BSkyB will next year roll out 3D television for the first time across its UK and Irish networks, marking a major evolution towards real as real can be TV. Sky gave us an early glimpse of what's coming.
As we troop into a room festooned with TV sets, one gigantic TV dominates the room. We've been promised a first-look at 3D television, a service that Sky intends to deploy across its network beginning in 2010. In the back of my mind I'm thinking, 'Hold up, aren't we just getting used to high definition and things like Blu-ray?'
As my eyes took in the room, I searched for some new magic box. Instead, there was what seemed to be an ordinary flat-screen 50-inch TV and a standard Sky HD set top box. On the table in front of us were what looked like horn-rimmed glasses that Buddy Holly would have been proud of, one of which was darkened over.
Wasting no time, Brian Lenz, director of product design and TV product development, and his colleague John Dorling, made it clear there will be no special 3D set top box, at least not to begin with. "We didn't want to have to figure out how to bring a new set top box to market and we think the existing HD box is a good platform. From next year a number of high-definition TV models will come with a 3D-ready badge that are capable of recreating the 3D cinema experience."
Ready, set, watch
We were then invited to place the 3D specs on our heads and the demo began with a series of boxing, football and rugby footage shot last year. Before wearing the glasses, the screen looked blurry, as if a number of images had been overlaid on each other, but once the goggles were on my first reaction to the 3D experience was the sense of intimacy you felt with what was happening on the screen. Rugby in particular stood out and you had the feeling of being on the pitch, the boxing match felt realer than real but for some reason soccer seemed a standard HD experience.
"Basically, what we are doing with the 3D experience is telling the HD box to think that it is showing a regular HD channel but what is happening is while we are showing footage shown with 3D and some 2D content is a left image and a right image. The box doesn't have to do anything, but what is really happening is the 3D encoding happens at the very beginning and when the signals reach the box it triggers into TV mode.
"The encoding puts odd on even lines and there's a polarising filter on the TV that matches the odd and even lines with the glasses you are wearing and that's where the depth perception comes from - it is about recreating what the brain sees and the eyes see."
Lenz said that Sky made the decision to put the 3D intelligence into its broadcasting system as well as the existing HD boxes so that it could keep as much money in reserve to invest in the content. The company over the past number of years has been increasing the number of HD cameras at sporting events and will now begin adding 3D cameras into the mix. "None of this matters unless the story and the content is compelling, interesting and engaging. We asked ourselves, can we go beyond the wow and gimmick aspect to create a truly immersive entertainment experience. We are testing it across all genres and seeing what content works best."
Content target
Lenz said that Sky will be targeting mainly events-driven content, like football matches and other key sporting events, and will initially target 3D television at entertainment venues, like clubs and pubs, where people are willing to pay for premium pay-per-view content, such as key World Cup matches.
To illustrate his point about diversity, Lenz showed a rendition of Swan Lake ballet, where the dancers appeared to float out and around the screen. "With 3D, it is possible to take something visually beautiful and take it from 2D to 3D. This draws you in, makes you feel what it's really like and reveals to the viewer why the ballet has such a magic engagement." He wasn't joking, it was impressive and enchanting. "You take something beautiful, it doesn't degrade and in fact makes it more visually compelling."
Logistics of where to place cameras at sporting and concert events are currently occupying Lenz and Dorling's time. "We are still deciding on things like rail cams and adjusting to dynamic events. For 3D to work you need to have two cameras aligned and synchronised. How do you fit two cameras onto a rig where you used to have one? We also need to look at where to place things like the mirror rig and beam splitters. One of the hardest things is filming live events unobtrusively. Season-ticket holders don't react well to have to watch a camera for the entire game, so we're figuring out the ideal angles and what and how many cameras we need for events."
Making it work
Another consideration Lenz said that Sky needs to take into account is switching from 2D to 3D without the viewer really noticing. At the moment what happens is the screen judders. "We have to be careful about cutting too fast. Another thing to bear in mind is visual depth cues, if we aren't careful you could cause nausea, which woudn't be good for business.
Lenz demonstrated the complex mechanical formations required in keeping cameras focused during a South Africa versus Saracens rugby match. "3D is more sensitive to lighting and its a real advantage when you have an event that has great lighting and a great scene such as a crowded stadium. Eight out of 20 cameras in future matches will be 3D."
In terms of graphics on TV, 3D brings many different capabilities to the broadcaster and enhances the viewing experience. Demonstrating a tennis match, a piece of information on one player appeared to the fore of the court while information about the rival player seemed a little further back beside the player, giving the game and its coverage a cinematic feel."
Lenz confirmed that the 3D television service won't work on standard HD TVs. "We're looking at the next replacement cycle where a number of Japanese and Korean manufacturers will be marketing future TVs as 1,080p high-definition TVs that will be 3D-ready.
