3D Content & Programming On The Way
Earlier this month, the CES has been the opportunity for most of the biggest TV manufacturers to show their latest offering on the upcoming trend in the television industry: 3D Television. They’re betting that 3D technology will be as big a boost for the industry as the transition to color TVs from black and white. Skeptics have noted that it took a decade for the cost of color TVs to fall enough to win acceptance in the United States, so there’s no way to know whether or not 3D will be a success. Meanwhile, electronics makers are looking to 3D as a way to encourage consumers to upgrade to new televisions, and they are positioning it as a more dramatic leap forward than the move from standard quality to high-definition television.
Actually, there are only a handful of 3D TVs on the market today, but starting this spring, that’s expected to change. Some see the need for consumers to wear special 3D glasses as a potential stumbling block for 3D in homes. We’re leaving the “3D TVs without glasses” topic for another post. Today we’re going to take a look at what’s available today in terms of 3D content, as well as what’s coming down the pipe.
3D TV Channels
As of right now, there’s not a single 3D TV channel, but that will rapidly change in the coming months. After two years of testing, ESPN plans to launch its 3D channel, ESPN 3D, in June. The station will be dedicated to broadcasting live sporting events in true stereoscopic 3D. While it will only be active during these broadcasts, ESPN has a total of 85 on the roster so far, which will start with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup match on June 11, between South Africa and Mexico, and include up to 25 other World Cup matches.
DirecTV and Panasonic also announced today that they’ve partnered to launch no less than three 3D stations this year. Two will offer linear content (with no control), while a third will actually operate on demand to deliver 3D content as you want to watch it. Content for these channels will come from CBS, NBC, MTV, AEG, HDNet and Fox Sports and will include will include natural history, space, exploration, adventure, engineering, science, technology, movies, sports, and children’s programming. Discovery said it is forming a joint venture company with Sony and IMAX to deliver the service. It will be a dedicated, 24-hour channel that shows movies, nature programs and other content that lends itself well to 3D.
2D Content Converted To 3D
Some 3D televisions will actually generate their own 3D content from standard 2D video. Toshiba’s top-of-the-line Cell HDTVs will use the company’s TriVector technology to bring your old movies to life, while Samsung’s 9000 series LED HDTV will perform something similar.
With the public’s renewed interest in 3D for both theatrically released content and beyond, many content producers are looking to repurpose existing 2D materials to meet demand. JVC has introduced the IF-2D3D1 Image Processor, which works as a 2D-to-3D converter. The IF-2D3D1 is designed to help 3D content producers improve their workflow, whether they are converting archived 2D material or shooting original content in 3D. JVC is also licensing this 2D-to-3D conversion technology to other manufacturers, such as 3D decoder chip manufacturer Sensio Technologies.
Blu Ray 3D
Perhaps the most obvious source of 3D content will come from movies that were always intended for the 3D format. Dreamworks will launch Monsters vs. Aliens, for instance, as one of the first 3D Blu-ray discs, a format that was only finalized in December. Despite the late standard adoption, Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic and Samsung all have plans for 3D Blu-ray players.
Disney, which says it has produced more 3D content than any other major, will begin rolling out 3D Blu-ray titles this year beginning with “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and followed by “Alice in Wonderland” and “Toy Story 3.”
Sony’s first planned 3D release is the recent animated film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The film’s release will be timed to coincide with the availability of Sony’s 3D Bavia LCD TVs and 3D-compatible Blu-ray players in the middle of 2010. If you’ve got a PlayStation 3 at home, remember that you won’t need a new Blu-ray player to watch upcoming 3D Blu-ray discs; a firmware update due later this year will enable 3D Blu-ray playback on Sony’s gaming console.
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