The Hobbit 48FPS 3D where does BD Stand? - Page 4

A moderator on the Red forum has confirmed what I said in my post that said that a 270 degree shutter at 48 fps is 1/64th of a second, correcting a Red forum member who had said it was 1/72th of a second.
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?90770-The-Hobbit-at-48fps&p=1115023&viewfull=1#post1115023

According to the Red forum moderator:
Edited by Joe Bloggs - 12/19/12 at 6:45pm

So, we're agreed that a 48 FPS 3D version of The Hobbit is not possible under the current Bluray Spec, but couldn't you manipulate the 3D Bluray standard to create a 2D version at 48 fps? 3D Blurays basically pack two images into a single frame that the TV understands need to be displayed as alternating eyes, yes? So instead of encoding with alternating perspectives, you could encode with sequential images which would give you 48 FPS playback on a 3D TV, assuming you don't wear the 3D glasses. Maybe it would be too confusing to market a 2D HFR version on disc that requires a 3D capable player and TV, but it would be technically possible.

It's not possible currently unless you encode it into an existing Blu-ray video standard eg. 720p50 3D or 720p60 3D (or side-by-side with 1080i but that's probably against the spec even though it should work). Well they could change the Blu-ray specs, to add support for extra video formats, which they are already looking at (the "format extension study task force").

Also, passive 3D TVs display both eye views simultaneously. Encoding 2D 48 fps you'd have the problem that the active TV shows each eye's view of 24 fps 3D content multiple times. eg. something like L1, R1, L1, R1, L2, R2... (obviously it depends on the TV/glasses), so if you encoded 2D 48 fps like that it would keep skipping back frames when shown on the active 3D TV, eg. something like frame 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 4... (probably not quite that since 60/24=2.5). It might be easier to show 120 fps 2D content by encoding it as 720p60 3D if the active 3D TV only shows each eye view once (again probably won't work with passive 3D TVs, unless they altered them).

The best existing format in the standard specs to encode 48 fps 2D onto Blu-ray is either 720p50/720p60 or 1080/50i or 1080/60i (some players/TVs in the US wouldn't be compatible with 720p50 and 1080/50i).
Edited by Joe Bloggs - 12/22/12 at 12:24pm

What about 1080p/48fps on streaming services like Vudu? They're more in control of the encoding/decoding.

Yeah I was going to mention something similar.

My projector handles 60Hz refresh rate @ 1080p. So in essence 60fps @ 1080p.

While the Blu-Ray spec cant handle this - the computer could.

So couldn't a studio release a higher FPS digital download?

I am seeing some files out there now for movies that show: 10Bit encodes.

How are people getting these if the Blu-Ray itself is only 8bit? Have new Blu-Rays come out since that post - or are studios releasing 10bit digital copies?

If so - then higher FPS may be something to look forward to as well.

Yes I was thinking the same also. It looks like Sony and Red are going to have their own digital distribution systems for 4k video, and I believe the Red Ray player supports 48fps 3D, so it could be released for one of those players/services and perhaps licensed for a different service to buy digitally in 1080p 48fps. I would love if the Blu Ray came with a code to be able to get a 48fps digital copy of it as well.

Would have been smarter to make all bluray players with programmable firmware chips - so when updates to the specs came out - you just put in a data bluray with the firmware upgrade and presto.....

The problem is that its not always the software that need to change but the hardware as well.

And the more different players out there, the more unlikely a software change would work.

Right - but you make compatible firmware chips part of the bluray spec itself - thereby requiring all manufacturers to have one. Starting now that we know that higher resolutions and fps are on the way.

And you are right about needing new hardware - like when the different HDMI standards come out.

However, HDMI 1.3a is capable of a ton of stuff - and 1.4a even more... so now the software end of the bluray players is what is lacking, not the hardware.