Sky to Make TV History with the Launch of 3D TV
Isleworth, Middlesex (PRWEB) February 3, 2010
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 on Sunday 31 January 2010, 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.
Once 3D TVs begin to reach the consumer market later this year, Sky will then make Sky 3D available to all Sky+HD (http://www.sky.com/shop/supertelly/ ) 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 who subscribe to Sky’s top TV package and the Sky HD pack. 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 (http://www.sky.com/shop/3d/home/ ) 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. Eight specially engineered 3D camera rigs will house sixteen of 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.
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.”
About Sky (http://www.sky.com/ )
Sky is the UK’s leading entertainment and communications company, operating the most comprehensive multi-channel television service. More than 9.7 million homes enjoy the entertainment, movies, news and sports channels. In delivering entertainment through the TV, PC and mobile, customers have more control and flexibility over what, how and when they watch. Over 2 million enjoy the picture and sound quality of Sky+HD which offers 37 dedicated HD channels.
Sky+HD customers can record at the touch of a button, record two channels while watching a third previously recorded programme, automatically record new episodes of a favourite series, pause and rewind live TV and remote record. Customers can also watch Sky Anytime – a selection of the weeks best TV available on demand offering up to 90 hours of HD programming. HD ready TV with Sky+HD is Supertelly (http://www.sky.com/shop/supertelly/ ).
For further media information regarding Sky or this release please contact:
Victoria Etaghene
Sky Consumer PR Executive
British Sky Broadcasting Ltd
Grant Way
Isleworth
Middlesex
TW7 5QD
0207 705 3000
www.sky.com
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Early Years of 3D Television and Where We Are Now
3D technology dates back to the beginning of when photography was first introduced. In 1844, David Brewster invented the Stereoscope, a gadget that could take photographic pictures in 3 dimensions. The Stereoscope was then improved by Louis Jules Duboscq and a famous picture of Queen Victoria was displayed at The Great Exhibition in 1851. By the Second World War, stereoscopic cameras were already common.
3D movie technology was parallel to 3D pictures and imaging. In 1855 the Kinematoscope was introduced. The first anaglyph movie was created in 1915 and in 1922 the first public 3 dimension film was displayed called “The Power of Love”. Following that, in 1935 the first 3D color movie was created.
In the early fifties when Television became popular in the United States, many 3D films were produced. The first film was Bwana Devil from United Artists that could be seen all across the US in 1952. A year later, in 1953, came the 3D film “House of Wax” which also featured another innovation called 2D sound. Alfred Hitchcock originally made his film Dial M for Murder in 3D, but for the purpose of profitability the movie was released in 2D because not all theatres were able to display the format.
Recently the British Sky Broadcasting company, better known as Sky UK, announced that they will launch a Sky 3D channel in April 2010. It will bring content such as sports, entertainment, and other 3D television programming that will be accessible to the public. The new channel will require a 3D capable TV and equipment by Sky UK.
On January 1, 2010, the world’s first 3D channel called SKY 3D started broadcasting nationwide in South Korea. The channel’s tagline is “World No.1 3D Channel”. This 24/7 station uses Side by Side technology at a resolution of 1920x1080i. 3D programming includes sports, animation, education, documentary, as well as performances.
A full 24 hour broadcast channel was announced at the 2010 Consumer Electronics show, held in Las Vegas as a joint venture from IMAX, Sony, and the Discovery channel. As the year progresses, consumers can expect to hear more such announcements as the broadcast industry prepares to introduce 3D TV to consumers globally.
