MasterImage 3D Blog

“Can a Better Screen Finally Produce a 3-D Tablet Worth Buying?”

Matt Liszt — Sun, 06 May 2012 03:44:36 +0000

This week we were up in my old stomping ground of San Francisco. The City looks great, by the way, completely booming.

Special thanks to our amazing PR team, Concept PR. It seems that some tech journalists and bloggers are still on the fence about 3D smartphones as the US has yet to see a breakthrough hit. We showed off our 3D Tablet to communicate this is a fantastic device to start media consumers viewing and interacting with Stereo 3D on a daily basis. Not only Hollywood movies, but games, animated pop-up books, comics, programming… and, of course, dual lens camera for home 3D videos. Here is some of the early reactions, and we expect more to come.

The Verge – “MasterImage prices glasses-free 3D: negligible battery drain for a notable premium“ (@nateralph)

The latest iteration of the MasterImage’s glasses-free tech was being demoed on a Qualcomm reference tablet, and it didn’t fail to impress. MasterImage’s patented technology works rather well, serving up bright and vivid 3D video and images, without the requisite headaches or nausea. Viewing angles are generous; glasses-free 3D technology is often limited by the room your head has to roam, and MasterImage’s tech gave us a few inches of wiggle room before fading back into 2D. It’s also brighter and clearer than the competing technology we’ve seen to date.

TIME.com Techland, Technologizer -
“MasterImage 3D’s 3D Tablet: Surprisingly Decent, and No Glasses Needed” (@harrymccracken)

The company’s technology is known as cell matrix parallax barrier, and it involves a layer on the LCD screen with barriers that let each of your eyes see a slightly different image. MasterImage 3D says that its system involves larger gaps between the barriers than competing approaches to glasses-free 3D, permitting a brighter image with no ghosting effect. I watched the trailers for Hugo and The Amazing Spider-Man and checked out a game and other samples, and as long as I was careful to hold the tablet at just the right angle, the 3D was surprisingly crisp and subtle.

All Things D – “Can a Better Screen Finally Produce a 3D Tablet Worth Buying?” (@inafried)

The result is an impressive image that can be used to create the illusion of bubbles or confetti that appear to shoot out several inches from the screen. It’s equally adept at displaying 3-D Hollywood movies or playing adapted 3-D versions of existing games. Unlike rival technologies that alternate line by line, MasterImage alternates smaller groups of images, a feat that the company says allows it to produce brighter images and allow 3-D to be shown regardless of which way the device is held.

The Avengers: #fightflat and See It in 3D?

Matt Liszt — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:43:01 +0000

The early reviews of The Avengers are incredible. We know that it is a 3D conversion but Joss Whedon promised us the 3D would be great. What’s the early word on the street?

Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy: “not only does this eye-popping 3D display of visual effects fireworks feature an enormously high proportion of action scenes, but director Joss Whedon has adroitly balanced the celebrity circus to give every single one of the superstar characters his or her due. Worldwide box-office returns will be, in a word, Marvelous.

Comicbookmovies.com: MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS 2D Vs. 3D. Which Should You See?

“now that I’ve seen both versions, it’s hard to not recommend seeing the superhero ensemble in 3D. We already know that Joss Whedon directed the film with the intention of it eventually being converted (unlike most studios that end up doing a quick post-conversion when they realise they can make a few more bucks from sticking the word “3D” after the title) and it shows. For a good chunk of the film, the 3D is unnecessary to some extent. When Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are standing around talking, there’s no real sense of depth and it makes you wonder whether they just decided to put less effort into adding any sort of immersion into those scenes. However, this is really only a very minor complaint as the majority of the film ends up looking downright fantastic in three dimensions and even those mentioned above still look pretty damn good overall! … Just about all of the action scenes benefit from the 3D effects, but none more so than the final battle in New York. As the Leviathan makes its way throughthe city, you may even experience a little bit of vertigo as it quickly becomes such a breathtaking experience.”

