These past few weeks, both at IBC and at the FIFF, 3D relief has been in the spotlight. It's not over yet, because Belgium will host a substantial European festival at the end of the year. December will also celebrate the launch of Avatar. Finally in 2010 more titles will follow, among which the long awaited new Ben Stassen (Around the World in 50 Years).For TWIST, 3D relief is one of the key development areas for the industry in our region. We present you with a few lines of thought and action for the following weeks.

At IBC we already witnessed that the professionals in the audiovisual sector have the ambition to provide all families as quickly as possible with the most impressive audiovisual spectacle on the TV screen. All companies present in Amsterdam are interested in 3D relief and more specifically in the possibilities to bring this into the households, be it on television or on game consoles. The strategy adopted by the big manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc.) for 2010 is to enter homes via videogames and important sports events. Another market is DVD. One question: what support to use to view a 3D relief film at home? BlueRay comes with an answer as they just announced the inclusion of 3D Relief on BlueRay discs before the arrival of hologram discs.

A new 3D television channel is set to launch in the UK next year. 3D relief at home will happen in 2010, not in 2025!

In September of this year, Sony revealed its plans to bring 3D relief into every home. The group wants to multiply its efforts in terms of material but also in terms of content. This is a true revolution, especially considering the power of Sony in these domains. Sony wants to impose a new form of spectacle and it has the means to match its ambition.

The BRAVIA LCD machine, compatible with 3D relief, incorporates a frame sequential display and active shutter glass systems, that is to say a system where the television set alternates the image for the left and right eye, and glasses open and shut in sync with the image on the screen. With its high frame rate technology, SONY is capable of reproducing full HD quality images. This combination will be the centerpiece of Sony's 3D experience for the home.

This technology will be integrated in several machines, such as BlueRay players and the Playstation 3 consoles to make it possible to enjoy 3D in several ways. For cinema, SONY also provides shooting, production and projection equipments. It is important to reiterate that the number of equipped cinemas should attain 7000, spread over the world, end of 2009. At this time, it is not only cinema providing entertainment in 3D but concerts and sports events will also be part of the 3D events.

Another 3D approach: Dolby Laboratories Inc! Dolby is mostly known for its work on sound, but now moves on to images, and not just any images. The company is working on 3D encoding of programmes and content on BlueRay and for videogames. Their ambition is to enter every household. Having already been active in cinemas since 2007, and having prepared more than 400 screens in 24 countries, they realised that the audience, charmed by the spectacle, wants to 'try this at home'.

Dolby states that their technology should be compatible with all machines, with or without glasses.

At the same time, the companies in this field, on a world scale, are trying to avoid a format war. The 3D development has been somewhat held up by a lack of technological unity. Groups such as the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) are busy creating a standard for domestic equipments. Dolby, Sony and Panasonic are very active in this field.