[mythtv-users] MythTV and 3D ?

[Simon Hobson]

Mike Perkins wrote:

>As a matter of interest, what happens for those of us who either don't have or
>don't want 3D TV? There will probably be occasions in the future 
>when all that's
>transmitted for a particular program is a 3D option. How will this 
>be displayed
>in 2D? Alternate frames? I can't see it being possible to blend the 
>viewpoints.

You may find these blog entries useful/interesting.
http://gonedigital.net/tag/3d/

Seems the BBC have been asking themselves exactly that question - how 
to offer 3d without p***ing off anyone without 3d equipment. The 
latest trick they've experimented with was to transmit a side-by-side 
split screen and use the MHEG scaling options to stretch one half up 
to full screen for 2d viewers. Previously they've done simulcasts - 
eg 3d on BBC HD, and 2d on BBC One (SD) and BBC One HD.

I can't help thinking a better way (as already suggested in this 
thread) would be to transmit a full HD image plus a separate stream 
with difference information. 2d equipment could just ignore the 
difference stream (and we could configure our equipment to not store 
it), while 3d equipment could process it. Sounds sensible, but I 
guess the encoding requirements could be quite significant.

Problem is, the standards are now effectively "set in stone" by what 
is already in people's living rooms - so it seems a bit a**e about 
t*t to be still working these questions out :-/

-- 
Simon Hobson

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