Blu-ray Disc will play a big role in the 3D revolution. In December, the Âlu-rŕó Disc Association finalized its spec for Blu-ray MVC, a 3D ‘multiview’ codec extension to the existing AVC H.264. Though Blu-ray players seem to have dropped enough in price to start replacing DVD players by default, the arrival of 3D models could extend the disc format’s relevance.
Hollywood studios have been a bit quiet about their 3D Blu-ray plans, but a few deals have been announced. Disney says it will have a 3D version of Christmas Carol out by the fourth quarter, and DreamWorks and Samsung have announced a deal with Technicolor to replicate content in 3D.
Blu-ray Disc Association president Andy Parsons notes that not everything will get the 3D treatment. He says that he expects 2D to coexist with 3D. “We’re positioning 3D not as a replacement for but a complement to 2D,” he says.
While Parsons expects studios to search their archives for classics that they can transcode as 3D, the conversion may not be possibleacross the board, “It remains to be seen if a way can be found to convert 2D content into 3D in a way that comes close to what’s being done in the theaters today.”