factors - and not compromising on these in the
drive to reduce bit-rate or support legacy equipment as
inevitably has to be done for early DTh applications.
For single operator content coverage, some operators
may place a 3D pre-processing box on-site at the
event and use normal, existing (2D) hD-capable DSng
equipment for backhaul. The 3D-in-2D pre-processing
could even be embedded in the existing encoder. This
approach has the advantage of enabling 3D contribution
cost-effectively using existing equipment. however, pre-
processing the content at the source will limit its value
in post-production, distribution and future repurposing,
so many operators will likely choose to deliver full
resolution left and right channels as illustrated below.
An example of an end-to-end 3D solution, showing dual-stream contribution backhaul and 3D-in-2D DTh.
For universal open contribution, the 3D content
must be transmitted with the highest fidelity and in
a format independent of the broadcaster’s chosen
3D DTh delivery method. One possible solution is to
deliver dual-stream left eye and right eye images, by
synchronizing two encoders for transmission and two
receivers/decoders for reception. This method enables
full resolution hD 3D transmission of left and right
images, while maintaining their input temporal and
phase alignment within an acceptable tolerance.
Contribution implementation timeframesDual stream (left eye + right eye) full 3D contribution
solutions can be launched in Q2 2010, as long as careful
consideration is planned for stream synchronization.
Improvements in the synchronization method and
equipment integration will follow in the second half
of 2010.
Contribution
• Dual link HD-SDI• Frame Aligned• Phase Aligned
Ericsson RX8200 Advanced Modular Receiver
Distribution-to-the-Home3D
Pre-processor
Ericsson EN8190 MPEG-4 AVC HD Encoder
Ericsson CE-xH42 Contribution Encoder
Ericsson RX8200 Advanced Modular Receiver
Sync
• Dual link HD-SDI• Frame Alignment• Phase Alignment
014END-TO-ENDLESS TELEVISION VISION PAPER
Ericsson Solution Area TV products
3D TV is a complex topic and early operator
deployments will require a detailed investigation of
need, market potential, legacy infrastructure and assets
and will involve separating out the 3D “hype” from
the “buzz”.
While the industry’s desire will be to implement 2D
backwards-compatible 3D in the immediate term and
initial discussions may involve a discussion of MVC or
other 2D backwards-compatible 3D options, Ericsson
believes that early adoption of 3D for DTh eventually
will end up with a frame-compatible 3D solution.
Another important initial discussion is to determine
clearly whether the 3D application is DTh or
Contribution (whether back-haul or front-haul) or both,
as the solution for each is very different.
Especially important in the Contribution link section is
the synchronization of left and right hand channels and
Ericsson solutions already deliver unique capabilities
in the receivers to deliver both frame-aligned and
synchronized 3D TV.
Regardless of the application, Ericsson has complete
solutions to offer today for both DTh and Contribution
parts of the value chain and is building on its existing
successes and awards in hD technologies, creating a
compelling road map for the future that will delight and
entertain audiences around the world and deliver new
revenues and strategic differentiators for broadcasters.
SECTION 4
15
Important standards bodies
given the inherent complexity of the associated capture,
creation, management, distribution, delivery and viewing
elements within the 3D value chain, it’s no surprise that
multiple standards and industry bodies are involved in
both developing standards for specific sub-sectors as
well as in coordinating and integrating wider activities.
Standards and industry bodies can perhaps be classed
into what might be called first and second order
roles – though each has an equally important part to
play. Some concentrate on developing and defining
fundamental, global standards, while others may focus
on specific application, industry or regional sector work,
interpreting wider developments and providing their
members with a voice in the wider debate.
While Ericsson obviously plays a major role both in
developing standards itself and in closely monitoring
relevant activity on behalf of its customers, it is
perhaps useful to chart out the significant groups in
the 3D community:
fundamental standards:
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
http://www.ce.org
Joint photographic Experts group (JpEg)
http://www.jpeg.org
Moving picture Experts group (MpEg)
http://www.mpeg.org
applications standards:
Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)
http://www.atsc.org
Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA)
http://www.blu-raydisc.com
Digital Versatile Disc Forum (DVD Forum)
http://www.dvdforum.org
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)
http://www.dvb.org
International Telecommunications union (ITu)
http://www.itu.int
Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE)
http://www.scte.org
Society of Motion picture and
Television Engineers (SMpTE)
http://www.smpte.org
SECTION 5
Ericsson provides award-winning TV solutions and
services that enable global media companies and
operators (cable, satellite, telco and terrestrial) to
deliver TV content, either directly to consumers or
for professional digital video content exchange.
With a broad suite of open, standards-based solutions,
Ericsson offers the highest quality solutions for Digital
TV, hDTV, VOD, IpTV, Mobile TV, content management
and advanced advertising, based on the technology
leadership and industry expertise of Ericsson.
www.ericsson.com/televisionary
The content of this document is subject to revision without notice due to continued progress in methodology, design and manufacturing. Ericsson shall have no liability for any error or
damage of any kind resulting from the use of this document
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