Lights and shadows of the television of the future: 3D and HD

As part of the Broadcast IT Technical Conference programme, organized by IFEMA, a round table on digital television in high definition and 3D was held, in which current and future television, technological advances and digital content were discussed.

After the success of 3D in cinemas and the launch in 2010 of the first generation of stereoscopic 3D TV, new paradigms appear for the broadcast community. The first generation of 3DTV provides a good solution for broadcasting stereoscopic 3D services using existing HDTV infrastructure, but it is not sufficient to provide a more efficient and immersive 3D experience. What should content providers do to be able to transmit 3DTV with Full HD resolution per eye? How could 3D services be offered that are compatible with current HDTV channels? What will be the final benefits of this new system?

The relevance of the topic has been made evident by the large influx of public that has attended the round table 'High Definition and 3D', moderated by the Telecommunications and Audiovisual Media consultant Eladio Gutiérrez, where an attempt has been made to answer these questions through an analysis of the candidate technologies for the broadcasting of a Full HD 3DTV system and "compatible service". Advanced coding techniques, including SVC and MVC, have therefore been compared from both a technical and commercial point of view. Compatibility with first generation 3DTV and current HDTV infrastructure will be key, as will efficiency and commercial availability.

El punto de vista institucional lo ha aportado Damián Ruiz Coll, investigador de la ETSIT- UPM-Madrid, que ha explicado los actuales formatos y estándares de captación de imágenes 3D en el entorno de la producción convencional y su evolución a lo largo del tiempo, desde la creación del SD en 1982 hasta el actual VHDTV. A este respecto, Ruiz Coll ha asegurado que no está de acuerdo con la tendencia general que relaciona aumento de resolución con aumento de tamaño de la pantalla.

The UPM researcher has also reviewed the different interface options and HD and 3D storage formats, for which there are two solutions: independent view coding (Simulcast) and inter-view coding (MVC). Likewise, Ruiz Coll has addressed the current DVB-3DTV broadcast standards, which, as he commented, represent “a big mess” as a result of the different regulations in force and the fact that the standardization phases are quite complex.

The second generation of 3D TV

Once the coding problem has been resolved, the Director of Customer Engineering at Hispasat, Inés Sanz, has analyzed the broadcasting of the second generation of 3DTV and HD and 3D services in the new HBB era. The representative of the national satellite operator explained the process of implementing 3DTV and the new specific network design of Hispasat, the Service Compatible, a DTH service via satellite based on the new system, on which the final performance and quality of service for the end user will be evaluated.

The Hispasat satellite communications system includes 5 satellites placed in three orbital positions: a transatlantic position, 30º West, in which the satellites Hispasat 1C, 1D, Hispasat 1E and Spainsat are located; an American position, 61º West, where the Amazonas 1 and Amazonas 2 satellites are located, and an eastern position, 29º East, where the Xtar-Eur satellite is located. The high power of the satellites that make up the system allows it to offer optimal coverage with maximum flexibility to America, Europe and Africa, proving to be the ideal vehicle for all types of satellite communications services. Additionally, the satellite would also be capable of providing high-speed Internet access.

Likewise, Inés Sanz announced in the presentation the various R&D&i work that Hispasat is carrying out in relation to 3D, such as the collaboration developed in the European project JEDI (Just Explore Dimensions), in which the evolution and development of the new generations of 3DTV is investigated; the Sirena project, which prepares the development of a new network architecture for the distribution of advanced multimedia content; and the VH-HD-4V project, which aims to develop technologies that favor the launch of an ultra high definition service in the home environment.

The Director of Customer Engineering at Hispasat has highlighted that the demand for internet traffic is growing exponentially and it is expected that this trend will continue, or even increase, in the coming years. The migration to HD and 3D formats, the evolution of linear and non-linear consumption, and the multiplication of screens are other elements with a strong demand for bandwidth. What's more, the new hybrid Broadcast-Broadband (HBB) systems require the high capacity of broadcast channels along with high-speed Internet access.

"Therefore, we are entering a new era where the demand for bandwidth will become massive and will make the efficient and intelligent use of resources a key aspect for success. Current terrestrial networks (DSL, Cable, etc.) have very significant limitations to offer high-quality content at home, and the modernization of terrestrial infrastructure requires large investments that will only be available in urban centers, leaving out a part of the population," he noted.

3D production

Por último, Pol Turrents, especialista independiente en 3D certificado por Sony, ha aportado un punto de vista diferente, haciendo un repaso a las diferentes dificultades que surgen hoy en día a la hora de producir estereoscopía, donde el nivel de producción en nuestro país es ya considerable (Mediapro, Canal+, TV3, Digitea en Aragón…).

According to Turrents, one of the great dramas of producing stereoscopy is that, when the image is reproduced on different screens, it is seen with different depths. Furthermore, "when events are produced in 3D it is done with cinema in mind, which limits us greatly. Nowadays it is the deepest complexity that we face when filming," said the director of photography specialized in digital cinematography, who also commented that the level of demand on a technical and human level has to be "very high", while asking those present to "not do experiments."