By Stephan Faudeux Manager Dimension 3 Preparations are underway for the annual Dimension 3 Expo which is being held at the Saint-Denis in Paris France. As part of that effort the show’s manager Stephan Faudeux asks and answers thirteen of the top questions surrounding the development of stereoscopic 3D. Stereoscopic 3D is currently under the limelight with successful films such as Avatar and the arrival of 3D TV sets. Do you believe this is a fad or rather a logical evolution of the market? If S-3D is only a gimmick then an impressive number of people are falling for it! More seriously we are confident that S-3D is here to stay: it now covers the media audio-visual and entertainment industries making it a hugely profitable market. While 3D has risen and fallen in the past today is the first time all conditions are present for its success. However S-3D as we currently know it is only a transitional step: 3D will eventually merge with other tools creating hybrid visual technologies. Is 3D technology primarily focused on entertainment? What are the other segments where 3D can revolutionize user experiences? Cinema video games communication are the first markets to be concerned by 3D with an historical advance of cinema. Broadcast is also about to be touched by 3D with the launching of 3D Channels these next months in Europe and America. But 3D technologies will also change the way to work of all the jobs which work with visualization as Aeronautics Automobile Architecture Engineering Departments Security Defence Medicine Research. One day 3D will also revolutionize the pedagogical experiences of education and training areas with augmented reality application serous games realtime 3D. As we currently know S-3D is only a transitional step: 3D will eventually merge with other tools creating hybrid visual technologies. What has been the adoption of 3D Technology globally? 3D is growing in different countries with a major adoption for the USA market. In Europe 3D is booming too particularly in France with about more than 3D Digital Theatres. But everywhere in the world 3D screens are occupied with Hollywood movies: I think it’s a major problem. Creators have to consider 3D is a new way to produce content. The production cost is higher (25 to 30 percent) but the success also. Every country that got a cinema culture should go on with this technology now. How fast is S3D becoming more and more accessible? S-3D is growing simultaneously on several markets. 3D in cinemas has the fastest growth rate but it is the easiest process from a technological point of view. The true challenge is 3D at home and there will be a fierce competition between manufacturers. S-3D will be accessible through a variety of media and channels. Here again contents are vital and should not be produced quickly and carelessly. If consumers are driven away from 3D it will be difficult to get them interested again. S-3D often requires wearing glasses. Do you think viewers are willing to wear them? Do you believe such solutions will eventually be replaced by processes requiring no eyewear? While some viewers see glasses as intrusive they are generally very well accepted in theatres. The real issue is the use of glasses at home: several pairs should be owned the batteries need to be changed home screens are sometimes used in bad lighting conditions and extra eyewear means extra costs. The release of 3D television sets over the coming months will enable us to assess the technology’s maturity. Glasses are still indispensable to see contents in 3D. Auto-stereoscopic screens (requiring no eyewear) will not be seen in homes until several years from now: current models have poor quality and are not ready for mass production. With all the technologies currently available (passive active no eyewear projectors) do users have enough information? Will Dimension 3 Expo help them make the right choices? To be precise there are several S-3Ds each covering specific uses and applications. At Dimension 3 we explore these various fields: our event is the best platform to discover and understand which display technology is most appropriate for which use since each technology has a certain field of specialty. Could video games benefit from 3D? Two categories should be considered here: console games and PC games. For the latter S-3D is already technically feasible. Nvidia enables many games to be played in 3D through its 3Dvision solution. A number of games are actually already 3D enabled. For console gaming Sony has announced the PS3 will soon be able to play 3D contents meaning that it will also play 3D Blu-Ray discs. As in other fields video games will require proficiency in 3D writing. How 3D technology has evolved? How do you see its future? There are several “3D” each covering specific uses and applications. 3D now covers the media audio-visual entertainment industries and visualization making it a hugely profitable market. While 3D has risen and fallen in the past today thanks to digital era it is the first time all conditions are present for its success. 3D in cinemas has the fastest growth rate but it is the easiest process from a technological point of view. The true challenge is 3D at home and there will be a fierce competition between manufacturers. S-3D will be accessible through a variety of media and channels. Will 3D technology be the future of television? How will it change consumer experience? What has been the adoption rate of 3D in television and personal computers? 3D technology is one of the futures of television: the first step for a more immersive experience. We don’t know at this point how consumers are going to adopt 3DTV. All the TV manufacturers have chosen to develop 3DTV with active glasses and consumers have to manage these glasses. The first wave of sales of 3D screen is now and manufacturers are optimists. For PC consumers can now buy 3D board to put in their PC. The gaming seems to be the best way to push 3D at home. 3D is still high priced technology. When will we see adoption of it in large volume? What are the challenges in bringing down the cost? Some studies made by consultant group as iSupli said the number of 3-D TVs to ship worldwide by 2015 will reach 78 millions climbing at a compound annual growth rate of 80 percent from the 4.2 million expected to ship this year. The cost is not so expensive that consumers expect: it is approximately 15 percent more than a good flat screen. Who is Dimension 3’s target audience? Dimension 3 is a forum that speaks to all professionals involved in the uses or the potential of stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) and new images (virtual reality augmented reality) as well as to all those looking for solutions tools or experts for any step of the process from filming all the way up to screening. Dimension 3 is also a place to reflect on tomorrow’s images and on how they will evolve. One of Dimension 3’s strong points is to bring together professional communities who usually don't meet: the industrial sector producers business owners creators manufacturers and scientists from all over the globe working in a variety of markets including cinema television games communication visualization medicine. This gives the Forum both a technological and a creative approach giving our participants a high degree of visibility on various markets’ development strategies. Will Dimension 3 provide helpful information to image experts seeking to switch to 3D? Over three days professionals will be presented with a comprehensive view of S-3D and new images. They can discover the challenges presented by these technologies and through the many exhibitors test tools meet producers study all steps of the S-3D image creation chain from filming to screening. For those wishing to venture further into the realm of 3D we will organize a training course during the week before Dimension 3: “S3D Campus” will be open to 35 trainees from all across Europe. This course is supported by the European Union’s MEDIA program and is given by a dozen international experts. Dimension 3 Expo