"There are a number of 3D standards coming out but we are agnostic. One technology will be the active glass technology, where the glasses would electronically synchronise shudder with the TV and then there would be basic glasses that work well with plasma and high refresh rate TVs."
He explained that a third, more expensive option that Sky won't be going with - at least not for years - would be auto-stereoscopic 3D TVs that don't require the user wearing 3D specs at all. "In front of each pixel are digital lenses that magnify the different viewing angles. These would be very expensive TV products that would typically cost up to £15,000 and require a whole new distribution platform that is years away."
The business end
Explaining the business rationale behind the impending move to 3D TV, Lenz said that Sky will initially sell 3D as a high-value add-on. "We believe most people will move to watch regular TV in high definition, but there will be events that will be compelling enough to watch in 3D. We will be focusing on events and appointment-to-view programming than EastEnders.
"We are trying to get 3D to a point where the economics are negligible and provide us with a lot more options. We aim to introduce services that provide enough revenue to be sure we're not just adding on as an incremental cost. We are a premium pay TV operator, we don't need to have millions of subscribers for this to make it into a viable service.
"If you look at the adoption curve for HD and Sky+, we have no reason to believe there will be a similar adoption curve with 3D.
"HD triumphed because there was a strong replacement cycle from CRT TVs to flat screen and plasma models. That said, there are still some 10 million TVs sold every year in the UK and Ireland.
"We forecast sales of 50,000 to 100,000 in the first year. This is not a play we expect to reap immediate benefits from, it's about the longer term. There are 1.6 million customers on our HD box who, if they go into the store and buy a new 3D-ready TV, they would be potential users.
"The reason we've gone aggressively after 3D as we've had is we know its a chicken or egg thing. If we waited for the TVs then we know the TVs won't sell. But if we go in first we could make 3D TV an interesting and viable play.
"We're going to go first into commercial premises like pubs and clubs. 3D TV is a seeing is believing thing, and much different to the preconceptions of what 3D is. We need people to understand that this is 3D that is not the same as their grandfather's 3D. This is a cinema experience that is immersive and compelling. The expense has to be justified, though. Saying it is 3D won't be enough. A bad football game will still be a bad football game."
"We need people to understand that this is 3D
that is not the same as their grandfather's 3D."
- Brian Lenz, director of product design and TV product development
Lenz summed up Sky's march into 3D as both aggressive but also tentative. "We aren't announcing our packaging plans just yet but it will have to make commercial sense to us. We don't want to make adoption of 3D TV too much of a hurdle but at the same time align it with the business objectives of pubs and clubs that adopt it.
"The way we see it playing out - if you buy the active glass solution you'll by the glasses with the TV but in pubs and clubs low-cost glasses could be used as marketing collateral that will help venue owners to monetise and recoup their investment.
"HD is becoming standard for us - over 15pc of our customers are using it and rising. My personal view is 3D won't be the same as HD. HD will become a default way of watching television while 3D can make the special moments and high-end experiences better. We won't go down the road of having 40 3D channels just yet. Instead we'll have a few premium, appointment-to-view channels where the cream of the crop of content from live sporting and music
Nice find Garlad. Hmmm this is gonna put my Sky bill even more through the roof ! Wonder what the fees will be ?
Yeah me too! And of course the need to upgrade to a 3DTV! I have the HD package plus 2 multirooms so it is pricey as it is.. But I don’t think I could resist this.. I watch a lot of sport so it sounds good!
I saw your HD box in your gallery Do you have a 3DTV yet? I've seen none on sale in stores.. Just a few online.
I saw your HD box in your gallery Do you have a 3DTV yet? I've seen none on sale in stores.. Just a few online.
Hell no ! I paid £5k for my Kuro only early last year, and to upgrade it again so soon is a no go ! I'm not really in a position to constantly upgrade my kit year after year like some folks do, so I might have to wait a couple of years before a decent 3DTV can take pride of place.
Glad you liked me gallery mate. Yeah got the Sky HD multiroom in the bedroom, and the other Sky HD box in the lounge hidden in the unit under the Kuro. Again, extremely annoying that they cost £299 each when I got them, and now they're giving them away free ! Bastards !
Hell no ! I paid £5k for my Kuro only early last year, and to upgrade it again so soon is a no go ! I'm not really in a position to constantly upgrade my kit year after year like some folks do, so I might have to wait a couple of years before a decent 3DTV can take pride of place.
Glad you liked me gallery mate. Yeah got the Sky HD multiroom in the bedroom, and the other Sky HD box in the lounge hidden in the unit under the Kuro. Again, extremely annoying that they cost £299 each when I got them, and now they're giving them away free ! Bastards !
