3DLIVE project supported by the French Ministry of Industry

posted:

06/06/2010

French industry and universities to become major global 3D actors

Launched in March 2009, 3D Live is a collaborative project that has been accredited by the three French 'Image' competitive clusters, Images et Réseaux (images and networks) in Brittany and Pays de Loire, Imaginove in Rhone-Alps, and Cap Digital in Ile-de-France. The project brings together 8 partners. Project leader France Télécom Orange is drawing on the supplemental skills and expertise of Technicolor R&D France, Grass Valley France, Thales Angénieux, AMP (televised shoots), Binocle (special 3D capture equipment and software), in synergy with INRIA and Telecom Institute research laboratories.

Objectives

Create excellent expertise in France for the live shooting and transmission of 3D stereo contentsHelp French industry and universities to be major global 3D actors.

To reach its goals, 3DLive mixes R&D work and recurrent actual operations since 3D shootings and live transmissions will be organized about every 4 months, alternating cultural or sport events. (recent ones have been the Rugby Six Nations in March 2010 and the Roland Garros Tennis in June 2010)

In between 2 such events, 3DLive partners will get together to make R&D progress in the following areas:
- specific equipment manufacturing or adaptation: cameras, optics, camera rigs;
- adapted software development: disparity correction, content adaptation to different screens, data protection, ...;
- metadata management: depth, camera types, ...;
- text and graphical insertions without conflict in the scene depth: subtitles, logos.

Results obtained in all these R&D areas will be integrated in the end-to-end chain defined for the next event to be shooted and transmitted. The first shooting and transmission platform will of course use existing solutions, but every part of it will be gradually improved thanks to the partner work results, thus tested straight away and improved progressively. In the end, the ultimate platform will include all the key technologies developed by the partners.

After each event, a tecnological and operational assessment will allow to detail the R&D work still to perform.

The Rugby Six Nations Tournament 2010

The 3D production of two rugby matches for France Television (France/Italy and France/England) was broadcasted live to more than 30 cinemas in France and Great-Britain on 20 March. The broadcast marked the first time a rugby match has been shot in 3D in France. Binocle was in charge of the stereoscopy with 8 Binocle’s Rigs with zoom lenses, focus and iris synchronized, and his own stereoscopic Rugby Match France - England in 3Dvisualisation tools (Binocle’s DisparityTagger). Roland Thepot and Yves Pupulin were special advisers to the director, Christian Pardessus overviewed the technical configuration and Céline Tricart was in charge of the stereoscopy.