LAS VEGAS: Verizon and Panasonic collaborated to demonstrate Full HD 3D streaming over Verizon’s FiOS platform at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The demonstration, using Panasonic’s Blu-ray 3D player, was billed as a first of its kind.
“We’re proud of our work with Verizon to develop this Full HD 3D streaming capability,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, chief technology officer of Panasonic of North America. “Panasonic has always believed that the best way to view 3D is via a full HD, 1080p resolution image, but until now the only option available has been on Blu-ray Disc media. Over Verizon’s high-bandwidth FiOS network, we’ve now shown that this kind of innovation can be accomplished by a premium television service like FiOS as well.”
Verizon says that unlike cable, its full HD 3D transmissions over FiOS preserve the complete 1080p picture resolution, while cable degrades the 3D image, typically reducing resolution by half. In a demonstration at the Verizon-sponsored Blogger Lounge, FiOS engineers showed a selection of 3D content streaming to a Panasonic Full HD Blu-ray 3D Disc player at a bit rate of up to 18 Mbps--double the bit rate currently used by most cable providers.
Last year, Verizon televised its first National Football League game in 3D, the New York Giants versus the New England Patriots, as well as the first Major League Baseball games in 3D, between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. The telco launched a 3D movies-on-demand channel in November, and is expected to begin carrying the ESPN 3D network sometime this year.-- from TV Technology
