毫无疑问，3D流媒体视频提供了一个令人惊叹的因素——一些应该迫使人们观看的东西. But is the extra bandwidth, equipment, 而且成本确实物有所值——尤其是对台式机和笔记本电脑的流媒体内容? As William Shakespeare himself might say, there’s the rub: When it comes to cost-benefit analyses, the payoff from 3D streaming video is hard to quantify.
Act 1: Setting the Stage
3D视频正在进入消费电子市场. 索尼、松下、东芝和LG等主要电视制造商都在销售3d电视. Meanwhile, monitor makers such as Asus, Samsung, and Viewsonic are selling 3D- capable displays, 可以使用3D图形处理器和眼镜，比如NVIDIA的3D视觉系统.
尽管可用的3D内容(各种各样的3D电影)相对较少, broadcast content such as ESPN 3D’s sports programming, 以及英伟达自己的2010年大师锦标赛和纳斯卡赛车的3D流媒体), consumers are buying this technology. “根据CEA最近发布的第13届年度CE所有权和市场潜力研究报告,’] 3DTVs are now owned by 3% of US households,” writes Shawn DuBravac, 美国消费电子协会(CEA)首席经济学家兼研究部主任在他的博客中写道, Two Opinions, at www.shawn dubravac.com). “More, 鉴于目前3d电视的销售速度，2011年家庭拥有3d电视的比例将显著增加(与2010年相比)。.”
3d个人电脑的前景也同样光明, 据Jon Peddie Research (JPR)预测，到2014年，“立体3D (S3D)电脑”的出货量将达到7500万台. “S3D个人电脑将对几个重要的细分市场非常有吸引力,Jon Peddie Research的“3D个人电脑——个人电脑中的立体视觉”报告摘要如是说 www.jonpeddie.com. “JPR预计，S3D pc将实现比传统pc高得多的增长率, of course, they will have a higher ASP. 因此，S3D PC市场将对PC制造商和内容供应商非常有吸引力.”
当然，Jon Barad对3D电脑和为他们服务的3D内容很感兴趣. Of course, as NVIDIA 3D Vision’s senior business development manager, Barad’s enthusiasm comes with the job. 但毫无疑问，他对这个问题的回答是真诚的, “流媒体视频制作商是否值得进入3D领域?”
“I would say absolutely yes,” Barad says. “3D将成为令人兴奋的新兴PC媒体形式, compelling, 它提供了一种独特的方式来享受和连接内容.“NVIDIA 3D Vision作为插件可用于微软Silverlight播放器(用于支持3D的计算机)，这并没有什么坏处。.
Actually, 在观看3D时，电脑和电视可能比电影院更好, says Jason Goodman. He is the founder and CEO of 21st Century 3D (www.21stcentury3d.com)，这是一家全方位服务的立体3D制作公司，在纽约和洛杉矶设有办事处.
“许多放映3D的电影院使用低成本的投影仪或低功率的灯来延长它们的寿命. 它们的光照水平低于应有的水平，”古德曼解释说. “This can cause fatigue for viewers, 加剧了“焦点固定崩溃”，因为他们的眼睛将焦点保持在影院屏幕上，但却盯着比实际屏幕更近或更远的物体.” In contrast, 3d电视和电脑屏幕倾向于提供明亮的图像，更容易和更舒适的观看, he notes. “As a result, watching 3D on a TV or PC 能有比在电影院看更好的体验吗.”
As for the bandwidth required to streaming 3D content, it’s not as much of an issue as one might think, according to Caitlin Spaan. She’s the spokesperson for VUDU (www.vudu.com最近被沃尔玛(Walmart)收购的视频点播提供商.
斯潘说:“我们可以分享在VUDU上播放3D电影所需的要求。. “具体来说，要求与流式2D相同，从1开始.4Mbps for SD. Minimum requirements for HDX 3D begins at 4.5Mbps. 当涉及到为VUDU编码3D内容时，没有特殊的设备. 3D视频通过工作流作为并排或自上而下的视频传输.”
那些想要提供3D内容但又不想要存储和服务的客户怎么办? That’s where third-party companies such as Fordela Corp. (www.fordela.com) come in. Fordela的新大使媒体平台被宣传为世界上第一个基于云的平台, automated, integrated 3D video management solution. Unveiled at NAB 2011, 大使支持NVIDIA的3D Vision silverlight兼容系统, 为3D内容制作者提供一站式的网络流媒体解决方案.
“内容制作者只需在我们的网站上登录他们的账户, upload their videos, and then let us do the rest,” says Fordela CEO Jason Deadrich. “They can specify the playlist and the distribution list, and indeed all other qualifications that they need to set. But from there, we can do it all for them.”
Clearly, 3D流媒体内容的舞台已经搭建好:这项技术已经存在, is penetrating the marketplace, and performs well. 所需的传输带宽很大，但也不是离谱. One-stop-shop platform providers also exist. 这就引出了下一个问题:有什么值得关注的?
Act 2: Assembling the Players