TORONTO – Is everything really better in 3D? A researcher at Toronto’s Ryerson University aims to find out.
Richard Grunberg, a professor in Ryerson’s School of Radio and Television Arts, is studying audience members’ responses to four image formats: 4K (extreme high definition), 4K 3-D, 4K 2-D and 2K 2-D (still high definition, but with lower resolution).
Using Canada’s first full 4K Digital Cinema Lab, Grunberg said that he wants to know how viewers react to the technical aspects of images, including resolution, noise, compression, motion artifacts, colorimetry and dynamic range.
“It’s important to study viewers’ responses, given the rebirth of 3-D technology and the growing availability of 4K digital cinema”, he said in a statement. “We’re trying to analyze how people perceive the difference in formats and then quantify it. For example, do people react 20% more to an image that’s shown in 4K high definition? Do they really have a greater response to 3-D images and to what degree? It’s all about making sure the producers, and the audiences, get the most bang for their buck.”
Using a children’s television show shot using different image formats, Grunberg and his team will monitor the audience’s facial and eye movements using tracking equipment and a sophisticated software program. He will record observations such as where audience members look during specific on-screen moments, which special effects garner the most favourable reactions, and how different age groups respond to various image formats and screen sizes.
With the help of his findings, Grunberg said that production and post-production companies could then custom-design 3-D films taking into account different screen sizes and the unique preferences of certain viewer groups.
“There’s still room for improvement in 3-D technology,” Grunberg added. “We’re working to make it as much of an immersive experience as possible. At the end of the day, the goal is to maximize the audience’s viewing experience.”
