When DTS called with a request to shoot a spectacular 3D promo piece for CES 2011, A Common Thread turned to 21st Century 3D.  Both groups collaborated with independent producer Carl Hampe and high speed digital camera manufacturer IDT in Irvine CA, for a result that was nothing short of stunning.

 

Many new technologies came together to make this production possible. More than one week of prep was spent trying to figure out how to make the Y5 1200FPS cameras work in a functional stereo configuration given the limitation of hdmi out for monitoring and other various factors. The IDT cameras were not originally intended for stereoscopic production, so while the sensors can be synchronized, the preview outputs cannot.  Producer Hampe, spent a lot of time on the phone with vendors and manufacturers trying to sort out the details. At one point, a manufacturer actually told him "you're pretty much hosed."  Another vendor led Hampe to a workable but convoluted setup utilizing a daunting array of expensive rack mount gear that seemed utterly impractical for the schedule and budget of the DTS production.

 

At the end of the day, TRANSVIDEO provided the most manageable and highest quality solution.  The new CineMonitorHD 3DView “S” offered an incredibly elegant approach, and became the effective hub of the shoot.  In this case the “S” stands for synchroniser.  TRANSVIDEO's latest addition to its CinecAward winning product line 

actually incorporates two internal time base correctors.  This approach allows unsynchronizable signals, like those coming from the preview output on the Y5, to be reliably multiplexed and effectively synched.

 

According to Hampe, “we ended up running all other on set 3D monitors (DP's L+R eyes, client feeds, etc,) off of the multiplexed output of that one TRANSVIDEO 3DView, and it worked! Life on the bleeding edge is pretty exciting stuff.”

 

Given the state of the art technology required and incredibly quick one week turnaround, the DTS production was an ambitious one to say the least. Physical modifications to the camera mounting plates of 21st Century 3D BX3.5 camera rig were required in addition to finding an appropriate monitoring solution.

 

Ultimately, the result was an extremely exciting piece that delighted DTS and showgoers alike at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.  Producer Hampe went on to say “I learned a great deal about video signals in that week. Of course the TRANSVIDEO3DView made my new education obsolete by the end of the shoot. Classic."

 

Jason GOODMAN, C.E.O.

21st Century 3D