Edited by Stella Plumbridge, 3Droundabout.
(Content provided by IBC.)

For six days in September IBC combines an internationally-renowned conference with an exhibition showcasing advances and innovations in the electronic media industry. With over 1,300 exhibitors and 250 product categories from the very latest 3D rigs and integrated cameras to streaming video services and cloud-based production, IBC charts every area involved in producing, managing and distributing content in media and entertainment.

Stereo 3D at the forefront of IBC2011

It’s hard to believe that it’s less than four years since the modern iteration of 3D was first seen at IBC. With numerous dedicated 3D channels already transmitting worldwide, set costs plummeting, and with no let up in the appetite for 3D films in Europe at least, the progress of the format since has been astonishingly rapid.

At the moment even the most downbeat assessments seem to point to a rosy future, with the latest figures suggesting that there will be 11 million 3DTV sets in the UK alone by 2016. And even if only 42% of owners of those sets will have activated 3D services, as an Informa Telecoms & Media report suggests http://3droundabout.com/2011/06/3270/informa-forecasts-less-than-half-of-uk-3dtv-ready-homes-in-2016-will-be-active-users-of-3dtv-content.html, that’s still over 4.5 million viewers.

From rig developers to specialist software providers, camera manufacturers to post production specialists, every aspect of the 3D production chain will be present. For an insight into what will be exhibited on the show floor this year, you can browse the 3Droundabout 3D @ IBC Spotlight page.

IBC Production Village and Inside Knowledge

From tape to solid-state, from tethered to wireless, from standard definition to 2K, from 2D to 3D and 4K and beyond, camera technology has developed with extraordinary speed in many different areas.

The IBC Production Village is all about a hands-on experience, and at its heart is a fully-equipped studio set which features the very latest in stereo 3D, speciality and DSLR cameras. Here you can ask manufacturers direct questions, and get a real feel for how the cameras work. New for 2011 is Inside Knowledge, an area where the people that actually use the cameras, such as broadcasters and production companies, present case studies showing how the technology works in the field.

The IBC Big Screen

The IBC Big Screen facilities offer 2K, 4K and stereoscopic 3D digital projection, and Dolby 7.1 surround sound, and it will be used to support the 3D@IBC conference sessions on Monday 12 September – see below for details.

IBC has also built a reputation for its free movie screenings. The Saturday night movie screening this year will be Transformers 3: Dark of Moon in stereoscopic Dolby 3D and Dolby 7.1, courtesy of Paramount Pictures International. The Monday night showcase will include an extended trailer of James Cameron’s Titanic 3D, Flying Monsters in 3D, the Royal Wedding in 3D, and courtesy Lightstorm Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox, test clips illustrating the capture and display of 3D content at higher frame rates.

IBC Awards

The IBC Awards on Sunday 11 September at 18:30 in the Auditorium, recognise those who have made a real contribution to the industry and whose careers have had a positive impact on its future direction. Previous winners have included Manolo Romero, managing director, Olympic Broadcasting Services, ESPN, FIFA, Sony, Red Bull Air Race and BSkyB.

This year the shortlist for the Content Creation Innovation Awards includes ONSIGHT and SGO Mistika for ‘Post production – Flying Monsters 3D.’ The team had the challenge of producing a stereo 3D version for Sky TV and theatrical and IMAX versions. To meet all these deliverables, the project was shot in 4K using RED cameras, creating very large files. To provide a real-time editing and colour-grading environment in which the live action and computer generated models could be combined, and the effects of the stereoscopic 3D evaluated and corrected, post house ONSIGHT used its two SGO Mistika suites, networked together, to meet the workload. The real-time environment meant that the team from producers Atlantic Productions and commissioners Sky could readily see how the programme and movie were developing.

3D Myth Busters: James Cameron and Vince Pace on the Business of 3D

The IBC Big Screen will aslo be the setting for James Cameron and Vince Pace to explode the myths about 3D at 16:00 on Friday 9 September. Together, they show how profitable 3D is for broadcast, and how cost-effective and easy it is to add to your existing productions–without adding new camera positions or forcing camera operators to learn new skills. CAMERON | PACE Group continues to lead the 3D revolution, thanks to its unmatched real-world experience from more than 140 worldwide sporting events, 9 concert events, and 27 feature films. Co-founders James Cameron and Vince Pace share the secrets that enable them to meet any 3D production need, from small to large. Come see how this team is focused on the business of 3D.

IBC2011 Conference – 3D Highlights

Hot topics for the conference this year include 3D, and there is also a special 3D@IBC theme day, that will focus on stereo 3D and will address the continued challenges of the acquisition, production, transmission and distribution of stereoscopic content. Here is a summary of the sessions on offer:

9 September 2011

Masterclass: When Does 2D-3D Conversion Make Technical and Financial Sense?
Location: E102
Time: 13:30 – 15:00
Featuring sequences from the forthcoming release Immortals, directed by Tarsem, this master class examines the motives, techniques, new tools, and economics behind 3D post conversion.

