With the success of "Avatar" and other similar movies, TV vendors have now begun seeing the opportunities of pushing 3D TVs to consumers looking to enjoy these movies at home. However, if you look at the 3D content market, most 3D media, whether it is movies, web broadcasts and/or PC games, or even the oldest of 3D mediums – 3D photographs – are currently being accessed using a PC.
The PC remains, and will continue to remain, the dominant device for accessing 3D content. But up until now there has been no 3D PC category in the PC industry. But that was then and this is now. This year at Computex Taipei 2010, Nvidia has brought together various players in the PC, CE (consumer electronics) and gaming ecosystem to launch what it calls the 3D PC class of PC products and the company believes that within five years, 3D PCs will account for about half of the 150 million discrete solutions sold in the global market.
In light of Nvidia's push for PC supremacy in the 3D market, Digitimes has taken the time to investigate some of the reasons Nvidia has created a 3D PC class and what this means to consumers and players in the PC industry – that is to have a united ecosystem for delivering 3D content and 3D supporting hardware.
What is a 3D PC and why do I need one?
In January 2009, Nvidia launched its 3D Vision platform for delivering stereoscopic 3D. The foundation of 3D Vision is a combination of wireless active shutter glasses that deliver twice the resolution per eye versus passive glasses, a high-power IR emitter that transmits data directly to the active shutter glasses within a 20 foot radius and advanced software that automatically transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D experiences. The platform is designed to work with certified 120Hz LCD monitors.
However, while Nvidia has already shipped more than 100,000 units, the trend has been for users to install the kits as a DIY (do-it-yourself) product. Since it launched 3D Vision though, Nvidia has been working closely with PC vendors, digital camera makers and game developers to bring the ecosystem together to deliver more integrated products and a more unified vision of 3D content on the PC platform.
With the launch of Nvidia's 3D class of PCs, the trend will now be for OEMs to launch completely configured 3D PCs, providing 3D to a whole new category of user. According to Nvidia, a number of OEMs are participating in the program, including Acer and Asustek Computer, and other global OEMs will announce complete 3D PC models in the near future. While Nvidia has shipped more than 100,000 3D vision kits, shipments of one million or even 10 million are not that far in the future, especially as the ecosystem comes together.
Much like the well-recognized brands in the TV industry who are promoting 3D in their industry, Nvidia is taking the leadership position in the PC industry to help various market players focus together to deliver the optimal 3D PC experience to the market. At Computex, most of the 3D PCs shown by Nvidia and its partners will be gaming desktop PCs or notebooks, and the products will definitely catch the public's attention. Examples of products scheduled to be highlighted during the show include an Asustek notebook that will be the first 3D notebook to include an integrated emitter (current solutions are supported by a dongle) and several AIO (all-in-one) 3D PCs.
A number of monitors supporting Nvidia's 3D Vision solution are also being displayed at Computex, including monitors from Acer, Asustek, Dell/Alienware, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and ViewSonic.
It's all about the content
If you look at what is driving growth of 3D, it's all about the content. For example, "Avatar" has been a great boon in the movie industry, educating the general population about 3D and making audiences hungry for more. The movie was produced at a quality level that made people realize that 3D is more than a gimmick. The important thing is that people can enjoy the experience for more than two hours.
But even more exciting for players in the industry is that there have been several Hollywood movies since then made in stereoscopic 3D. "Alice in Wonderland" and "How to Train Your Dragon" were both well received in 3D.
Consumers want to see an increasing amount of content in 3D, and as the penetration rate of Blu-ray players increase, more 3D movie content will become available for viewing at home.
However, while 3D movies get the most press, the gaming industry is making an even bigger push into 3D, and it should be noted that the gaming industry is bigger than the film industry. Nvidia indicated that more than 400 PC games now support Nvidia's Stereoscopic 3D system.
Another area where 3D technology can be used is photography. Nvidia already automatically supports a 3D Vision Photo viewer when its 3D Vision driver is installed, and the company has added hardware partners such as Fujifilm, whose devices can contribute content files and build up the 3D photo ecosystem. At Computex, NVIDIA also announced that the Sony NEX-5 digital camera will be upgraded to support a 3D Sweep Panorama mode supported by NVIDIA 3D Vision PCs.
Players in the industry are also excited about 3D content being streamed over the Internet, as the trend in the market moves increasingly from broadcast to Internet-based video distribution.
This year the Masters Golf tournament was broadcast live over the Internet in 3D and an increasing amount of professional sports will take advantage of both 3D and Internet streaming to provide fans with a more exciting viewing experience for top events. And sporting events are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to 3D content on the Internet. YouTube has over 5000 3D videos and movie websites like Netflix are looking to see how to enable people to enjoy 3D on the web.
Are all 3D solutions created equal?
