NAB Las Vegas, Booth SU7507, 14 April 2010 – Almost three quarters of visitors to NAB2010 want to find out more about stereoscopic 3D production, according to a survey by leading test and measurement manufacturer Hamlet. The survey, which quizzed visitors over the first two days of the show, found that just 28% said that 3D was not on their agenda at the moment, while 29% had already had some experience of working in 3D.

The rich complexity of the technical challenges involved in creating good stereoscopic 3D content was reflected, with a number of issues being quoted by visitors. The largest single challenge, though, was the need to ensure absolutely perfect consistency between the two cameras, cited by 28% of respondents. And while 34% felt that these checks should be performed at the time of the shoot, a further 48% felt that quality control should be done at every stage of the process.

“This sampling of NAB visitors clearly illustrates the fact that interest in stereoscopic 3D is surging ahead,” said Steve Nunney, director of Hamlet. “It also demonstrates that everyone involved in the 3D production chain acknowledges that attention to quality is, if anything, even more important than in regular HD, putting tools like the Hamlet VidScope-3D at the very top of the agenda.”

The Hamlet VidScope-3D is a comprehensive suite of test tools for HD, including precision matching of the two cameras in a stereo pair, which runs on a standard Windows computer. The VidScope-3D and the whole range of Hamlet test and measurement devices and quality control software systems can be seen at NAB Las Vegas in April, on booth SU7507, 12-15 April 2010.

Notes to editors:

Currently celebrating its 24th anniversary in 2010, Hamlet Video International Limited is a British company dedicated to the design, manufacture and supply of innovative, high quality and cost-effective test, measurement, monitoring and quality control equipment to the video and broadcast industries worldwide.

Hamlet has completely eliminated CRTs from its instruments, thereby removing the need for routine display recalibration and thus reducing significantly the cost of ownership of a precision instrument. With its latest devices using an all-digital internal platform, Hamlet has moved towards a calibrated-for-life test and measurement system.

Hamlet’s vectorscopes and waveform monitors either use an internal precision LCD display or provide an output to either a video or a computer monitor, which can be routed to the operator’s convenience. In either case the graticules are generated digitally within the device, so provides a continually reliable and accurate reference.

The company also develops test and measurement software to be used in conjunction with broadcast systems running on standard computers for the analysis of base band or file based signals. Finally, Hamlet manufactures digitally-stable signal generators as a companion to its measurement devices.