In Broadcast September 2012 - 52

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 12 - SEPTEMBER 2012

InFOCUS
3D Acquisition And Production Cont.
cameras can be positioned side by side and still ﬁt within an interocular distance of 65mm. “Therefore we offer a 3D camera system without the need to use cumbersome and expensive mirror rigs,” he says. “A Steadicam Op can comfortably work throughout a football match without having to rest – unlike heavy and bulkier mirror rigs where the operator has to rest after only 10-15 minutes work.” Its next development will be a plug-in module which to help improve the camera’s picture quality as well as giving the user the opportunity to adjust the camera’s menu settings during live broadcast; something that has been difﬁcult to achieve previously. Developments in automation and its beamsplitter rigs are targeted by P+S. Its PS-Micro beamsplitter has been designed with Steadicam operators to make it as versatile as possible. The range of accessories for the rig includes also a quarterwave filter, which “dramatically” reduces artifacts created by reﬂections and stray light from the mirror. It is prepared for Hédèn motors and so can be motorised with all available control systems from Cmotion, Preston, Arri and so on. As with other P+S Technik beamsplitters, the rig can be integrated into broadcast stereo setups using a control system such as Sony’s MPC-200, for direct control of stereo settings from the OB van. was spared,” says Cotterill. “We are now seeing programme budgets being cut across the board. There are regular live 3D sports productions but whether these will get greater in number may well be a decision made by accountants not programme producers.” A question taxing the minds of broadcasters is how to ﬁnance 3D events without a manufacturing sponsor. At some point Sony, Panasonic and others will withdraw from underwriting the costs of live events and channels requiring broadcasters to step in. A pooled 2D/3D production is the obvious option but franchise holders are reluctant to jeopardise the host 2D World Feed which is the primary product they sell to broadcasters, by allowing 3D to impact on editorial direction or technical infrastructure. This is the case at Wimbledon where Sony looks likely to continue its association with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and extend its three-year contract to produce Wimbledon Championships in 3D. This year’s operation was remarkable for how routine the outside broadcast was. True, it went tapeless with recording to EVS and SRMaster machines and Sony also trialled use of a PMW-TD300 3D camcorder docked to an SR-R1 recorder to boost the rate of data throughput for capturing interviews and onsite content, but in all other aspects it broadly mirrored that established in 2011 Twelve matches from the quarter ﬁnals were captured in 3D by CAN Communicate and Sony, from a Centre Court populated with six 3D camera positions, ﬁve of which were 3Ality Pulsars carrying Sony P1s, and another a lockedoff PMW-TD300 which was able to be positioned in the conﬁned space of a commentary booth. Six operators took charge of the MPE-200 technology which control live convergence. Reflecting on the broadcast, Sony’s Head of Business Development – 3D & Sports, Mark Grinyer said: “Feedback for this year has been great. Some of this is due to technology, but a larger part is due to experience. Last year there was no benchmark, but this year we had a target to aim beyond.” It is good – but is it compelling enough of an experience for more broadcasters to air 3D? The format remains an experiment at the BBC which is having an internal debate as to whether stereo 3D or the ultrarealism of formats like 8K Super HiVision provide a more immersive audience experience. BBC Executive Sport Producer Paul Davies admits: “There is some debate about the effectiveness of tennis in 3D. While it is very fresh and impactful there are some that think it doesn’t deliver as well in 3D as other sports like boxing or football. You can also argue that in those sports the jury is still out on 3D and ask whether the long term coverage of sport may be more like Super Hi-Vision.” Glasses are increasingly viewed as the main impediment to 3D viewing and there is rapid development in autosterescopic multi-view displays from companies including Sony and Dolby which makes this space one of the hottest to watch at IBC. ■
Cel-Scope 3D key visual read-outs

On-Set Analysis
The latest iteration of Cinedeck’s software (v3.5) features new 3D stereo visualisation tools, for onset/near-set playback and the checking of 3D stereo material. These include several anaglyph playback options, plus overlay, luma difference, and the ability to ﬂip-ﬂop the image when shooting with mirror rigs. This comprehensive toolset gives stereographers the opportunity to analyse their 3D set-ups and make adjustments early in the production process. Cinedeck RX Broadcast is intended for integration into OB and multi-camera workﬂows and a portable EX configuration. “It provides true unsynchronised dual camera support where each camera input can support different settings,” says the firm. It has two-channel single-link HDSDI inputs with four singlelink HDSDI outputs, full duplex video I/O for simultaneous record/play, character overlay to display/embed metadata, such as timecode, status and GPS coordinates (with supported GPS hardware) on a control room monitor, and supports eight channels of embedded audio. It also offers real-time up/down/cross conversion. Cel-Soft’s latest version of its Cel-Scope 3D analyser include graphical disparity scales for parameters such as depth range, rotation errors, vertical mismatches and luminance imbalances,” explains Cel-Soft MD Robin Palmer. These supplement over 60 different multiple display modes which users can choose from. One of the most popular displays on the product is the depth spectrogram. This enables an operator to see if the 3D is approaching acceptable limits or is jumping around too much for comfort, based on a timeline history. An active cursor can explore this display with a read-out of both spot disparity and timecode values and the timebase can be set to vary from seconds to hours. Cel-Scope3D can be coupled via a capture card in post suites to SGO Mistika, Quantel Pablo or Blackmagic Design Resolve. Cel-Scope3D it is also used as an on-set tool for 3D camera rig alignment on a laptop.

2D + 3D = 5D
“When 3D originally appeared, budgets were high and no expense

Sony P1 offers an immersive experience

http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_tab_home_top http://www.twitter.com/inbroadcast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpzEatLsHdE&feature=youtube_gdata_player http://www.facebook.com/pages/InBroadcast-e-zine/226166444076212 http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/inbroadcast/id468652679?mt=8 http://WWW.INBROADCAST.COM http://www.cel-soft.com/celscope3d/ http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/hdseries/hdc-p1/overview

In Broadcast September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast September 2012