Blu-ray 3D Players Next Year

[HGervais]

Details via The Digital Bits:

Afternoon, folks!

Big news today: The Blu-ray Disc Association has officially finalized the "Blu-ray 3D" spec (that's the official name). The final spec allows 3D content to be displayed via newer polairzed or active shutter glasses with full 1080p resolution delivered for each eye. The format is also display technology agnostic, and show is compatible with all display technologies (plasma, LCD, LED DLP), but a display with a higher refresh rate is required.

As was the case with BD-Java and BD-Live content, Sony's PlayStation 3 will almost certainly be the first BD player on the market - Sony plans to deliver a firmware update next year. We wouldn't be surprised to see Sony begin making select 3D games available as well. Additional BD players will be available in the first half next year (our current word is Q2), now that the spec has been finalized.

The spec calls for all Blu-ray 3D Discs to include a 2D version of the film as well, so the discs will be backwards compatible with current players for those who aren't 3D-ready yet, but may want to upgrade in the future. 3D menus and 3D-positioned subtitles are also planned for in the spec. Your new Blu-ray 3D player (when you buy one eventually) will also be compatible with all your current BDs, DVDs and CDs. The 3D video content will be encoded with the new Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec extension of the existing AVC codec. Technicolor will be ready to replicate these discs early next year, so we expect the first title announcements from the studios (or at least the announcement of intent, with word of select titles) as soon as CES in January. The expectation is that at least 30 films will be released in the new Blu-ray 3D spec over the next year of two. You can bet James Cameron's Avatar will be one of them.

You can read more here at Video Business and Home Media, and here's the BDA's official press release...

Blu-ray Disc Association Announces Final 3D Specification
"Blu-ray 3DTM" Expected to Reach Consumers in 2010

LOS ANGELES- December 17, 2009 - The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced the finalization and release of the "Blu-ray 3DTM" specification. The specification, which represents the work of the leading Hollywood studios and consumer electronic and computer manufacturers, will enable the home entertainment industry to bring the 3D experience into consumers' living rooms on Blu-ray Disc, the most capable high definition home entertainment platform.

"Throughout this year, movie goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3D or 2D," said Victor Matsuda, chairman, BDA Global Promotions Committee. "We believe this demand for 3D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3D experience to the living room."

The "Blu-ray 3D" specification fully leverages the technical advantages of the Blu-ray Disc format to deliver unmatched picture quality as well as uniformity and compatibility across the full range of Blu-ray 3D products, both hardware and software. Notably, the specification allows every Blu-ray 3D player and movie to deliver Full HD 1080p resolution to each eye, thereby maintaining the industry leading image quality to which Blu-ray Disc viewers are accustomed. Moreover, the specification is display agnostic, meaning that Blu-ray 3D products will deliver the 3D image to any compatible 3D display, regardless of whether that display uses LCD, Plasma or other technology and regardless of what 3D technology the display uses to deliver the image to the viewer's eyes.

"From a technological perspective, it is simply the best available platform for bringing 3D into the home," said Benn Carr, chairman, BDA 3D Task Force. "The disc capacity and bit rates Blu-ray Disc provides enable us to deliver 3D in Full HD 1080p high definition resolution."

The Blu-ray 3D specification is also designed to allow PS3 game consoles to play back Blu-ray 3D content in 3D. Additionally, the specification supports playback of 2D discs in forthcoming 3D players and can enable 2D playback of Blu-ray 3D discs on the large installed base of Blu-ray Disc players currently in homes around the world.

"In 2009 we saw Blu-ray firmly establish itself as the most rapidly adopted packaged media format ever introduced," said Matsuda. "We think the broad and rapid acceptance Blu-ray Disc already enjoys with consumers will be a factor in accelerating the uptake of 3D in the home. In the meantime, existing players and libraries can continue to be fully enjoyed as consumers consider extending into 3D home entertainment."

The Blu-ray 3D specification calls for encoding 3D video using the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec, an extension to the ITU-T H.264 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) codec currently supported by all Blu-ray Disc players. MPEG4-MVC compresses both left and right eye views with a typical 50% overhead compared to equivalent 2D content, and can provide full 1080p resolution backward compatibility with current 2D Blu-ray Disc players. The specification also incorporates enhanced graphic features for 3D. These features provide a new experience for users, enabling navigation using 3D graphic menus and displaying 3D subtitles positioned in 3D video.

The completed specification will be available shortly and provides individual manufacturers and content providers with the technical information and guidelines necessary to develop, announce and bring products to market pursuant to their own internal planning cycles and timetables.

About Blu-ray DiscTM
Blu-ray DiscTM is the next-generation optical disc format for high definition audio-video and high-capacity data software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 50 gigabytes of data.

About the Blu-ray Disc Association
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is responsible for promoting and developing business opportunities for Blu-ray Disc - the next-generation optical disc format for storing high-definition movies, games, photos and other digital content. The BDA has more than 180 members. Its Board of Directors consists of individuals affiliated with the following companies: Apple Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc., TDK Corporation, Thomson, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Television, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Stay tuned...

[Dan Mancini]

Another reason to love my PS3.

[Andrew Forbes]

This+Avatar+potential long term employment on the horizon=possibility of me going Blu.

[the5thghostbuster]

Well, good to know my PS3 will work with this, but, to be blunt, 3D is a waste of time and money.

[erich]

Still, it all requires a 3D capable display, right? This won't work with just any TV. Or am I missing something?

[Dan Mancini]

Still, it all requires a 3D capable display, right? This won't work with just any TV. Or am I missing something?

According to the story, any kind of HD display will work provided it has a high enough refresh rate.

[mkiker2089]

Polarized lenses would require a tv capable of polarized video. As far as I know there is a plasma prototype and that's it.

The real meat of the story is the shutter glasses. CRT tv's can use shutter glasses so it's likely that almost any LCD will do it. The refresh isn't ideal on many but it's most certainly better than 20 frames a second which is about where the human eye sees strobe effect. I could be wrong on that number but I know our brains can fill in quite a bit.

With the PS3 you should be able to get a USB set of shutter glasses and have at it. I hope so anyway. I don't know my LCD's refresh rate though as the owners manual is slim on details.

[Steve T Power]

Well, good to know my PS3 will work with this, but, to be blunt, 3D is a waste of time and money.

Go see Avatar in 3D and come back to me.

Sweet zombie jesus. I'll be high on that flick for a year!

[Adam Arseneau]

Go see Avatar in 3D and come back to me.

Sweet zombie jesus. I'll be high on that flick for a year!

This.

[the5thghostbuster]

Well, good to know my PS3 will work with this, but, to be blunt, 3D is a waste of time and money.

Go see Avatar in 3D and come back to me.

Sweet zombie jesus. I'll be high on that flick for a year!

I have not yet seen it, but even if the 3D is amazing, the question is, does it actually contribute to the film, or does it over take the film? I have no doubt Cameron has made a visually stunning film, but my question would be, if you strip the 3D away, is what's left really worth while?

[Steve T Power]

Oh hell yes. The 3D is just a nice bonus.

[barnaclelapse]

Well, good to know my PS3 will work with this, but, to be blunt, 3D is a waste of time and money.

I'm sort of inclined to agree. I enjoyed Avatar, but that's not enough to get me interested by a long shot.

[the5thghostbuster]

Oh hell yes. The 3D is just a nice bonus.

Hope you're right Steve