Technicolor launches 3D certification program

‘Technicolor Certifi3D’ was created to ensure that 3D programmes meet a set of minimum quality requirements before they are delivered to TX.

Technicolor’s president for digital content delivery, Chuck Parker, told Broadcast that the program was developed in response to demands from existing customers.

“Rather than people sitting in a room making qualitive decisions about how it looks to them we now have a tool,” he said.

The certification platform will be used by Technicolor’s stereo technicians to diagnose the issues that create viewer fatigue and discomfort, looking at 3D effects such as depth disparity, defects around colour matching and the effect known as ‘floating window’.

Technicolor will evaluate each shot against a set of criteria for stereographic reproduction, including a 15-point checklist to identify errors which result in “suboptimal 3D content”.

The software builds a 3D model from the left and right source masters, giving a pixel count for objects that are too close or too far away from the viewer that would result in discomfort. It also detects and flags conflicts with the edges of the TV screen, another potential source of discomfort for 3D in the home.

“Our goal in launching the program was to take a proactive approach in support of the industry to ensure a consistent and quality end consumer 3D experience in the home,” said Pierre Routhier, Technicolor’s VP for 3D product strategy and business development.

Parker added that he was hopeful that the checklist would act as a sounding board for the 3D industry which lacks the “relatively strong standards” adhered to in the production of Blu Ray discs. “I don’t believe that people will say they’ve adopted the entire 15-point programme, but it might be that we see some debate on the 15 points at conferences,” he said.

Workstations are currently available in the UK and the program will be demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. After the initial launch in the US and UK it will be rolled out to Technicolor’s other bases around the world.