AMSTERDAM: The big deal at this year’s IBC has been 3D, according to a TVB correspondent at the broadcast technology trade show held annually in the Netherlands. (Convention center pictured at right.)
“There are the usual production, post, and transmission suspects, but Nagravision is showing a 3D program guide and Viaccess is showing 3D conditional access,” she said. “The IBC Innovation Awards Ceremony featured 16 minutes in 3D of James Cameron’s upcoming feature ‘Avatar,’ and David Wood of the EBU said that ‘3D programming should come with a health warning.’ Sky TV is showing 3D, and the person giving out the glasses there said it gave her a headache.”
The quandary of 3D, the latest, greatest Holy Grail in the video industry, was emphasized by an NDS systems analyst during a break-out session at the show.
“While everyone accepts that 3D is going to create the ‘wow’ factor for viewers, get it wrong and you are going to have serious problems,” Kevin Murray said, according to the IBC Daily. He said the technical challenges to do HD properly were formidable, especially for graphics and manipulating video.
Camera developments were another feature of the show, TVB’s correspondent said.
“I’ve seen more new cameras from more companies I never heard of before than at any other event I can remember,” she wrote.
IBC’s new Production Village, featured “a big camera set with cameras from... Silicon Imaging, Weisscam, and ARRI. ARRI’s new camera is making a big splash because it’s not being billed as an electronic-cinematography camera, though it seems based on the D-20/21 design.
“Lux Media Plan has an ice-cube-sized camera with the 2/3-inch Xensium sensor Grass Valley uses in the Infinity. Easylook is showing a 3D camcorder--with 3-D viewfinder, ViewMaster style--that looks a lot like Panasonic’s mockup come to life.
“There are two Sony cameras at the Production Village: an XDCAM EX and an F35. There are also seven Panasonics, five JVCs, including the 4K, and an ARRI D-21, a Weisscam HD-2, a Silican Imaging SI-2K, a Grass Valley Viper, a Red 1, and a camera from a brand new exhibitor, HDAVS, a Chinese company.
“Their HDC-680 camcorder records on iVDR disk drives or identical-format flash drives that they make; they call both E2. Hitachi has a thumb-sized HD camera module--1/2.5-inch sensor--with 10:1 zoom lens.”
The IBC show winds up tomorrow.
(Image byAndré)
