3D Vision Blog

Panasonic’s 3D-capable Plasma HDTVs are still considered among the best for stereoscopic 3D use and each year the company is improving and adding new features in their new lineup and now it is time for the 2012 lineup. There is of course a new top model – the VT50 Series, that will offer all the top features and it will be only available in 55-inch and 65-inch configuration, but also four more new 3D-capable series – GT50, ST50, UT50 and XT50 as well as just one non 3D-capable series – the U50. The focus of the new 2012 lineup is of course the Smart functionality that should make the TV set way more functional and go beyond just a TV, but the 3D capabilities and image quality are also among the key points and the new and improved Plasma panels should bring better quality in stereoscopic 3D mode as well.

The 2012 models employ NeoPlasma Black 2500 provide a crisp image even when the content shows very fast motion. The 2012 panel further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. In addition, a new panel structure and pre-discharge control technology contribute to an increased native contrast level. Additionally, all the 3D models include DLNA connections for easy link-up to other DLNA equipped products. Improved power efficiency has been addressed with, among other technology advances, new and improved phosphor mixtures and more efficient electronics.

The six VIERA Plasma series, VT50, GT50, ST50, UT50, XT50 and U50 (the only 2D one), feature self illuminating panels with ultimate black levels, NeoPlasma technologies (VT/GT/ST) providing a black filter with a higher efficiency panel that generates the best balance of black and white under brighter environments. The new Louver filter and new high performance panel result in improved external light shading, improved clarity and improved light transmittance. The 2012 models employ the NeoPlasma Black 2500 (VT/GT/ST/UT), a 6,220,800 pixel cells FULL local dimming, 24,576 steps of gradation technology (VT/GT) (previously only available in professional monitors), a new custom driver LSI and a fast switching phosphor panel on all of Panasonic’s 1080p 3D models. Panasonic also continues its relationship with THX with six Full HD 3D Plasma HDTVs, certified in both 2D and 3D mode by the prestigious company founded by George Lucas. THX certification indicates to the consumer that the picture quality has been certified to meet the stringent standards of Hollywood’s top film makers.

All in all what you should expect from the new 2012 lineup of 3D-capable Plasma HDTVs from Panasonic is better image quality – brighter picture, higher contrast, richer colors, better external light blocking and faster response. And when all this is applied in stereoscopic 3D mode you should get even nicer looking and realistic image with less crosstalk. The built-in media player should also be further improved to support more formats. What is not mentioned however is if the new 2012 lineup of 3D-capable Plasma HDTVs from Panasonic will use higher bandwidth-capable HDMI 1.4 chips, so that you could be able to run them in 1080p 30Hz 3D mode or even 1080p 60Hz 3D mode as this is something that will immediately make them way more attractive for stereo 3D gamers and not only for 3D movie lovers. Hopefully we’ll get more details about the extra questions that arise as soon as the first reviews of the new 2012 product line start to appear online.

- For more information about the new top model Panasonic Smart VIERA VT50 3D HDTV…

The DVB Steering Board has announced the approval of the Commercial Requirements for a second DVB 3DTV delivery system. Termed “Service Compatible”, the second system is a solution required by content deliverers that enables the 2D and 3D versions of a programme to be broadcast within the same video signal, so that new 3D televisions and next-generation STBs can receive high 3D programmes, while consumers with existing 2D HDTV receivers and set-top boxes can watch a high-quality 2D version. This 2D picture will probably be either the left or right frame of the 3D “stereo pair”.

Earlier this year, in February, the DVB Steering Board has approved the specification for a first phase DVB 3DTV delivery system (Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Frame Compatible Plano-Stereoscopic 3DTV (DVB-3DTV) BlueBook). This system was developed for broadcasters and content deliverers needing a system that works with the already existing HDTV receivers, provided they are used together with a compatible 3D display. This approach, termed “Frame Compatible”, is now a principal system in use for DVB 3DTV delivery throughout the world when talking about 3D TV channels. However the level of quality provided by this “compatibility” solution for 3D TV channels could be further improved using a new standard and new hardware providing better image quality and higher resolution.

For convenience, this second approach is termed DVB-3DTV “Phase 2a”. The Commercial Requirements should shortly be available as a “BlueBook” on the DVB website for everyone interested in more details. The DVB Technical Module has been asked to complete the preparation of the specification for Phase 2a before the end of summer 2012. Phase 2a will provide additional opportunities for 3DTV services, complementing the first specification, which is referred to now for convenience as 3DTV Phase 1. The DVB is also taking into account the requirements of content deliverers wanting to continue the use of a Phase 1 signal, but wish to provide additional information to improve the image quality for those with “new” receivers. This may result is a Phase 2b specification in due time.