Nvidia has made a strong case that it made the right choice in designing its 3D Vision system around full-resolution frame-sequential 120Hz displays with active shutter glasses as opposed to interlaced half-resolution micro-polarized displays (micropol) with passive glasses which are being used by competitors. But more importantly, from the very beginning Nvidia more so than its competitors understood that the 3D market will be decided by the quality of content.
In line with this vision, Nvidia developed its 3D Vision platform to automatically convert hundreds of PC games to work in stereoscopic 3D out of the box, without the need for special game patches. Currently, its solution supports over 400 PC games and the company has about four-times the title support of its competition. And Nvidia is striving to remain the most significant player in the market with its “The Way It's Meant to Be Played” program that ensures future games will support 3D Vision.
Nvidia explained that you can take your old gaming library and enjoy them again in 3D. The company noted that feedback so far has been fantastic. Users rave about popular games such World of Warcraft (WoW) played in 3D. In driving games users have been able to reducing their lap times because 3D is giving them more sensation. 3D Vision Surround mode allows users to set up 3 monitors in 3D mode for the ultimate immersive solution. In fact, professional drivers are using 3D games for simulation on new tracks using 3D Vision Surround mode, Nvidia added.
New games are starting to use 3D effects as well. Lost Planet 2 and Just Cause 2 are said to look spectacular in 3D. And while current games are equipping with 3D, future games are incorporating 3D features into their designs, such as adjusting the camera positions.
Nvidia stressed that its success is due to the investment it put into developing the market. The company contends users are much happier with its solution than with any other solution on the market. Nvidia also pointed out that its not just game applications that it supplies, but also video applications, photo applications and it is working with Blu-ray player and TV vendors to enable them as well. Nvidia is also working closely to help deliver 3D streaming plug-ins for Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight to enable 3D content over the Web. The company believes the whole 3D product and content ecosystem needs to work together to make the market successful. And because it has been investing in the market early and often, Nvidia noted that it is seeing much more compatibility on its platform.
Nvidia explained that it has taken advantage of its unique place in the market. The age-old chicken-and-egg problem dictates that in any type of new market, content providers don't want to invest in content until the hardware is there and hardware doesn't want to invest till software is there. As a hardware enabler that has long worked with game developers, the company found itself in a position to enable both sides of the market by taking a leadership position and devoting the time and investment needed to make it easier for both sides of the market to develop products for the market.
Why buy a 3D solution, and why PC over TV?
There are a number of reasons consumers will come to the conclusion that the PC platform is the way to go when choosing a 3D solution.
First of all, based on where the market is moving, anyone who buys a discrete graphics card solution should buy a 3D stereoscopic solution, according to Nvidia. Those buyers who want the performance boost of a discrete graphics solution are the same people who understand that in addition to gaming quality, stereoscopic 3D stereo is one of the PC experiences that make an investment in discrete graphics worthwhile.
Today the price premium for a stereoscopic 3D-ready PC is about US$300 above the price of a PC without. The breakdown is about US$100 for a 120Hz display and US$200 for the active shutter glasses. Nvidia noted that it is working with all players on the hardware side of the equation to reduce that differential and the company sees opportunities to steadily decrease the premium. The company also pointed out that while a US$300 3D premium is about the same in the PC and LCD TV industries, 3D LCD TVs will run consumers about US$3,000 while a 3D PC will cost only about US$1,500.
In addition, the PC platform has a significant advantage in terms of content, especially for gaming and Internet content. In addition, a 3D PC can still enjoy current 2D content in 3D.
Ultimately though, the best advantage the PC market has is the same advantage it always had. From the very beginning, the PC market has been successful because it is a flexible and dynamic market. Products can be upgraded and changed every year. PC software is also designed around APIs that can enable software and hardware to change quickly. Nvidia pointed out that it was able to work with game developers to create a new API and a new driver to enable 400 3D games in one year. By comparison the games console industry is thinking about maybe 20 3D games this year.
Nvidia added that graphics power is always climbing in the PC industry. The GTX 400-series has 2x the performance of previous years. Nvidia also has the GPU performance to render 3D where the requirement is double – one for each eyeball. In the LCD TV or game consoles market consumers will be stuck with the graphics horsepower of a product for five years, and advancements in the hardware or software come slowly. This means a lot in a world that originated the idea of Moore's Law.
For that reason, Nvidia foresees that about half the discrete graphics market will feature 3D within five years. That means if 150 million discrete graphics devices are sold every year, the market will reach 75 million units in that time.
The content ecosystem will grow accordingly as well. There is a compelling case if you are gamer to buy a 3D PC if you buy a new PC. The games you play today and buy tomorrow are going to be that much better in stereoscopic 3D. And more 3D content will be experienced through Blu-ray drives or peripherals such as 3D cameras or 3D digital photo websites.
More than a fashion statement
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Nvidia's GeForce 3D Vision
Photo: Company