CinemaBlend - To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Avengers Ticket

“To be perfectly honest, I pretty much stopped noticing the 3D in The Avengers beyond a handful of standout scenes, and that says as much about the amazing quality of the movie as the perfectly acceptable quality of the 3D. If you are really, really excited about The Avengers you may want to see it in 3D, since I really do think it has the power to suck you even further into the action. But if you want to save the cash and somehow managed to find a 2D screening, you’re not going to miss a whole lot. This is the movie everyone will be talking about for weeks, though, and most people are going to see it in 3D– maybe it’s worth it just to be part of the conversation.”

Blending Cool: “It undoubtedly places you within the action, successfully. You are on those streets, the Hulk towers above you, Captain America leads you to the perimeter of 39th street, you are inside Iron Man’s suit with him… but there’s a problem with some of the 3D elements that just look fake. I don’t think the studio convincingly mix fast action CGI with live action convincingly enough as you can in 2D, and there are a number of scenes, especially with the Chitauri, where they fly in front of the action and it looks as real as green screen on Doctor Who in the 1970s (told you). When it was still blue screen. It’s the modern equivalent of Chroma Key and it pulled me right out of the film. Also there’s a flip that Cap does on the Helicarrier, where he just looks like he’s in the XBox. Just saying.“

I love this video review. **SPOILER ALERT** ”4:35″ is where he starts talking about the 3D.

Why Mark Lubow of 423 Digital Loves Mobile 3D

Matt Liszt — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:54:42 +0000

Enjoy this article by MobileThinker s. We borrowed it from their site and are reposting because we think it’s great. Full credit to them! Thanks…

The Stage is Set for Mobile 3D

by CATHY BOYLE

3D is coming soon to a mobile device near you. Consumers, manufacturers and wireless carriers are in position for a big US debut but the star of the show — 3D content — is still en route to the theater. Mark Lubow, Founder and President of 423 Digital, Inc., an entertainment technology company that licenses and distributes short-form 3D content for autostereoscopic (eyewear-free) mobile 3D devices, recently gave Mobile Thinkers an overview of 3D smartphones and explained how 423 Digital is stepping in to make 3D content readily available. Tune-in below for Mark’s insights on this emerging industry.

Can you describe the state of 3D mobile devices and content availability in the US?

Mark: In a word, “emerging.” The first mobile 3D smartphones were launched here last year by Sprint (HTC EVO 3D) and AT&T (LG Thrill), with combined unit sales in the low seven figures. This represents a penetration of less than 1% of total mobile phones in the US. Adding the Nintendo 3DS gaming console to the mix and you get a total installed base of approximately 5-6 million autostereoscopic (eyewear free) 3D devices in the US. It’s not a huge number, but it’s a good start. Globally, there are around 20 million devices, a figure expected to grow to over 300 million by 2015.

Regarding mobile 3D content, there is clearly not enough available today to sustain the market. This is the very reason why I started 423 Digital, Inc. two years ago. After analyzing the 2009 launch of the first mobile 3D device in Japan (the Hitachi Wooo), it was clear that the lack of available 3D content short-circuited the chances for 3D devices to woo the market. Since we saw the same situation about to materialize in the US, we decided to jump in and fill the gap.

What obstacles exist for widespread adoption?

Mark: It may sound trite, but this is a classic “chicken and egg” situation. Due to the incremental production costs and relatively small distribution footprint, many producers aren’t committing to create content for any consumer 3D platform today – 3DTVs or mobile devices. While Hollywood may make it seem like 3D is ubiquitous, only 45 of 610 films (7%) released in 2011 were 3D. However, I’d note that 6 of the top 10 highest grossing films last year were 3D – a testament to the tremendous popularity of the format!

On the flip side, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)are hesitant to commit to mass producing 3D devices until there’s more content available and component costs come down. Also, despite the recent spike in 3D feature film interest, consumers still watch less than 5-10 minutes of mobile video per day on average. While these durations will increase as larger screens come to market, we believe that short-form 3D will be more relevant over the next few years. This is why 423 Digital has focused on cultivating a catalog of professional short-form 3D titles. We have access to about 500 premium 3D titles at the moment.

What opportunities does 3D content development/distribution present for wireless carriers, media companies, brands or marketers?

