Category Archives: Market Commentary, Screen Digest Analysts

Analyst Market Commentaries of Goldmedia partner Screen Digest, London.

Analyst Commentary. PS3 to get 3D Blu-ray playback

Datum: 2010/09/27 1:38 PM | Autor: Screen Digest

www.screendigest.com, 24-Sep-10. Sony’s Playstation (PS3) received a firmware update to make the games console 3D Blu-ray Disc (3D BD) compatible on 21 September 2010, despite a recent announcement by Sony Computers at the IFA in Berlin that it could be delayed till October. The update enables full HD 3D (1080p to each eye) playback, although this comes at the expense of lossless HD audio and BD-Java functionallity. The potential for PS3 3D BD playback capability was first revealed in January 2010.

Commentary of Richard Cooper, Senior Analyst Video of Screen Digest:

Richard Cooper
Richard Cooper, Senior Analyst

PS33D BD playback, whilst a coup for PS3 processing superiority, will have little immediate impact on the adoption of 3D in the home. The practically non-existent installed base of 3D TVs and the low number of 3D BD titles for purchase – outside of 3D hardware bundling deals – prior to the fourth quarter 2010 will make the primary benefit of the update that of raising consumer awareness for 3D video.  Unlike the early adoption of 2D BD in 2006-07 the adoption of 3D BD is wholly dependent on the purchase of compatible 3D displays. Screen Digest analysis indicates that 3D capability will quickly become a feature of all high end displays, expected to carry a premium of just 10% after the initial launch years. A similar dynamic is likely to be adopted for dedicated video playback devices. Drawing parallels with early hi-def, the PS3 will initially form the vast majority of 3D BD playback devices, though the number actually connected to 3D TVs will again be small and thus 3D video compatibility is unlikely to sell a significant number of games consoles. The absence of an HDMI 1.4 port in the console (mandated by dedicated 3D BD player specifications) will deter some 3D purists. The use of HDMI 1.3 – which is supported by the current PS3 models – necessitates a compromise in the PS3 3D experience; sound quality and BD-java functionality have been rediced to accommodate 3D video playback. However, following the update, the PS3 once again represents the most cost effective, cutting edge video playback solution in the home and the slight reduction in the audio experience is unlikely to be noticed by any but the most discerning of consumers.

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CableLabs releases 3D specification

Datum: 2010/09/09 10:00 AM | Autor: Screen Digest

www.screendigest.com, 02-Sep-10. Cablelabs have released a public specification for frame compatible 3D encoding and distribution. Two formats, top-bottom and side-by-side, are supported for HD resolutions (720p, 1080i and 1080p) using MPEG-2 and AVC/H.264 (MPEP-4). Top-bottom formatting for 3D is only supported for HD progressive scan (720p and 1080p) while side-by-side is only supported for interlaced HD (1080i). Other 3D formats, such as checkerboard, interlacing or time-sequencing are not supported. The specification also outlines signalling and metadata associated with 3D in order to convey to receivers if the video is 3D formatted.

Commentary of Tom Morrod, Senior Analyst, Head of  TV Technology of Screen Digest:

Tom Morrod, Senior Analyst

Tom Morrod, Senior Analyst

Cablelabs have taken the first major step to allow broadcasters to launch 3D channels in the US with a definition of the acceptable formats and resolutions for frame compatible 3D. Frame compatible 3D defines all formats where the left and right images are squeezed into a pre-existing 2D frame size. In the case of side-by-side 3D in a 1080×1920 frame the left and right image are each sampled to 1080×960 pixels and broadcast next to each other with the left image taking up the left hand side of the frame. Cablelabs have also standardised the algorithm used to exclude any complex, resolution restoring variants.

The decision to limit the use of side-by-side to 1080i transmissions means that this will undoubtably become the dominant format used by broadcast in the US since the vast majority of HD transmissions are in 1080i. Top-bottom is excluded from using interlaced formats since it would compound the resolution removed during interlacing by subsampling vertically (removing rows for the 3D format from an image with half the rows of resolution in a single frame). This will constrain top-bottom to use in the few 720p transmissions such as planned by ESPN.

Upon resizing of either a 720p or 1080i transmission from top-bottom or side-by-side frame compatible 3D the resulting image will be sub-HD resolution per eye and so Cablelabs will need to release a follow-up specification to define the processes and pre-requisite chipset upgrades needed to deliver HD 3D to the home.

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Google is staying in China after all

Datum: 2010/07/15 10:00 AM | Autor: Screen Digest

www.screendigest.com, 12-Jul-10. Google and Beijing have reached a new compromise that will allow Google to keep operating in China.

