Moving Pictures Expert Group Industry Forum (MPEGIF) is an advocacy group for standards-based DTV technologies. The group is an independent and platformneutral not-for-profit organization representing more than 20 international companies and organizations with the goal to facilitate and further the widespread adoption and deployment of MPEG and related standards in next-generation digital media services. MPEGIF is among the consortiums focused on standardizing technology and methods for delivering 3DV/3DTV.
MPEGIF announced in December 2009 the formation of the 3DTV Working Group and launch of the “3D over MPEG” campaign. The new working group and campaign continue MPEGIF’s work in furthering the widespread adoption and deployment of MPEG-related standards including MPEG-4 AVC/H.264. The chair of the newly formed 3DTV Working Group stated that “3DTV is of keen interest to everyone in the video creation and delivery industries. The challenge we all face is that of sorting through the myriad technical options. Our common goal is to create a 3DTV ecosystem that delivers great new experiences to consumers. The 3DTV Working Group and the ‘3D over MPEG’ campaign are designed to provide focus and clear information to decision makers. 3DTV can be distributed today using MPEG-related standards. Existing broadband and broadcast services and infrastructures are 3D-ready, and ongoing works by standards bodies provide a compelling path for the future evolution of 3DTV . . . 3D video is showing distinct commercial promise in theatrical releases and could thus transition to the advanced living room to follow High-Definition and Surround Sound. As a result there is a growing array of competing technologies and work from various standards bodies. It has therefore become a major theme of the next MPEG Industry Forum Master Class being held at CES 2010 in Las Vegas in January 2010.” About 30 industry participants joined the 3D Working Group at the launch.
The 3DTV Working Group aims at providing a forum for free exchange of information related to this emerging technology, an industry voice advocating the adoption of standards and for consolidating the overall direction of the 3DTV industry. Its focus and constituency will be derived from video service providers, consumer electronics manufacturers, content owners, equipment manufacturers, system integrators, software providers, as well as industry advocacy groups, industry analysts, financial institutions, and academic institutes.
MPEG-4 MVC is being given consideration. As we have seen, MPEG-4 MVC can be used, among other more sophisticated applications, to handle simple transmission of independent, left-eye/right-eye views, which is considered to be the viable early commercial approach, at least in the United States. An arrangement called by some “frame-packing arrangement and SEI message” enables the encoder to signal the decoder how to extract two distinct views from a single decoded frame; this could be in the form of side-by-side, or over–under images.