Is there enough 3D content in the pipeline being produced to satisfy the market's appetite? Is 3D the preserve of Hollywood studios or is it within the reach of independents? Is 3D only for blockbusters or are documentary makers ready to take the baton? Will publishers cut corner with cheap 2D-to-3D conversion kits to rush content to the market? Can broadcasters compete with packaged media in bringing 3D into the home? How far – or close – are we from glass-free 3D stereoscopy? Will consumers hold their breath and wait for it?

These questions and others will be addressed at the second Blu-ray Disc Academy conference taking place on 3-4 May 2011 in Hamburg, Germany. The event focuses entirely on all aspects of the 3D home entertainment sector.

Keynote speakers include Michael Zink, Vice President of Entertainment Technology Strategy at Technicolor in Burbank. He is responsible for developing and executing technology strategies for the entertainment services business. This includes setting up, assessing, and integrating digital workflows and leading software development projects to enhance Technicolor's capabilities for production, post-production, and distribution. Prior to joining Technicolor in 2003, Michael worked at several DVD production facilities in Germany dating back to 1999 where he worked extensively in the areas of DVD authoring & pre-mastering, business development and R&D.

Peter van Hooke is a producer who moved into 3D documentary making. A career started as a session drummer who worked with the British band Mike and the Mechanics, Van Morrison, Ezio, Lloyd Webber, Mark Isham, Dr John, Scott Walker and others, Peter van Hooke established his own music label MMC, later sold to EMI, before moving into filmmaking and music TV production. He created and co-produced the celebrated television series Live from Abbey Road, aired on the UK’s Channel 4 and in over 100 countries between 2006 and 2008. Peter is current working closely with Panasonic on HD-Music.TV, a 3D production consisting of five music programmes, 12 shows ‘live’ on air with the biggest acts in the world, in a joint venture with Universal. He gets a kick out of challenging preconceived ideas about 3D filmmaking.

Vicki Betihavas is the co-founder of Nineteen Fifteen, a leading 3D production company based in London. Specializing in music, arts, entertainment and live events, Nineteen Fifteen has pioneered 3D broadcast across all platforms. It has been behind a number of ‘firsts’ in 3D production, including the world’s first live 3D television broadcast. In 2009, Nineteen Fifteen produced the world’s first 3D webcast. Earlier this year, Betihavas headed the taping of MTV’s very first 3D concert of the band Vampire Weekend in Turin, Italy. In another world first, Betihavas produced London Fashion Week Show Live in 3D to 5 global sites. She has more than 20 years experience producing and directing television.

Dr. Sebastian Knorr is one of the founders, managing director and head of the R&D and Knowledge Management department of imcube labs GmbH in Berlin. For the past 8 years, he has researched the field of 3D image processing and computer vision in the Communication Systems Lab at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. In 2007, Knorr invented the patented process of automatic 2D to 3D image conversion with highly advanced computer vision algorithms. He received the German Multimedia Business Award of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in 2008.

Other speakers will be announced shortly.

“Many authoring and post-production facilities, just home and dry with their Blu-ray investment, are taking crash courses is 3D production to remain competitive and many publishers large and small are wondering what it takes to "do" 3D,” says Jean-Luc Renaud, Co-Founder & Forum Director. “Unlike big – and pricey - Hollywood-centered conferences, we will not shy away from addressing issues head on. Like the successful event last year, the 2011 edition will combine presentations and demonstrations by the pioneers who are pushing the technological and creative envelopes, especially the independents.”

Other topics to covered include:

- Forecasting the 3D home entertainment market - Can analysts deliver?
- Active vs passive technology for 3D TV – what is the trade-off?
- Universal 3D glasses - where do we go?
- Stereoscopic viewing - what the doctor says?
- Costs and ‘grammar’ of 3D production - is it Hollywood’s preserve?
- 3D authoring – a new ballgame?
- 2D-to-3D conversion - a danger zone?
- Gaming – the future of 3D?
- 3D glasses-free autostereoscopy - on the horizon or around the corner?
- Glasses-free 3D on laptops, tablets and smartphones – gimmickry?
- 3D broadcasting – a competitor in the 3D space?
- BD-Live and Augmented Reality – any 3D role?
- Sensory 3D – the 4th dimension?




For more information, visit www.blurayacademy.com.

Story filed 06.03.11