TV2 Norway tests cost-effective 3-D distribution over IP
Oct 17, 2011 11:20 AM, By Michael Grotticelli
SterGen’s conversion software allows broadcasters to capture live events in 2D and realistically converts them in real time for 3-D viewers.
Broadcasters are beginning to realize new ways of distributing 3-D content without having to spend a lot of money and effort. This weekend, TV2 Norway, the country’s largest commercial television station, broadcast a live football (soccer) game using an IPTV stream and stereoscopic conversion technology from SterGen, a Vizrt partner company.
TV2 Norway broadcast a Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool, sending a 2D feed, which was then converted to 3-D for viewing over an IPTV infrastructure (Internet-connected TVs) and over the web.
The setup included receiving the live feed via satellite and then running it through a Digital Rapids live encoder. SterGen’s 2D-to-3D conversion technology was then applied to overhead shots and distributed as an H.264-compressed file, using adaptive bit-rate streaming, and converted for display by Microsoft Silverlight-compatible players (supporting 3-D).
The expectation is that such high-profile sporting events will stimulate the sale of 3DTV sets, which executives at TV2 said are “rising rapidly.” TV 2 said it already has a “huge amount” of viewers watching football on its online platform (TV 2 Sumo).
“By running a game as big as Manchester United-Liverpool in 3-D online, a large number of our customers get to enjoy a revolutionary three-dimensional sports experience,” said Eva Iselin Husby, editorial manager at TV2 Sumo.
TV2 routed the 2-D signal captured live on site through SterGen’s live 2D to 3-D decoder, adjusting and applying the 3-D effect slightly differently for the PC and IPTV platforms. Another Vizrt partner, Vimond Media Solutions, helped to stream the 3-D content, giving TV2 the ability to augment its 2-D service with 3-D content viewable on connected Blu-ray consoles, connected TVs, desktop computers, tablets and other mobile devices. Viewers were able to watch the game either via a 3-D IPTV connected to the web or using a 3D-compatible PC screen using active shutter glasses.
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
