The report
includes an appendix that cross-references the use cases to the
requirements generated by the task force. This is meant to provide
the subsequent standards generation activities detailed context
for the requirements.
Introduction
"This report has been generated by the SMPTE Task Force
on 3D to the Home. The effort was initiated on Aug 19, 2008.
At the initiation of the effort, the task force was chartered
with defining 'what standards would be needed to establish rapid
adoption of stereoscopic A/V content from content mastering
to consumption in the home via multiple types of distribution
channels (e.g., packaged, broadcast, satellite, cable, Internet)
with consideration for downward scalability (e.g. portable/mobile).'
The charter was broad and potentially included standards for
content mastering and distribution formats, common interfaces
for 3D display, performance requirements related to human factors,
and backwards compatibility related to distribution infrastructure
and legacy devices.
During the
initial phase of this effort, the task force redefined the scope
and goals of the effort to be more sharply focused, and to specifically
address the standards needed for the 3D Home Master that would
be distributed after post production to the ingest points of
the distribution channels, e.g., Blu-ray Disc or DVD authoring
facility, or an ingest center of a broadcast operator. The 3D
content will be rendered on different types of 3D displays.
It is important to note that neither the 3D Home Master itself,
nor the format used to store/represent 3D content in the Master
is meant for distribution to the home. The ingest point in each
of the types of distribution networks are expected to convert
the content in the 3D Home Master into the appropriate format
as needed by the distribution system.
The 3D Home
Master is defined later in the document to be an 'uncompressed
and unencrypted image format or file package derived from a
3D Source Master. The 3D Home Master is intended to be used
in the creation of 3D Distribution Data.' The primary objective
of the task force has been to generate requirements for the
3D Home Master, which would drive specifications for the 3D
Home Master in a subsequent phase of SMPTE standardization activity.
The task
force first identified various use cases from the perspective
of various entities in the supply chain of the 3D content to
the home, and those use cases that had an impact on the format
of the master were used to generate requirements. In generating
use cases, priority was given to distribution via physical media,
broadcast channels, and online mechanisms. Consumer viewing
of the content on TV-type devices was also given a higher priority
than viewing on mobile devices such as mobile phones and in-car
devices. However, the task force did consider use cases and
requirements that included downward scalability (e.g., portable/mobile)."
End-to-End
System
Section 3
of the report includes a conceptual signal flow diagram for
3D content distribution systems as shown below. The scope of
the effort of the task force is shown outlined in red, and consists
of the requirements for the format of the 3D Home Master provided
to each distribution system (outlined in yellow) leading to
the home.
The report
states that it is assumed that a single 3D Home Master is used
for all distribution channels but states that any future standards
creation should adequately study this to ensure that it is feasible
to create a single 3D Home Master versus multiple masters (each
for a different distribution channel or set of channels).
The report
states that generally the master package will undergo additional
processing (compression, storage and physical transport) before
being ingested into the distribution system. Ultimately each
distribution system will adapt and format the 3D Home Master
to meet their specific uses.
Recommendations
The recommendations from the report are as follows:
"SMPTE
should undertake standardization effort to generate specifications
for the 3D Home Master that meet the requirements listed above.
The intent of the standards creation should be to create a single
3D Home Master versus multiple masters.
SMPTE should
establish liaisons as needed with other relevant Standards Development
Organizations (SDOs), as well as industry consortia and forums
to:
(a) ensure
compatibility/interoperability with the technical solution/specifications/standards
being developed by those organizations,
(b) to foster the use of the 3D Home Master (resulting from
future SMPTE standardization activity) for content creation,
storage and ingest in downstream authoring and distribution,
(c) align terminology and concepts with the work of these organizations,
and
(d) identify gaps in standards required that fall within SMPTE's
charter and generate solutions for these gaps.
The types
of organizations SMPTE should consider for liaison activity
include those that consider distribution formats (broadcast,
online, physical media), device interfaces, display technologies,
etc., within the 3D content to the home eco-system.
SMPTE should
continue to study and investigate solutions to the issues and
challenges listed in this report in the course of developing
a 3D Home Master standard. SMPTE should also embark on a review
of how 3D content to the home affects the body of SMPTE publications."
The full
report comprises 76 pages, including appendices, and is recommended
for anyone seeking a comprehensive introduction to many aspects
of 3D systems and the issues that need to be considered in planning
for 3D to the home. It will be available for purchase next week
at the SMPTE Booth L28 at the NAB Convention (see www.nabshow.com),
and from about April 18 will also be available for download
from the online SMPTE Store (https://store.smpte.org).
The price is $20.
The
April 13, 2009 TV TechCheck is also available
in an Adobe Acrobat file.
Please click
here to read the Adobe Acrobat version of TV TechCheck.
In
August 2008 the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
(SMPTE) established a Task Force to explore the standards that
need to be set for 3D content that may be distributed via broadcast,
cable, satellite, packaged media and the Internet. The Task Force,
chaired by Bill Zou of DTS, attracted nearly 200 members from
many parts of the broadcast, cable, and computer industries, professional
and consumer equipment manufacturers, content producers, and others.
They have now finished their investigations and have prepared
a report, which will be published shortly. A summary of the report
follows, with extracts from the introduction, end-to-end system
description, and recommendations.