Richard LaBerge, Executive VP, CMO, talks about 3-D technology

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Richard LaBerge.

Mr. Richard LaBerge is, since February 2000, Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at SENSIO®. SENSIO® develops and markets Stereoscopic 3D digital compression, decompression and display formatting technologies.

Richard is in charge of the company's commercial development. Mr. LaBerge occupied various positions within financial institutions such as Mouvement Desjardins from July, 1991 till January, 1996 and Business Development Bank of Canada from February, 1996 till January, 1997. In 1998, still at Desjardins, he contributed to the marketing of various products adapted to the company's needs. Furthermore, as an analyst-programmer, he worked for Raymond, Chabot, Martin, Paré and Cie from November, 1987 till September 1988 and for Rothman Pall Mall, a company located in Australia and specialized in manufacture and distribution of products of tobacco, from December, 1986 till October, 1987. At the same time, he occupied since May, 1994 the position of Executive Vice-President of SAJE. He obtained in June, 1991 a MBA from l'École des Hautes Études Commerciales - HEC (University of Montreal).

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

The latest blog on the interview can be found in the IT Managers Connection (IMC) forum where you can provide your comments in an interactive dialogue.
http://blogs.technet.com/cdnitmanagers/

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic
:00:31:		3D has especially come to the forefront since the release of the movie Avatar and then its spotlight at CES. What do you make of James Cameron's movie phenomenon, the technology, and what this means to the way we do business in the future? "....He has shown to the world that 3D can be the next thing in entertainment....Cameron brought 3D as an immersive experience. It's like a window into a new world...."
:01:44:		What is the current state of live 3D broadcasts and your take on future trends? How will this move into organizations? "....You have to see 3D live broadcasts as another source of 3D content....3D live comes in as a great add-on...."
:02:53:		What impact will 3D have on the consumer such as with TVs, PCs and game consoles? "....When people change their TVs, PCs, or game consoles they will buy the new one 3D enabled and they will have an immersive experience and that will come from multiple platforms...."
:03:54:		Can you talk more about the CES conference? "....CES is the largest consumer electronic exhibition or conference and it is held every year in Las Vegas....3D was one of the major attractions this year...."
:05:28:		Can you provide an overview of 3D technology? "....When you watch a 3D movie you have the left and right eye. If you want to do that, normally you need to double the bandwidth to carry the information. Sensio® has developed the technology that allows you to take the left and right eye and combine them into one single video stream the same size as the 2D bandwidth. This is the first part of the technology and is called encoding. The second part is called the decoding which is at the receiving end. This is in the home or at the cinema where it receives the encoded signals and gives you back the left and right eye at full resolution....The last part is called formatting where the cable from the same source is able to put the output to any type of 3D display....This is what Sensio® technology does; we are in the transport of 3D signals through the existing 2D infrastructure...."
:07:37:		Can you profile the state of 3DTVs and monitors? "....Right now, all the major manufacturers have said that they will be coming up with 3D capable monitors and TVs....In the US it will start in the July time frame...."
:09:30:		What can you say about the overall 3D industry and where it is heading? What will 3D look like in 2012? "....You want to have the whole technology working. For awhile there were pieces of that chain missing. This year the whole chain, all the technology is there to make it happen. The next step will be deployment, and this is what you will see 2010 and 2011 - the mass deployment. In 2012 you will see 3D starting to become a commodity in the market...."
:11:02:		Please share details of your background and career lessons for success. "....Nicholas Routhier and I started the company ten years ago. Both of us came from the financial world but we had a passion for electronics and 3D and we wanted to bring 3D into the consumer market....There are many challenges and you have to have perseverance but it is very rewarding and stimulating to feel like we have probably been one of the enablers to help to create this at this time...."
:17:12:		What are top lessons and tips can your share from the projects you have worked on? "....Have a good strategy....Communicate the strategy internally to your team and externally to partners, investors, customers....Have a good structure on how to deliver...."
:18:22:		What do you see as the top challenges facing us today and how do you propose they be solved? If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask, and then what would be your answer? "....'What other competitors do you have?'....This year will be a confusing year for people and this is normal for 3D. It happened when HDTV first came in several years ago. It will be the year of building and putting down the foundation for 3D...."