Dolby and Philips show new format that brings full HD 3D to glasses-free 3D devices

The first European demonstration of the new Dolby® 3D format and suite of technologies will take place at the Dolby Laboratories booth at IBC (Hall 2, Stand A31). Dolby 3D is designed to deliver full HD 3D content to 3D-enabled devices, including glasses-free displays.

The joint project is the work of Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) and Philips® to improve the 3D viewing experience on displays of all sizes, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, and televisions, and is the first approach that will make 3D adoption a reality. Dolby 3D is an end-to-end system that effectively addresses every challenge to the 3D experience and through every aspect of the content chain—from production to playback.

For the viewer, it creates a comfortable, customizable, truly enjoyable glasses-free 3D viewing experience, while enhancing 3D display performance. Dolby 3D improves 3D for traditional glasses-based viewing as well, providing full HD 3D playback, along with the ability to adjust the 3D effect to suit individual tastes.

“Dolby and Philips are committed to taking the 3D experience to the next level and delivering a high-quality solution for all 3D display devices, including today’s glasses-based devices and tomorrow’s glasses-free displays,” said Dolby’s Guido Voltolina, General Manager of the joint project.

For device manufacturers, Dolby 3D provides best-in-class video rendering technology for delivering the sharpest, most realistic 3D picture. Its key component is a pixel-accurate conversion/multiview-rendering module, which delivers the industry’s most “depth-accurate” 3D video for glasses-free (autostereoscopic) displays. The module includes must-have features such as real-time conversion of 2D content to 3D. It also allows viewers of glasses-based 3D TVs to adjust depth and perspective—a clear differentiation from otherwise comparable displays.

The Dolby 3D solution is also device independent, so it reduces time to market and manufacturing costs by enabling parallel product development and consolidated testing.

For broadcasters, Dolby 3D provides the ability to deliver spectacular, consistent, full-resolution 3D content today. Dolby 3D upgrades half-resolution 3D signals to full resolution by adding a low-bandwidth enhancement layer for both glasses-based and glasses-free devices. Operators and aggregators can prepare and transmit content with the highest-quality 3D while retaining bandwidth efficiency. And because the Dolby solution can work on all 3D TVs, broadcasters can deploy the technology without worrying about ongoing improvements in 3D content and displays. Dolby 3D also optimizes the entire system for streaming or downloading content to any device by keeping the additional data needed for the enhancement layer to a minimum, typically around 10 percent.

The Dolby 3D experience is designed to seamlessly integrate into the use cases and viewing patterns of consumers on the go and in the home, making the use of 3D devices an enjoyable daily experience. Content owners and broadcast operators have the unique opportunity to differentiate their offerings by encoding 3D titles in Dolby 3D for maximum fidelity on devices enabled with Dolby 3D, while maintaining compatibility with existing 3D products. The system enables a 3D HD format, including tools for 3D content creation and real-time 3D content conversion.

www.dolby.com/glassesfree3D