Mark: I think the opportunities for each of these groups are compelling. For a wireless carrier, whose basic services have been commoditized, mobile 3D presents a great opportunity to differentiate from competitors and establish itself as a leader in next generation mobile entertainment. Additionally, the fundamental benefits for carriers include the opportunity to generate additional data ARPU, spark handset sales and drive content revenue.

For media companies, one of the obvious opportunities is to establish an incremental revenue stream from ad sales. Once the medium achieves greater adoption, I’d anticipate that 3D ads will command higher CPMs due to the materially higher recall and engagement rates that 3D video yields. Hopefully this will help even out the current imbalance in mobile ad spending, which apparently is only 1% of total ad dollars but 23% of total media engagement.

One of the opportunities for larger OEMs like Samsung, Sony and LG, is being able to offer 3D content across all of their video platforms (e.g. smartphones, laptops, tablets, 3DTVs, etc.). Branded content portals will be the glue that holds these platforms together, and I think 3D will definitely play a role here. Unfortunately, mobile OEM pure-plays like HTC, Blackberry and Nokia will be challenged to replicate this offering. The secondary benefit of this strategy is to wrest “ownership” of the customer from the carriers. Ironically, this is taking a page directly from the carrier playbook when they figured out years ago that there was a strong correlation between service subscriptions and loyalty rates (i.e. the more services a consumer had with a single carrier, the less likely they were to churn). As you know, Apple is successfully deploying this strategy in the US with the iPhone, iPad, iPod and iTunes. Now consumers are increasingly selecting their carrier based on the device brand, and not the device based on the carrier brand. This model is prevalent in Europe since switching carriers essentially requires swapping out SIM cards – one of the benefits of standardizing on GSM from the outset.

Is there an international market that is leading the way and is there something we can learn from this market? 

Mark: As can be expected, the Asian market is leading the way as most of these devices are produced in the region. In particular, Japan and Korea are hotspots for mobile 3D launches but India and China are also showing strong growth potential. Europe is also seeing strong demand for 3D devices and content.

While we’re still in the early phases of mobile 3D content development and distribution, one of the broad lessons we are learning from Europe and Asia is that their proactive investment in fixed and mobile networks will be a positive enabler for mobile video (2D and 3D). While their mobile networks can readily support high definition 2D and 3D content delivery, our networks still struggle with delivering still images. There are many drivers that contributed to the less-than-optimal state of network affairs here, all of which are resulting in slower data speeds and a poor mobile video experience. And if you think that buffering, pixilation and time-outs create a frustrating experience for today’s 2D content, just imagine how much worse it will be with 3D!

Thankfully, we understood this challenge from the beginning and have worked hard to mitigate its potentially negative impact. To address this, 423 Digital has identified an amazing new compression technology that is expected to use 5-10x less bandwidth than today for mobile video streaming – both 2D and 3D content. We anticipate that this ultra-compression technology will alleviate many of the issues associated with video delivery on today’s highly congested mobile networks.

Can you give an example of effective 3D mobile content that is being used in the US today?

Mark: I think the most effective usage of mobile 3D content in the US would be on the Nintendo 3DS. While it’s not our business model, they have a very thoughtful approach to 3D content distribution which includes the curation and presentation of a small number of shorts. They are definitely aiming for quality over quantity. They also pay for content upfront, which makes producers especially happy.

That said, we are seeing some friction around different content licensing models, since this is a new market with relatively little pricing precedent and transparency. In general, producers want upfront payments or guaranteed minimums, and distributors would prefer revenue share deals. However, until major investment dollars are pumped into this market, I think both parties are going to have to deal with a certain amount of risk here. As a distributor, we recognize that this dynamic exists and are sympathetic to the producers’ perspective so we’re trying to be creative and flexible while the market gains its footing.

What is driving interest in 3D on mobile devices and what role do you play in meeting this demand?

Mark: First and foremost, carriers want to offer a great customer experience. Imagine you walked into a carrier store last year, listened to a whiz-bang 3D sales pitch from a retail associate and then paid a premium for the latest and greatest mobile 3D device. When you walk out of the store with your amazing new 3D device, you’d expect there to be a good selection of high quality 3D content available to watch, right?

Well, you would have been disappointed that there were only about 3-4 3D videos to download. Not a good customer experience.

