Capture and Processing - 3DTV: Processing and Transmission of 3D Video Signals - page 37

2

Capture and Processing

The capture and preparation of content are one of the most important parts of
the 3DTV chain. As described in Section 1.1.3, many of the movies produced
in the 1950s had significant problems that led to significant discomfort
for viewers. These problems included vertical parallaxes between the two
stereoscopic views, too great a physical distance between the two views, and
also inconsistencies in processing of the two views after filming.
All of these problems mean that 3D video requires very careful and metic-
ulous planning and set-up. The cameras need to be physically positioned in
a way to prevent discomfort for viewers. The cameras must also be carefully
configured so that their settings match precisely (e.g. focus, shutter speed).
The introduction of digital technology means that there is greater tolerance
to imperfections in the camera configuration. Digital post-processing tech-
niques allow views to be aligned, and colours to be matched. However,
to ensure the best quality, it is advisable to get as close to the optimum
configuration as possible during filming.
This chapter explores how stereoscopic and multi-view video can be
captured using specially configured rigs. In addition, it looks at the post-
processing techniques that can be used to align viewpoints, and correct colour
variations across views. Finally, depth extraction techniques are considered,
which are essential for generating content in the Multi-view Video plus
depth (MVD) format.

2.1 3D Scene Representation Formats and Techniques

Before considering the technologies and approaches for 3D video capture, we
should review the scene representation formats and consider what kind of
data is required for each format. Table 2.1 summarizes this information and