Motorola Spruces Up DCX Cable Set-Tops For 3D

Motorola Spruces Up DCX Cable Set-Tops For 3D
Vendor Adds Capability to Render On-Screen Graphics in 3D
Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 4/12/2010 3:42:36 PM

Motorola is making its latest-generation DCX line of cable set-tops savvier about 3DTV.

The vendor has developed a software upgrade the DCX that can automatically reformat on-screen graphics in 3D, as well as detect 3D content so that subscribers don't have to toggle their 3DTV sets between 2D and 3D mode.

Such enhancements aren't technically necessary to deliver the 3D signals to the home - for example, Comcast, Cox Communications, Cablevision Systems and other operators delivered the commercial-free Masters 3D telecast produced by ESPN without any upgrades necessary.

Since no new hardware is required, analysts do not expect 3DTV to deliver a windfall to cable-equipment vendors in the way that HD has.

However, the features Motorola is adding to the DCX platform should improve the experience for subscribers tuning in to 3DTV. Accessing a two-dimensional on-screen guide while watching 3D content can be disorienting and lead to headaches, according to industry experts.

When the 3D-enabled DCX detects 3D content, the set-top automatically reformats all on-screen text and graphics to match the incoming 3D format so that they can be correctly displayed by the 3DTV set. Motorola noted that the feature also maintains the "visual integrity" of emergency broadcast messages, closed-captioning and other on-screen information while 3D video is playing.

To date, Motorola has shown the 3D-rendering feature working with Motorola-native guides as well as those based on CableLabs' OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP).

On the output side, the DCX software reads the 3D information included in HDMI 1.4a and then passes that information to a 3DTV-compatible TV. That version of the HDMI cable specification adds two mandatory formats for 3D broadcast content: side-by-side horizontal and top-and-bottom, which refer to techniques for delivering left- and right-eye images.

"The development of this 3D software enhancement gives our service provider customers a straightforward solution for deploying high-quality 3DTV services today using their existing video delivery infrastructure," John Burke, senior vice president with the Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business, said in a statement.

Motorola said it has provided early releases of the 3D software to service providers for evaluation. Full deployment to subscribers depends on individual operators' plans. The company said it will work with customers to add 3D support to other set-top families besides the DCX line, which launched in 2008.

Motorola is demonstrating the 3D-enabled DCX set-tops at the 2010 NAB Show in Las Vegas this week.