The issue is that neither carriers nor OEMs are really in the business of delivering video content. They are in the business of selling voice/data services and devices, respectively. In the 2D world, the video delivery role is played by iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Amazon, etc. Fortunately for these companies, the content sourcing process is pretty straightforward and concentrated among a relatively small number of distributors. In contrast, the universe of non-theatrical 3D content is highly dispersed, fragmented and generally “offline.”

To meet this demand, 423 Digital is developing an online content store – think iTunes for 3D – that will be accessible online via a web and mobile user interface. Behind the scenes, we perform three primary roles: aggregating, encoding and distributing content. For content aggregation, we’ve established a global network of talented 3D producers with existing content libraries and strong production pipelines. The encoding function takes the content from any native 3D source (e.g. RealD, Dolby, IMAX, etc.), and reformats it to work on consumer 3D screens. Distribution involves streaming the content to any 3D-enabled screen or device. We plan to go live in the second half of this year…so stay tuned!

High Frame Rate (HFR) 3D Takes Center Stage at CinemaCon

Scott Archambault — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:02:11 +0000

We’re live at CinemaCon! This year, the hot topic without question has been High Frame Rate (HFR) 3D. On Monday, exhibitors were given a sneak peek of Peter Jackson’s long-awaited ‘The Hobbit‘ in 48fps HFR 3D. Reviews of the 10-minute clip were mixed. Some admired the tremendous clarity and “hyper-realism” of the image, while others missed the grain and traditional look of film. If you want to see HFR 3D for yourself, MasterImage 3D is screening 48fps, and 60fps 3D footage every 30 minutes at our CinemaCon suite. Come take a look at Tradeshow Suite Milano 2.

James Cameron, “Tablets key to 3D Future”

Matt Liszt — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:46:04 +0000

This week at NAB, Om Malik, James Cameron and Vince Pace sat down for a discussion on the state of the 3D business. It’s a great interview; you can read the entire article here: GigaOM interview with Hollywood titan James Cameron.

GigaOm is one of the most respected tech and media authorities in Silicon Valley. Its namesake is Om Malik, a techno-taste-maker whose insights matter to those who matter in digital media, web and mobile. In this interview, the three discuss CameronPace, why shoot in 3D, native vs conversion, the future of 3D TVs and all the relevant current 3D trends. The question that stood out most to us… and Om Malik was:

You talk about the chicken-and-egg problem in the living room. There’s not enough content, but there’s also not enough people with 3DTVs. How do you solve that?

Cameron’s answer was republished on Om Malik’s personal blog in addition to the GigaOm site. A little reinforcement that the conversation is not about conversion or 3D TVs but how will content publishers (big and small) rise to the opportunity of glasses-free 3D tablets connected to an always-on distribution pipeline. Gosh is Cameron right again!

Nice ink in LA Times Tech Blog for MI3D!

Matt Liszt — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Last week , we had a great sitdown with LA Times Tech blog writer, Michelle Maltais (@mmaltaisLAT). Thrilled that she loved our demo as much as we do. Check out this write-up on our Qualcomm reference tablet and the company. Thanks, Michelle.

Article: Exclusive hands-on look at MasterImage 3-D tablet

“Holding the tablet in the sweet spot right in front of me, I found the images to be stunning. And videos made exclusively for the demo leaped off the screen. Bubbles wafted and popped before my eyes. Graphic comics took on a new life.”

This coverage lead to a very thoughtful piece by the TabTimes.com (@tabtimes) from David Needle. If you don’t know this site, it is great editorial coverage of the tablet market. Really enjoy it.

The article thoughtfully answers the question… ”Is 3D the next big tablet feature?” Ummm… “yes”

Love this quote from the president of Creative Strategies, Tim Bajarin (@bajarin): “It was one of the most stunning displays. I was shocked at the quality of the 3D.”

Great news day with more to come. You need to see it to believe it and people are believing.

Congrats to MasterImage 3D CFO Chad Aaron: Finalist in Finance Star Award!!!