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Originally Posted by Blu_Ray_UK2007
Within a year of having mine it went from £249 to £49!
Guys, you are lucky! When I got mine it cost me €499!!! you do the conversion!! Crazy price.. But I saw it in action in a store and I just HAD to have it! I dont regret it one bit But at the time people thought I was insane! Now you can get it for free over here.. sickening!!
On top of the €499 I had to pay €100 installation fee and as I didnt have a phone line (which they insist on) I had to pay €40 for a "non phone line installation". That comes to €639 before I paid a penny for my subsricption!!
My god.. reading that back, I really was crazy!
hehe yet here I am thinking "when can I upgrade my tv.." Calm down Gar.. no rush!!
To be fair though mate since we all got it they have put a lot of effort into HD content!
It's worth the price alone every time you watch footy in HD!
yeah you're dead right. What have we now, almost 40 HD channels! Saw E4HD was added as well and Sky ChristmasHD and MGM HD! We cant get Channel4 HD over here yet and I can only tune in BBCHD as an extra channel (so cant record ) so hopefully they will both be added to our EPG soon.
Sky to promote Europe's first 3D TV channel with Avatar launch
Anyone see this??
Quote:
Sky to promote Europe's first 3D TV channel with Avatar launch
by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 17-Dec-09, 09:20
LONDON - BSkyB is set to promote its 3D TV channel, Europe's first, with a nationwide 3D ad campaign launching in cinemas tomorrow alongside James Cameron's 3D film 'Avatar'.
Sky's 3D channel launches next year and will be available to customers with a Sky+ HD set-top box and a 3D-ready TV set. It will offer movies, entertainment and sport.
The six-week ad campaign, created by Sky's in-house agency Sky Creative, will run before screenings of 'Avatar' in 700 cinemas across the UK.
The ads feature the strapline '3D TV from Sky, coming soon to your existing Sky+HD box'.
Sky's campaign will also run at The O2 concert arena and at its store in London's Westfield shopping centre.
Hilary Perchard, Sky director of product management, said: "As we move towards the launch of the UK's first 3D TV services, these are our first steps in widening public awareness of the service and providing a 'seeing is believing' experience.
"As Sky's 3D TV service uses the same underlying technology as that being used in cinemas, it seemed natural to use Avatar as our first marketing platform.
"We also wanted to give consumers the opportunity to sample first hand the quality of experience we will offer next year."
Honda is also launching a cinema campaign to coincide with the release of Avatar to promote its Civic model.
Additionally, Coke Zero, Casio, McDonalds, Panasonic and LG have partnered with Twentieth Century Fox on co-promotional campaigns for the 3D film.
Sky TV says it has made a significant step towards bringing 3D television to British viewers.
The satellite broadcaster says it has successfully tested the delivery of 3D programming to a domestic television, via a high-definition set-top box.
Sky has been filming a number of events using 3D cameras over recent months.
Such broadcasts would require the use of 3D televisions, not yet available in UK stores, and viewers would need to wear 3D polarising glasses.
Earlier this year BBC engineers broadcast a Six Nations rugby union international in 3D to an audience at a theatre in London.
Sky says it has gone further by showing that 3D could be delivered into homes, straight to its Sky+HD set-top box, without much difficulty.
Sky is stressing it is not making a product launch, but producing a technological demonstration.
"We have shown it is a technical reality," Sky's director of strategic product development, Gerry O'Sullivan, told BBC News.
"Now we have to find a way to bring it to viewers."
The approach requires new recording as well as playback equipment
At a demonstration at its West London headquarters, the company showed clips from programmes it had filmed in 3D, including a Ricky Hatton boxing match, a rugby union international and an episode of Gladiators.
Mr O'Sullivan said major TV manufacturers were beginning to look at building 3D sets and at January's Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, a number of prototypes are expected to be on display.
He explained that for broadcasters, the move to 3D would not be anything like as expensive as the investment the industry had made in high-definition television.
"It's not hugely costly," he explained, "because it piggybacks on the investment in HD."
Hollywood is beginning to invest heavily in 3D movie production and in Japan some television channels are already broadcasting in 3D.
It is a technology that first surfaced in the 1950s, but modern digital technology has brought new interest from producers and manufacturers.
Mr O'Sullivan dismissed the idea that it would appeal only to a small minority of viewers.
"I heard HD described as a niche product," he said. "Now we've got nearly 600,000 HD customers."
Geez, everyone is just pushing for 3DTV so early. I'm not sure how people will join in, I mean, we already spent hundreds, probably thousands just to upgrade our TV's to HD and now we're expected to do the same again for 3D. I just got my first HDTV last year. I'm not entirely sure if this will catch on unless we see a quick price drop on them.
