Belgian company Barco wins Gold ITEA Achievement Award for European 3DTV project

Barco, one of the leading contributors to the ITEA2 JEDI project, has won a Gold ITEA Achievement Award. JEDI, standing for Just Explore Dimensions, focuses on an end-to-end High Definition 3DTV chain. This includes methods of capturing, production, distribution and displaying of stereoscopic HD video.

'THE JEDI PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT BY 21 PARTNERS FROM THREE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.'

The JEDI project was carried out by 21 partners from three European countries: Belgium, France and Spain. With 11 industrial enterprises, 3 research/academic partners, 6 SMEs and 1 public broadcaster, the consortium was not only very diverse but also encompassed the complete HD 3DTV value chain – from camera-capturing and encoding, to transmission and decoding, to display. An important part of the project was also to assess and optimize user experience. Because the JEDI project serves as a first step towards 3D, it also included a study of how 3DTV for consumers will evolve, and in which timeframe.

ITEA 2 is the premier cooperative R&D program for software intensive systems and services in Europe (pre-competitive research), and a cluster of EUREKA, a leading pan-European platform for R&D-performing entrepreneurs. 'The objective of the JEDI project was to give European companies a competitive edge in the development of 3DTV solutions,' says Andy De Mets, Coordinator External R&D and Innovation Programs for Barco. 'This Gold ITEA Achievement Award proves that we have succeeded in all areas, including innovation, exploitation and dissemination. It puts the European partners in pole position for the development of 3DTV solutions, a market that is expected to become mature in the next five to ten years.'