Scott Archambault — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:25:21 +0000

Way to go, Chad. This is a big honor. Today, he became a finalist in TechAmerica‘s 2012 Finance Star Award Ceremony. TechAmerica calls themselves the tech “industry’s largest advocacy group. It was started by HP’s David Packard in 1943 and has a highly reputable history of championing innovation.

This is the inaugural event here in Los Angeles and features “dozens of Sr. Finance Executives and their firms who have made the Southern California Technology industry a dynamic force”. It is a great list of “stars” from companies like GE Capital, Machinama, ValueClick, Boingo and CoolPlanet Energy Systems. We want to make a special acknowledgment to another finalist, David Enzer, Managing Director of Roth Capital, a friend to MasterImage 3D and a recognized business leader in the Los Angeles community.

Ceremony will be held May 15, 2012 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA. We will be there supporting Chad. Great honor and well-deserved.

Titanic 3D and the Art of Conversion

Scott Archambault — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:22:56 +0000

You’ve probably heard how it took 60 weeks and $18 million for James Cameron to convert Titanic into 3D. But do you know how the 2D-to-3D conversion process actually works? Here’s a great article from Extreme Tech that provides insight into this very precise art:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/124965-titanic-how-do-you-convert-a-movie-to-3d-anyway.

3D Partner Spotlight: Texas Instruments

Scott Archambault — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:54:19 +0000

MasterImage 3D continues to turn the spotlight on the 3D community with our Partner Spotlight blog series. Today, we talk to Veera Raju, who manages the Natural User Interface Team for Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI)

My name is Veera Raju, managing the Natural User Interface Team at Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI). As part of my role, I have the privilege to work with one of the most exciting TI product lines (at least, in my opinion): the smart multicore OMAP™ processors. These processors rest at the heart of next-generation stereoscopic-3D (S3D) experiences, offering the highest-quality and performance, all at low power levels.

Using OMAP processors as a solid foundation, we partnered with MasterImage 3D team to help OEMs bring “on-the-move” S3D capabilities to life on smartphones, tablets and other mobile products.

Bringing S3D to the mobile environment is no simple task. In fact, I provided some details to the process in a previous EE Times article. Knowing what it takes, what makes OMAP processors the optimal choice for mobile S3D capabilities? Among other benefits, the OMAP line up utilizes two ARM® Cortex™-Ax cores, hardware accelerators (IVA HD, DSP, ISP) and two ARM Cortex-Mx cores, which run the S3D processing and enable full-HD S3D experiences. This intelligent architecture helps OMAP processors provide superior quality S3D viewing experience through the use of display subsystem accelerators. The processors are extremely power-efficient even when carrying out the most intensive S3D tasks – since the majority of S3D processing is offloaded to hardware accelerators and the lower-power Cortex-M cores to free up the Cortex-A host CPUs. We also provide OEMs with unique algorithms that run on hardware accelerators, in an effort to save costs through manufacturing misalignment correction of cameras, and use preferred convergence options to enable high flexibility for users to choose between different S3D quality.

Of course, working with industry leading display solution providers such as MasterImage 3D helps our TI team bring even more advanced capabilities to the OMAP platform, taking full advantage of the processing prowess. Our work with MasterImage 3D enables high-quality, HD S3D experiences on 3D display panels, providing incredible 3D viewing experiences. We have brought up various resolution panels, ranging from smartphones to tablets, using OMAP processor-based platforms, including the PandaBoard.

With the advent of auto-stereoscopic panels and other 3D-enabled products’ popularity in the consumer space today, we believe mobile devices and others, including the car infotainment industry, are in a prime position to adopt next-generation S3D experiences that will drive a new level of mobile user experiences. 2012 will be an instrumental year in this process, and the TI and MasterImage 3D teams – with the OMAP processors by our sides – are well positioned to pave the way for the most advanced, life-like S3D experiences users could wish for.

TI is running some great S3D demonstrations at our MWC booth in Hall 8, stand 8A84. Come on by to see everything in action!

Qualcomm 3D Tablet: Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor in action

Matt Liszt — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:32:48 +0000

This is a great video from Qualcomm at Mobile World Congress 2012, showing the Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor in action on a developer tablet. MasterImage 3D provided the full high-definition glasses-free 3D display in WUXGA (1920×1200) resolution. Check it out!