In an unexpected development, Chinese authorities have renewed Google’s Internet Content Provider (ICP) licence to operate in mainland China, after both parties have apparently accepted compromises in the dispute that has caused them to clash during the last six months. It means Google’s presence in China and Google.cn will continue to operate in the mid-term.

In a public dispute that started in December 2009, Google said it was ready to renounce their license and close Google.cn rather than keep filtering search results. In spring, Google started to automatically redirect Chinese users towards a Hong-Kong-based, unfiltered site (Google.com.hk), in what could be seen as an unsustainable last stand and an escalation of the dispute.

In the compromise that finally led to the renewal of their licence, Google will stop automatic redirection and instead direct users to a landing page where they will have a choice to click a link towards the uncensored website - which will now be only one click away – or stay in the filtered google.cn environment. Continue reading →

Mobile TV and video set for World Cup boost

Datum: 2010/06/17 4:09 PM | Autor: Screen Digest

www.screendigest.com, 16-Jun-10. As the FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa, a host of broadcasters and  mobile network operators have launched mobile TV, video and news services to cater to the expanding audience for sports content on mobile.

  • UK broadcaster ITV has launched an iPhone application and web app that offers live streams of all ITV World Cup broadcasts. Available for free over Wi-Fi and 3G, the app was built by Red Bee Media and is monetised by pre and post-roll advertising. ITV has also launched an iPhone application with news, schedule information, podcasts and video highlights.
  • Orange expects the World Cup to lead to at least a 74 per cent jump in viewing figures among its UK mobile TV audience. Orange UK customers can watch all ITV’s World Cup games as part of the operator’s £5 per month mobile TV service.
  • US broadcaster ESPN is streaming 56 World Cup matches to its US mobile TV subscribers. The 56 games are available from each of the major US operators (Verizon, Sprint and AT&T). AT&T customers will also have access to the eight concurrent matches via a dedicated World Cup channel.

Commentary of Jack Kent,  Analyst Mobile Media of Screen Digest:

Jack Kent

Jack Kent, Research Analyst

Sports content has long been a major driver of adoption of mobile TV. Orange’s April 2010 Digital Media Index reported that 51 per cent of its mobile TV audience was for dedicated sports channels.

With a number of the World Cup games taking place during the work day (particularly for Western European and North American audiences), broadcasters and operators can exploit mobile TV’s ubiquitous availability to capture an audience unable to watch at home.

ESPN has seen early success with its mobile coverage of the World Cup. Two days into the tournament it reported that more than 8.2m people had accessed its mobile web and app World Cup content, generating more than 50.4m page views and 550,000 video streams.

The success of free sports content on mobile is not in doubt; it is increasingly likely that ad-funded services will have most success and paid subscriptions that offer bundled multi-platform access will fare better than stand-alone mobile services. As the World Cup only lasts one month – it is also likely that many new paid subscribers will churn after the tournament, unless service providers continue to offer compelling content.

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Imagion authors first European 3D BD

Datum: 2010/06/07 10:00 AM | Autor: Dr. Katrin Penzel

www.screendigest.com, 24-May-10. German independent authoring house Imagion has produced Europe’s first 3D BD and become the first independent to author a 3D BD in the process. The title Grand Canyon Adventure was originally an IMAX 3D theatrical title and will be released in Germany in June 2010 by Canadian distributor Big Picture Productions in June 2010. More IMAX-sourced 3D content is expected from Big Picture over the next year.

Commentary of Richard Baxter,  Research Analyst Video of Screen Digest:

Richard Baxter

Richard Baxter, Research Analyst Video

The range of titles produced for IMAX 3D theatres offers one source of high quality 3D programming that can be readily repurposed for 3D home entertainment. Otherwise, most early 3D content is likely to come from the Hollywood majors, or from the few independents that already have 3D content in the pipeline such as Belgian 3D production company nWave Pictures. Screen Digest understands that the Hollywood studios themselves have so far worked entirely with Los Angeles-based 3D BD service providers so far, namely Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) and the US operations of Deluxe, Sony DADC and Technicolor. This reflects the fact that 3D BD is a new technology and the studios have had to make numerous creative or technical decisions during the authoring process. For example, subtitling – not previously an issue of concern to many in Hollywood – has proved a particularly difficult area, often requiring studios to make a final judgement on the position of subtitles in the Z plane. However, as standard practices develop 3D BD authoring is likely to become increasingly localised, with European titles authored in the region as is the norm for DVD and 2D BD. Regional operations of the key players are likely to absorb the bulk of Hollywood’s International work in due course, but in the interim the first 3D BDs authored in Europe are likely to be from independent content providers, many of which already have long standing relationships with independent authoring houses, established through DVD and 2D BD. Those European authoring houses that can rapidly ramp up 3D capability will therefore have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve in terms of experience.

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