Geez, everyone is just pushing for 3DTV so early. I'm not sure how people will join in, I mean, we already spent hundreds, probably thousands just to upgrade our TV's to HD and now we're expected to do the same again for 3D. I just got my first HDTV last year. I'm not entirely sure if this will catch on unless we see a quick price drop on them.
Hey Jon! They look great! They standard for all new customers? I wonder can we upgrade??
Not sure how legit this list is, but for Sunday's match, you need to go to these places for the 3D match..
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Cardiff - The Blackweir Tavern (North Road)
Dublin - Qbar (D'Olier Street)
Edinburgh - Belushis (Market Street)
London - Bar Kick (Shoreditch)
London - The Elk Bar (Fulham)
London - The George (Liverpool St)
London - Sirocco ( Soho)
Manchester - Binary Bar (Castlefield)
Manchester - O'Sheas (Princess Street)
Dublin's pub has been mentioned a couple times on the radio, so they could very well be the true locations!
Glad to here it will be a free service to existing HD customers... "initially"..
Quote:
Sky has announced that it will launch Sky 3D, Europe's first dedicated 3D TV channel, this April.
As part of the final preparations for this ground-breaking launch, Sky will preview the new service with a world first this Sunday (January 31), becoming the first TV company anywhere to broadcast a live 3D TV sports event to a public audience.
The Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United will be filmed in 3D and broadcast over the Sky platform to selected pubs around the UK and Ireland, with their customers becoming the first audiences anywhere in the world to experience live Premier League in 3D.
To support this landmark broadcast, the nine pubs - located in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin - have been kitted out specially with some of the first '3D Ready' TV sets to reach the UK and Ireland.
As 3D TVs become more widely available, Sky will roll out its 3D channel to hundreds of pubs from April, allowing football fans across the country the opportunity to experience a live Premier League match in 3D each week.
Available
Once 3D TVs begin to reach the consumer market later this year, Sky will then make Sky 3D available to all Sky+HD customers, giving millions of people the opportunity to watch a wide range of content in 3D, including movies, sport, documentaries, entertainment, and the arts.
Sky 3D works with all existing Sky+HD boxes and will initially be introduced at no extra cost for customers. Sky 3D will also be compatible with all 3D Ready TVs coming to the UK and Ireland this year, including all models from Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic.
To make the 3D preview a reality, Sky Sports will produce two edits of its live coverage of Sunday's game at the Emirates Stadium, one for its HD channel feed and another dedicated to 3D.
Specially engineered 3D camera rigs will house Sky's high definition cameras, to provide comprehensive stereoscopic coverage from all angles.
The 3D broadcast will be supported by Sky's dedicated 3D production team and purpose built 3D outside broadcast truck, which will enable live mixing between camera positions, slow motion replays and the use of innovative 3D graphics. There will also be a dedicated commentary team to support the 3D edit.
Sky's commitment to launch a dedicated 3D TV channel follows a number of 3D 'firsts' achieved over the last couple of years.
In December 2008 Sky was the first UK broadcaster to demonstrate 3D through a domestic TV and then went on to broadcast an exclusive demonstration of a Keane gig in 3D live over its satellite platform and offering the UK's first ever live public demonstration of 3D - a recorded performance of Swan Lake by English National Ballet - at the Hay Festival.
Innovated
Jeremy Darroch, Sky's Chief Executive, said: "3D is without doubt one of the most talked-about developments in television for many years.
"Sky has always innovated to bring customers the best possible viewing experience, so we fully intend to take the lead in bringing the spectacle of 3D to the UK and Ireland."
Gerry O'Sullivan, Sky's Director of Strategic Product Development, said: "2010 is the year for 3D TV.
"People have already embraced 3D cinema and because Sky's 3D service uses the same kind of technology, we're confident there will be demand for sport, movies, concerts and drama in 3D.
"The good news is that all Sky+HD customers already have the set-top box they need to enjoy 3D, meaning they simply need to buy any new 3D TV, all of which will work seamlessly with Sky's ground breaking new service."
Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, added: "Sky Sports has a proud history of innovation, from the simple clock and scoreline in the comer of the screen through to high definition.
"It's fitting that we're pioneering this new, revolutionary development in broadcasting."
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Sky - 3D, HD and everything else
Hmmm this is gonna put my Sky bill even more through the roof ! Wonder what the fees will be ?
Yeah got the Sky HD multiroom in the bedroom, and the other Sky HD box in the lounge hidden in the unit under the Kuro. Again, extremely annoying that they cost £299 each when I got them, and now they're giving them away free ! Bastards ! 
you do the conversion!! Crazy price.. But I saw it in action in a store and I just HAD to have it! I dont regret it one bit 
But at the time people thought I was insane! Now you can get it for free over here.. sickening!!
Sky To Show 3D Football This Weekend!
Linear Mode