3DTV Desktop is a new tool developed by the Taiwanese company Radiant Star, the one that made the 3Dfier 2D-to-3D DirectShow filter that I’ve already written about here in the blog. Their new tool has nothing to do with autoconversion to 3D however, instead it is targeted to help 3D HDTV users that manually switch to Side by Side 3D mode in order to watch some 3D content from their PC that does not support automatic activation of the 3D mode on the TV set. For example if you open a Side by Side 3D video using a normal video player and want to be able to watch it in 3D on the 3D HDTV that is connected to your computer you need to manually activate the Side by Side 3D mode on the TV, but after the video finishes and you are back on your desktop you will again have to switch to normal mode and then again the next time you wan to watch another 3D video or a 3D photo, or even a game that supports Side by Side output. In order to save you from the need of that constant switching of the TV from the remote control the 3DTV Desktop tool can instead reconfigure your desktop and 2D work environment in a way that it won’t be unusable when you have the TV set in Side by Side mode and it does not display such content. To do that when activated the tool will turn your normal work window into a Side by Side one (squashed) where the actual desktop will be shown in the left side and the right side of the display will be all in white color. This way you will be actually sending Side by Side content to the TV, so your desktop (although it will be shown in 2D) will be visible through the 3D glasses (this will not work well on autostereoscopic 3D displays) and thus saving you from constant switching of the display mode of the 3D HDTV.

Now this may sound as really useful tool for some people and it actually can help quite a lot, but there is some more work needed to be done on it in order to have it even better and more functional, especially considering the fact that it is a commercial product and not a free one. There are also some important requirements that you have to meet in order to have the 3DTV Desktop tool working properly on your computer and doing exactly what it was meant to. There is already an evaluation version available that you can download and test on your computer, it is time limited to 10 minutes of use and to remove the time limit you will have to spend $25 USD for a license, a bit high if you ask me $10 USD for it (the $25 USD price was set there initially by mistake). Be sure that you have the Windows 7 with the Aero interface active as it is required for 3DTV Desktop to work properly, not sure if it will work with Aero on Vista, but it may as well. Another important thing that you should be well aware of is that when at 3DTV Display tool is active there would be 2 cursors on the screen. The thinner one is the one you should look at, and as this is the limitation of the product there are no plans for fixing it. A good thing is that the 3DTV Desktop tool does not need installation, you can just run the executable and it will appear in your system tray, from there you can enable and disable it and you can switch to the Side by Side output “CTRL + 3″ and hitting “CTRL + 2″ will bring you back in normal output of the display, so there is no need to actually stop the program. When active the 3DTV Desktop tool will monitor the top Window in focus and when it becomes in fullscreen it will automatically switch to normal mode so that you can watch the full screen video in 3D automatically. This is especially useful when you play Side by Side 3D videos from a video player or from a website such as YouTube for example.

         

I did play a bit with the tool and have to mention a few things that I’ve noticed that you should know about. First of all having the right part of the picture sent to the 3D HDTV all in white will make the image from the left part of the Side by Side output seem brighter, but it may also make what is displayed there look distorted. A better solution for that would be to just have the left and right parts (frames) of the Side by Side output show exactly the same image, so you will still see a slightly darker 2D version of your desktop for example. That however can be done at the cost of some extra performance loss, but some things better be done with some performance loss and retaining the best possible quality than not. And talking about quality another thing comes to mind, the halving of the actual resolution of the display and then stretching it again when displayed on the 3D HDTV means some loss in image quality and detail due to the use of image resizing (Side by Side squashed image). And here apparently not very high quality resize algorithm is being used, again probably due to concerns of requiring more resources, however here it is totally justified to sacrifice some performance for better quality. The resize algorithm being used does produce bad quality and loss of more detail in my opinion and after replicating the effect using Bicubic resizing produces better results and retains higher image quality. The algorithm currently being used for resizing currently leads to loss of detail, so that some text with small font size can easily become unreadable while it may still remain readable with Bicubic resize. The two photos above show the original output of the 3DTV Dekstop tool in Side by Side format as well as a simulation of how it will look on a 3D HDTV by resizing the already squashed left frame to full resolution.

         

The two photos above show a simulation of the same thing that the 3DTV Desktop tool does but using Bicubic resize method. On the left you see the Side by Side squashed output, retaining higher quality than what the tool’s resize method does as well as the simulation of how it will look like on a 3D HDTV after being stretched again to full screen. There is huge difference in the readability and usability of text with small font size such as the browser’s menu, the URLs of websites, even the names under the icons of programs on the Desktop for example. The authors of the tool recommend to just scale the font size, a solution that may help, but can also be not so comfortable to the way you are used to working on your computer. So using a better resize algorithm and producing better quality is a must here in order not to hurt the usability for the sake of not sacrificing some performance. And finally the dual cursors, that can be quite annoying, but it seems that the issue cannot be avoided according to the authors of the software. But if you happen to know a way how to do it, then you might as well give them a tip to fix it. Still you are welcome to try the 3DTV Desktop tool, you might find it useful in your way of using your computer with a 3D HDTV as a display instead of a 3D monitor.

- For more information and to download and try the 3DTV Desktop tool…