DVB aims for 3D TV standards by year-end

The DVB Project has confirmed a programme of work aimed at developing standards for 3D TV. The plan, it said, is to agree the first phase of the 3DTV system (the Phase 1 system) this year.  

This will allow viewers to keep and use their existing set-top box for 3D broadcasts, although they will require a new 3D TV display. The DVB Project said a critical component of 3DTV using set-top boxes will be the connection between the set-top box and the display. It said it would be matching the provisions of the HDMI connector for the 3DTV environment.  “It is understood that the new 3D displays, soon to be available, will be compatible with the Phase 1 broadcast format. The new 3D television displays can, of course, be used for both normal 2D broadcasts and 3DTV broadcasts,” the DVB said in a statement.

The DVB Project has established two groups of specialists led by David Wood of the European Broadcasting Union and David Daniels from BSkyB. The first group is currently preparing the commercial requirements for 3DTV. The second will respond with a technology that will meet the requirements. The technical system, once agreed by all concerned, will be submitted to the ETSI and ITU.   

The DVB commercial experts are discussing a Phase 2 system, which may be needed to meet other requirements, the DVB Project said. There may be the need for existing receivers to have available a 2D version of the same programme as part of the 3DTV channel, or the need for viewers to be able to adjust the picture depth for maximum eye comfort.

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