T-VIPS, a video-transport provider from Norway,
has demonstrated a commercially ready means of transporting 3-D stereoscopic
content using the JPEG2000 format.
The system -- which is ready for deployment -- compresses 3-D
content to the JPEG2000 format using T-VIPS JPEG2000 gateways. It is
then transported over a high-bandwidth Internet-protocol link and decoded by
another T-VIPS gateway for viewing on a 3-D screen.
"We've already shown the market that JPEG2000 is a excellent
way of doing high-quality transport of HD TV content and we've now demonstrated
that we've also have solutions for 3D using JPEG2000," said T-VIPS vice
president of sales Espen Myhre.
JPEG2000 is the native codec for digital cinemas.
T-VIPS said the solution should be particularly appealing to
digital cinemas showing 3-D theatrical films, live sporting events or concerts.
While satellite has been frequently used to transport video
from live sporting events and concerts to cinemas, Myhre noted that more
cinemas have high-bandwidth fiber links, making JPEG2000 an attractive option.
Equipment from T-VIPS and the JPEG2000 format has already
been used for transporting some live HD boxing events to cinemas.
Multichannel providers and television programs provide
another potential market, Myhre explained.
"[United Kingdom
satellite-TV firm] BSkyB has said they will introduce 3-D as part of their
offering next year," Myhre said. "In Hong Kong and Japan,
3-D is already being offered to the public, and we see other companies
indicating that they want to go the same way."
While MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 remain the preferred standards for
distributing content over the so-called last mile to the home, JPEG2000 has
become an increasingly popular solution for transmitting very high-quality HD
content at very high bit rates. Such companies as HBO use it for contribution
and distribution.
The U.K.
consultancy and research company Screen Digest projects worldwide 3-D TV sales
of 64 million by year-end 2012.
But Myhre and others think it will take some time for the 3-D
content to be widely available in the home. Standards for delivering 3-D
content have yet to be developed, current sets are extremely expensive and the
fact that it is still extremely expensive to produce live 3-D sporting events
are among the main factors that are likely to slow the move of 3-D HD into the homes,
Myhre admitted.
"We are still in the early days," he said. "Most
people do not think this is going to happen tomorrow," he said. "But we've
shown that with JPEG2000 we can secure the highest quality at an early stage in
the contribution chain and that we're ready to move 3-D from the lab to
commercial deployments."
