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Government Video Magazine
April 2009
AV Systems
3D Wow Factor
Mainstream acceptance of 3D adds another dimension for the government.
by Joy Zaccaria
Advancements in the cinematic world have brought 3D to a variety of screens.
3D’s popularity with gamers means sales of 3D monitors for computer games. 3D has been touted as the “killer app” for Blu-ray, so the home theater market is embracing the format. The promise of increased ticket sales from 3D feature films has been a big factor in encouraging movie theaters across the country to go digital. 3D offers many more changes for the cinema experience and business world as the infrastructure grows.
This infiltration of 3D has an impact on government applications. Digital signage for public spaces like transportation hubs, military training and videoconferencing, and many applications are going 3D.
These are the salad days for the 3D “Wow” factor. Out in the mainstream world, the more exposure people have to 3D technology, the more interested they are in having more 3D options. The big story at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January is that 3D is now squarely on the roadmaps for major consumer electronics companies. “That’s a big change,” said Chris Chinnock, president of Insight Media and leader of the 3D@Home Consortium. “This is top line messaging from Panasonic, Sony, LG, and Samsung. We have reached critical mass for 3D. This is not going to be a fad. This is a movement.”
According to Andre Floyd, the senior marketing manager for SXRD Systems, Sony’s high-end projection system, technologies like this follow one of two trajectories. Either it gets developed for the government and ends up in the consumer space or it gets developed for consumers and finds applications in the government space. “The volume of business for 3D is more in the consumer or professional space,” said Floyd. “But people are finding government applications for 3D video and adapting them.”
Iowa State University is putting 3D to use in what would normally be associated with military-grade technology. Funded by the U.S. Air Force in 2007, Sony installed a immersive 3D cave, 10 feet on a side, for research and development in a variety of fields. (See sidebar.) Sony also sold other 3D projectors in to more traditional auditorium-type scenarios at Iowa State. A lecture hall used for teaching and research was outfitted with a Sony 3D 4K projector (with the super-high resolution of more than 4000 pixels across).
In the future, 3D in command/control applications will be key. “The ability to be in a control room and have data in three dimensions allows you to get more data in front of the people who have to make decisions,” said Sony’s Floyd. “Everybody wants to be able to make faster and more informed decisions. Technology is being developed to display that information.”
Wayne Kozuki is the product manager for digital projectors at Mitsubishi. “We are exploring 3D capability with our projectors,” he said. “But with our initial release, we are targeting the education market for capabilities in a classroom— that applies to the government market as well.” From an education standpoint, looking at the human cell in 3D has that sought-after “Wow” factor to stimulate and increase the attention span in kids. Mitsubishi is working closely with Texas Instruments on their DLP projectors to incorporate more 3D-capable aspects in the future.
Philips hopes its 3D displays will get viewers jumping out of their seats.
For the past two years, Philips has been selling 3D displays in the digital signage market for a wide range of applications. Primarily it has been in shopping malls and other retail spaces where the signage is used for advertising. “We’ve seen the reactions of the audiences of 3D compared to 2D,” said Jeroen Brouwer, San Jose-based representative for Philips Electronics North America. “2D in the mall, you glance or walk by. A 3D screen in a similar location, people will gather around and look because they haven’t seen it before. For that reason, advertising applications work well.”
Philips’ largest U.S. distributor is Electrograph. “We are training and certifying resellers to be able to carry 3D in their portfolio,” said Brouwer. “We do a regular training webinar to explain the basic concepts. The resellers are experts in AV and IT equipment. We need to explain the specifics of the 3D display.” The installation of a 3D display is not much different from the installation of 2D. The difference is in carrying the content that is fed to it.
Samsung plans to target government or public venues for 3D digital signage. In order for 3D digital signage to be viable, there are certain elements that need to be established such as budgets, content development, on-going technology improvements, standards and guidelines for what type of 3D performance and technology is required by the government sector and customers.
Samsung now offers a 3D monitor, the Samsung 2233RZ, which is compatible with Nvidia’s new GeForce 3D Vision graphics card. “While economic woes could slow the rate at which 3D monitors enter homes, Samsung is hedging its bets by also targeting business-to-business applications like security, architecture and the military,” said R.A. Atanus, vice president of product marketing at Samsung Electronics’ Information Technology Division. ★