New 3D Broadcast System that is compatible with conventional 2D television sets

NHK Media Technology, Inc. presents a 3D broadcasting system, “Advanced Stereo 3D (AS3D)”, which is compatible with existing 2D receivers.

3D broadcasts to date have compressed the two video screens, left and right, into one horizontal screen for broadcasting, and this method not only halves the resolution, but also has the major problem of disabling watching as the left and right images are displayed as two vertical screens when received by 2D receivers, which have hitherto been incompatible with 3D.

With this method, existing receivers can receive full specification hi-vision images, and 3D receivers compatible with this method enable full specification 3D hi-vision images to be enjoyed.

This method enables improved compression while maintaining existing image quality by making full use of new methods to control compression modes that cannot be used with the existing problems of compression device processing performance (field picture configuration) suited to the image.

In this way, when used for BS digital broadcasts, the left image is compressed to approx. 65% of the existing image while maintaining MPEG2 standards compatibility, and the right image is compressed into the remaining 35% of the bandwidth to enable overlap by compression using H.264(AVC) format, which is also used in 1-seg broadcasts.

ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) conducts studies and R&D, establishes standards, provides consultation services for radio spectrum coordination, cooperates with other overseas organizations. These activities are being conducted with the participation by telecommunication operators, broadcasters, radio equipment manufacturers and related organizations as well as under the support by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

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