The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has today (Jan. 14) released its roadmap for the developments taking place in 3D TV systems. An ITU study group says that the future systems will be able to mimic the way our eyes and brains perceive the visual world.
ITU’s new roadmap would see 3D TV technology rolled out in three successive generations (technically known as profiles).
First generation: ‘Plano-stereoscopic television’ – calls for two views to be delivered to viewers’ TV sets.
Wearing special glasses similar to those used to watch 3D cinema, viewers will be able to see depth in the picture, although the view will remain the same when they move their heads (in real life, our view changes when we move our heads).
Second generation: Will provide for multiple views, with head movement changing the view, for a viewing experience that more closely mimics real life.
Third generation: Will feature systems that record the amplitude, frequency, and phase of light waves, to reproduce almost completely human beings’ natural viewing environment. These advanced systems are some 15-20 years away, believes ITU.
“This new ITU report establishes a clear framework for the development of new types of systems that will totally change the way we experience broadcast and multimedia content,” said Valery Timofeev, director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau.
“It maps out an exciting vision that won’t just change the look of entertainment, but open up a whole range of exciting new possibilities in sectors from education and healthcare to traffic management.”
According to ITU, the new 3D TV technologies being developed under ITU will also have major implications for the film and television production sector, as content will need to be filmed using special new equipment.
