Liverpool drives the 3D revolution

Jul 30 2010 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

Alistair Houghton meets Merseyside academics and developers to discover more about 3D technology

THERE weren’t actually any blue-skinned Na’vi aliens bursting out of the walls at MediaCity – but their presence was felt throughout a debate on the power of 3D technology.

Liverpool creatives, developers and academics are at the forefront of this technology and were well represented at this week’s conference, organised by support agency Vision + Media.

And all present seemed to agree on one thing – James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar, featuring said Na’vi on the planet Pandora, raised the bar for 3D and showed people just what the technology could achieve.

For years 3D has been a novelty, a phrase bringing to mind images of those green and red cardboard glasses and novelty blockbusters.

But Avatar wowed cinemagoers with its ambition and complexity, and showed them what could be possible. And with blockbusters such as Up and Toy Story 3 still packing them in at cinemas across the nation, 3D cinema seems here to stay.

But, crucially, 3D home entertainment is now becoming a reality as companies such as Sony and Panasonic are starting to promote and sell 3D televisions.

That means a new market for 3D Blu-ray DVDs and – crucially for Merseyside – for 3D games. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s 3D research and development team is based in Merseyside, and Cheshire, so the region’s video games sector is in prime position to take advantage of the 3D boom.

That was the message from this week’s 3D technology debate – if you are a digital or creative firm, you should be looking at what developing in 3D could mean to your business.

Mick Hocking of Sony described the North West as “the centre for Sony’s 3D games development”.

Mr Hocking discussed the different types of 3D available, ranging from those anaglyph two-colour glasses to the polarised ones today used in cinemas and the “active shutter glasses” used with 3D televisions.

He discussed the long history of 3D, dating back to 1832 when Sir Charles Wheatstone created the rotating stereoscope, and including the boom in 3D movies of the 1950s.

But Avatar marks the turning point for 3D, he said.

“It’s not just the most successful 3D movie of all time, but it’s shown the audience just what a great 3D experience is all about,” he said.

That. he said, would help boost sales of 3D televisions, which are now becoming widely available. And that in turn will boost sales of 3D games, such as those from Sony.

Sony has already released a firmware update for its PlayStation3, meaning all 36m consoles worldwide are now able to play 3D games.

Using 3D in games, Mr Hocking said, gives players improved depth perception and makes players feel more immersed in the game.

“Overall we’ve found that 3D greatly enhances just about all types of games,” he said.

“For experienced gamers who’ve played with them, it gives them a competitive edge.

“But because we can make gaming more intuitive (with 3D), we can bring more people to gaming.”

David Close, of Manchester firm digital Projection International, next spoke about the technology behind 3D, before representatives from a number of companies involved in 3D development gave short demonstrations of their work.

The next speaker was Jim Spencer, of Paradise FX Group, who has worked on films including British production StreetDance 3D.

He said that while 3D filming was a technical challenge, it was not as difficult and expensive as some thought – and provided a new storytelling tool.

Alex Stoltz from the UK Film Council said 3D was good news for cinemas, though warned that independent venues might need support to convert to 3D.

The final speaker, was Brian Lenz, director of product design and TV product development at BSkyB, who talked about Sky’s growing work in 3D and his ambition to make the UK a world-leading 3D centre.

The company will launch its 3D channel in October after successful trials this year showing sports events in pubs.

Sky’s first attempt at 3D sport was a closed test transmission of Ricky Hatton’s fight with Juan Lazcano in 2008. Sky continued with its tests – including a test filming of Liverpool FC’s Champion’s League tie against Marseille in November 2008.

But Sky hasn’t focused solely on sport, also broadcasting a live 3D concert by Keane and a showcase by English National Ballet.

“We wanted you to feel like you were on the edge of the stage with the dancers,” he said. “That’s our goal – to remove the screen, to remove that suspension of disbelief.”

Mr Lenz said Sky wanted to use 3D to create “appointment to view” television that families gathered round to watch.

But Mr Lenz warned that 3D technology was not suitable for every kind of television. Programmes that rely on rapid cuts from one scene to another, for example, will not work in 3D where people need time to focus on a scene so they can perceive its depth.

“Remember,” he said, 3D doesn’t make a bad story good or a bad idea genius.”

The University of Liverpool, one of the country’s leading centres of research into 3D technology, was also represented at Wednesday’s event.

ŠRob, Black, 3D consultant at the University – “or you can call me a stereographer”, he said – is one of a team that studies just how human brains see 3D images.

Now, as well as carrying out academic studies, the team is also building partnerships with companies developing 3D technology. It has worked with production houses, directors, and leading studios Pinewood and Shepperton. Mr Black said: “Avatar was the seminal moment in 3D. Since then we as a team have been a lot more industry-facing.”