3D Graphics: Already Ready To Go

Now that the 3D firestorm has swept through NAB 2010, broadcasters should have this on their radar. Will this take off to become an expectation and not an option, as HD has become? Perhaps the most amazing thing for those bracing for the possibility of a 3D future is the discovery that, technically speaking, it's much closer than many may think. The transition to HD has taken care of much of what's needed for 3D. 

This is especially true for 3D graphics. As processing power continues to accelerate, the horsepower to add a dimension has been in place for some time already.

"Our engine has been 3D from the start, but we've only been able to present on a 2D surface," said Ian Davies, a regional manager for Vizrt. "Stereoscopic [presentation] is really only a small step for us to take."

While other parts of the broadcast and production chain scramble to figure out 3D issues, this is just another feature alongside others at the NAB Show for Vizrt.

"The NAB show is certainly not just about 3D for us. Other major advances are in media asset management and repurposing TV content for the Web," said Davies. 

Chyron, too, hasn't had to make much of a leap to provide customers with 3D graphics.  Better yet, customers don't have to pay premium for 3D, either.

"We are treating 3D much as we did the upgrade from SD to HD," said Kevin Prince, Chyron's SVP-COO. "There's no charge for this for anyone with HyperX," Chyron's graphics system.

More important is the fact that 2D content is forward compatible with 3D.

"The templates we've been showing here [at NAB] in past years, we're showing now in stereo."  3D presentation, he added, "reveals new depth -- literally -- in the designs.

Being able to carry forward existing graphics content makes 3D all the more attractive to content creators since there's no need to reinvent the wheel. In the 3D Masters Golf production, the 3D graphics were the same used last year in 2D.

 "The Masters is, of course, very conscious of their branding and imaging," Prince said. "There was a concern that they would have to start from scratch to match the high standards achieved in the past. All they had to do, however, was use the exact same templates from last year and so there was no effort whatsoever to maintain consistency." 

At Adobe, the issue isn't 3D graphics -- it's about how fast you can work with them.  According to David Helmly, Adobe's North American Technical Field Manager, the unveiling of CS 5, the company's comprehensive suite of production tools, has achieved new levels of performance.

"CS 5's 64-bit processing makes a much better use of memory. Also, we leverage the full power of the CPU and GPU to achieve tremendous gains on both Mac and PC platforms," Helmly said.