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10 September 2011

Stereo 3DTV Graphics – Investigating the Issues in Depth
Location: E102
Time: 11:30 – 13:00
This session provides insight into the very latest techniques that have been developed to overcome problems such as border effects, depth conflicts and window violations. The international speakers will highlight their solutions to the uncomfortable situations that 3D viewers sometimes have to endure.

Making the Business Case for 3DTV
Location: E102
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
This session puts forward the case for launching and operating a 3D TV service. What is the right mix of genre, live or VOD and volume of content that will attract audiences? Are content owners holding distributors to ransom? Does 3DTV currently only work in a paid model or can the economics of production be justified by commercial and free to air broadcasters?

Stereo 3DTV Production – Preparing For the Next Generation
Location: E102
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
This session will look at the production ‘grammar’ required for effective depth perception, ‘solid’ geometric perspective and full resolution. Different broadcast technologies for 3DTV delivery will be discussed, and future developments for 3DTV production and display will be glimpsed.

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11 September 2011

Getting to Grips with Stereo 3D
Location: Auditorium
Time: 10:30 – 12:00
The opening session of the 3D@IBC stream will be a fast track tutorial on the essential elements of 3D which must be understood by those creating and reproducing the illusion of 3D via the stereoscopic 3D process. The session will also discuss health issues. Following the tutorial a stereographer will present real examples of productions demonstrating techniques used which follow the rules of stereoscopy.

3DTV Broadcast Standards – The Complete Picture
Location: E102
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
This session will clarify the issues by showing how the European process correlates with other 3D consumer standards being developed for example for Blu-ray disk players, for cables (HDMI), for glasses (CEA), and standards by other bodies like MPEG and SMPTE. It will also discuss developments being made for audio systems to accompany 3DTV.

EDCF/SMPTE: Dealing with the Mastering and Distribution Challenges of 3D Movies
Location: E102
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Specially organised by the European Digital Cinema Forum in co-operation with SMPTE, this session will keep delegates abreast of those challenges and will include progress reports on attempts to standardize 3D subtitling, colour correction for 3D distribution and the implications for downstream re-purposing of stereo content intended for portable devices.

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12 September 2011

Delivering 3D to the Audience
Location: Auditorium
Time: 09:00 – 10:30
This session is essential for producers and technicians seeking to master the techniques that enable their 3D content to be presented correctly on all screens and devices. It will suggest best practice for framing and producing with multiple screens in mind, discuss how to work with different delivery formats including varying levels of brightness on reception and how to manage different language versions, content layers, titles and graphic overlays in 3D space.

Stereoscopic 3D- Fixing it in Post
Location: Auditorium
Time: 11:00 – 12:30
This session will look at the challenges and pitfalls of producing great 3D content once the project has been shot asking what new skills producers need to take their creation successfully through post. Debate will also turn to the merits, costs and disadvantages of 2D to 3D conversion techniques.

3D Live at the Big Screen: Movie and Programme Makers Show How It Works in Real Time
Location: Auditorium
Time: 13:30 – 15:00
Steve Schklair, 3ality Digital Founder and CEO, will speak about integrating 3D automation as a way to significantly lower production costs and enhance production quality. Highlights include Schklair conducting a live demonstration of new technologies that will forever advance and change the look of 3D production.

A Glimpse into the Stereoscopic Future
Location: Auditorium
Time: 15:30 – 17:00
Stereo 3D may be here today but what can we expect to see on our screens a decade from now? This session asks the innovators of tomorrow to intrigue us with the possibilities they are developing for 3D across cinema, TV, personal media and games.

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13 September 2011

3D and Cable: Technical Challenges and Business Opportunities
Location: Emerald
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
The delivery of stereo 3D video by cable will be explored in detail during this special meeting of the Benelux SCTE (Society for Broadband Professionals). In particular, there will be a focus on the impact of stereoscopic content on transport issues in CATV and fibre networks.

EDCF: Review of Progress in D-Cinema
Location: E102
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
This special session organised by the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF) reviews the progress made in D-cinema from a technological and business perspective. This session is intentionally more broad-based than other sessions focused on stereo 3D at the conference and will appeal to anyone with an involvement or interest in d-cinema.

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IBC Rising Stars

The Rising Stars programme works alongside the conference and exhibition and is an opportunity for students and young professionals to share in the IBC experience. In addition to the main conference sessions listed above, the Rising Star stream includes:

10 September 2011

From 2D TV to 3D Magic: “Horrid Henry” Through the Looking Glass
Location: Amsterdam Suite
Time: 16:00 – 17:00
Horrid Henry is a hugely successful brand, spanning books, TV, stage and DVD, licensing, computer games and iPhone apps. When the opportunity came to turn it into a live-action feature film, Lucinda Whiteley, Co Founder and Creative Director, Novel Entertainment, knew that, inevitably, it would involve changes in the way they worked. As the first ever British feature film for children in 3D, this involved getting to grips with both different cultures and different technologies and, in this session, she talks about her experiences.

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Registration

Early bird registration giving discounts on the IBC Conference and free entry to the IBC Exhibition for IBC2011 ends on the 17 August.

www.ibc.org