Sky hints at 3D TV launch
Possible launch within two years
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Satellite broadcaster Sky has said that UK viewers could be treated to 3D broadcasts inside 24 months.
The firm’s Director of Strategic Product Development, Gerry O'Sullivan, told The Times newspaper that a 3D service “could be launched any time in the next two years”.
“Could” is the key word here, as O'Sullivan stressed that any launch by Sky will depend on the results of ongoing trials.
But it’s worth noting that the broadcaster’s R&D team last month claimed to have successfully demonstrated 3D TV at its London HQ, using just a “3D Ready” TV, 3D content sourced from a hard drive and a standard Sky+ HD set-top box.
O'Sullivan warned that Sky's commercial launch of a 3D service would also depend on the availability of suitable content. He suggested that only live sporting events would initially be available in 3D.
When 3D does come, all you’ll need to take advantage of it is a 3D-ready set – Panasonic’s promised to start selling 1080p 3D sets sets by 2010 - and, Sky said, a pair of those red and green specs.
Potential prices for Sky’s 3D service haven’t been given, but pay-per-view 3D could be an option. ®
COMMENTS
3D TV doesn't mean 2xbandwidth
It has been possible for years to send a depth channel plus normal 2D video and render with a variety of formats at the receiving end. Overhead was less than 10% of the video track and is probably much better now. That ability is also a nice side-effect of one of the better technologies for processing 2D footage into 3D.
@Tony Smith
>but that's what Sky said they were using.
Well, if that's what they said I guess that's what you have to report.
My apologies for the suggestion that you just tacked it on for effect.
>Won't it be fun if they launch a 3D TV service that requires red and green glasses
>than none of the available tellies can use? He-He.
But any telly can display the red and green pictures.
What would the special hardware do?
>entirely unconvinced there's any benefit to having 3D TV
Ditto, but then I'm unconvinced about HD as well, yet they're all going a bundle on it.
@James (not Prior - the other one)
Every specs-requiring 3D TV we've seen of late uses polarising lenses, not red and green ones, but that's what Sky said they were using.
Won't it be fun if they launch a 3D TV service that requires red and green glasses than none of the available tellies can use? He-He.
FWIW, Reg Hardware remains entirely unconvinced there's any benefit to having 3D TV, for all the (two) cool 3D Imax movies we've seen. We do like Imax. We think it'll go the way of the 'interactive movie'.
Are we right or wrong? What do you think?
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