Consortium formed to create 3-D stereographic display market
MARCH 4--Five major Japanese companies have collaborated to form The 3D Consortium to encourage the growth and development of a full-fledged market for 3-D applications and products. The consortium's objective is to enhance the potential market for three-dimensional (3-D) images through the development and expansion of I/O devices for 3-D stereographic displays, development and distribution of 3-D content, and promoting the commercial use of this new technology in a wide variety of application areas.
The five steering members of the consortium are Itochu Corporation, Tokyo; NTT DATA Corporation, Tokyo; Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Osaka; Sharp Corporation, Osaka; and Sony Corporation, Tokyo. Consortium members believe this groundbreaking technology will open up new worlds of video imaging that will provide a realistic sense of depth and presence never before possible. In addition to the five steering members, the 3D Consortium is comprised of more than 60 standard members, including hardware manufacturers, software vendors, content vendors, content providers, system integrators, video production houses, broadcasters, academic organizations and other interested parties.
Subcommittees are being established within the consortium to discuss specific issues such as devising image formats appropriate to various applications and I/O devices and developing guidelines and authoring tools for creating content. The consortium will expand its efforts globally into various fields and plans to aggressively promote educational activities to encourage the widespread application and expansion of 3-D technology. The ultimate goal is to generate an unprecedented new industry and market for 3-D technology.
Inquiries from companies and organizations in the USA interested in participating in the consortium can be directed to Ian Thompson, Sharp Laboratories of Europe Ltd., e-mail:[email protected]