Los Angeles
–
The
Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA)
today
announced the finalization and release of the “Blu-ray 3D” specification.
The specification, which was assembled by Hollywood studios and consumer electronic and computer
manufacturers, will enable the development products to play and display 3D
movies and videos from Blu-ray Discs on HD TV sets in the home.
“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,” stated Victor Matsuda, BDA global promotions committee chairman. “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 ensures uniformity and compatibility
across the full range of Blu-ray 3D products, both hardware and software.
Most specifically, it will allow every Blu-ray 3D
player and movie to deliver Full HD 1080p resolution to each eye, for the
highest image quality available.
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, the BDA said.
“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, according to a
statement from the association.
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 percent 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 association said the specification will be
available shortly to enable individual manufacturers and content providers to
have “the technical information and guidelines to develop, announce and bring
products to market pursuant to their own internal planning cycles and
timetables.”
