COMING TO YOUR LIVING ROOM: 3D

The big four TV manufactures (Samsung, Sony, LG and Panasonic) look at 3D as the next feature to attract new buyers. They all plan to have their new 3D TVs on sale by the end of 2009 as Hollywood and many sports leagues experiment with 3D broadcasting.

Or, will 3D end up being the next big flop?

It's clear that TV manufacturers need something new to get more people to purchase the latest model TVs. During the last few years, manufacturers have experienced a sales boom as consumers upgraded to digital TVs in anticipation of the government's mandated switch to digital TV broadcasts in 2009.That said, some manufacturers claim they have developed technology that doesn't require glasses.

Some manufacturers claim they have developed technology that doesn't require the use of 3D glasses.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE By Marguerite Reardon - http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/15/3d.tv/

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3D MOVIES HIT TV with SUPERBOWL "ALIENS"

Super Bowl is "the most valuable piece of advertising real-estate that exists in television in the world," and the NFL and its corporate partners are very protective of that real-estate.

With Lionsgate's 3-D shocker "My Bloody Valentine" displaying in-your-face 3-D ads featuring many images of flames and weapons flying off the screen, DreamWorks Animation, NBC, Pepsico and the NFL are working on a massive 3-D promo to air during the Super Bowl.

"This is not your grandfather's 3-D," but as the long-promised wave of next-gen 3-D features is about to hit theaters, studios and distribs face a problem: how to promote 3-D movies on a 2-D TV screen.

READ MORE By DAVID S. COHEN - http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117998277.html?categoryid=1019&cs=1

BSkyB trials 3D

BSkyB has tested 3D broadcasting for the past year. Test transmissions included top-flight boxing, English rugby and Liverpool soccer, as well as its popular Gladiators show. The 3-D TV used "existing HD infrastructure. We haven't had to
develop a whole new set-top box."

BSkyB says it has used 3D cameras at these events and successfully transmitted the signals to standard Sky+ set-top boxes. Sky, in a statement, said the trials would “help establish the potential for commercial 3D TV services”. It used a TV set from Hyundai, which requires the viewer to wear dedicated polarizing spectacles.

Gerry O’Sullivan, Sky’s director of strategic product development, said the images were exciting, and created the same sense of enthusiasm as when they first trialled HDTV. O’Sullivan said the intention was to future-proof its investment in HDTV.

O’Sullivan said the only thing that was changed was the camera rig, adding that other incremental costs were very small compared to the effect that was being produced. At a demonstration at its West London headquarters, the company showed clips from programmes it had filmed.

Sky indicated that suitable TV sets are now coming onto the market at prices of about £2000 ($3000), and that more will be unveiled next year. “Like most current systems, the BSkyB solution needs the viewer to wear special 3D specs, though in the future even they may no longer be needed,” a Sky News report said.

Sky’s efforts are not alone. The BBC in the UK, and Fox in the US have also been doing work on 3D, while Japanese broadcasters are further advanced than any in the work being done.

READ MORE by Chris Forrester - http://rapidtvnews.com/index.php/200812182815/bskyb-trials-3d.html

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