(See also Part 1: "A 3D Revolution: But Will the People Show Up?")
While the new 3D Blu-ray players and flat screens are hogging the spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, technologists are already preparing for the next stages in the 3D revolution.
Down the line, that means taking off those bulky glasses … and even holograms (imagine watching Princess Leia's hologram beg Obi-Wan for help in “Star Wars” -- as an actual hologram).
But the first step: Providing more conventional 3D product to consumers – especially with providers like DirecTV, TK and TK devoting entire channels to the format.
On that front, the conversion of existing 2D programming to 3D is getting a lot of attention, especially as advancements push the price down. And for good reason: Not only would a flood of conversions provide instant content for 3D-ready homes, but it would breathe new life not into everything from recently released movie hits to classic TV series, such as “Star Trek” or even "CSI."
The technology has already been used to convert library titles such as “Toy Story” and “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” as well as Disney's upcoming “Beauty and the Beast” re-do.
“There is a lot of heat in this space,” said David Wertheimer, CEO of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC. “Virtually all of the companies that have great libraries are going back and doing projections on which titles might lend themselves to conversion. It is a very active area of discussion.”
The technique is also considered an option for new productions. Disney’s “G-Force” was the first new title to be made in 2D, then converted.
Challenges include pricing and quality. A year ago, conversion estimates ranged from roughly $50,000 per minute to more than $100,000 per minute, depending on the complexity of the content. As additional companies entered this market, pricing started to drop -- although rates still vary greatly as not all methods are created equal.
“You can automate the process, but to make it look really good, it is an artistic process,” Wertheimer told TheWrap.
Conversion techniques also have to create quality 3D that is comfortable to watch.
