LONDON: BSkyB successfully transmitted live 3DTV across it’s systems in the United Kingdom, several area reports indicate. The satellite TV provider telecast a live transmission of a performance by the band Keane from London’s Abbey Road studios Thursday, April 2. The telecast was available in 3D to Sky subscribers with HD set-top boxes and 3D-enabled sets, including Sky’s own 46-incher. The event was simulcast on the Web for viewing with blue and red anaglyph glasses and to a 3D-equipped theater.
Sky has previously transmitted recorded 3D. The live transmission marks another step in the pay TV provider’s intention to launch full-service 3DTV this year.
Screen Digest, a London research organization, recently issued a forecast for 3D in the home. It said that 3D-capable TV sets would account for 10 percent of the global market within two years, and up to 16 percent by 2015. Concomitant factors include a diminishing necessity for anaglyph glasses as autostereoscopic technology takes over. The development of standards and compression will also play into the deployment of 3DTV, as will the availability of bandwidth.
Games are expected lead movies in terms of availability, and Blu-ray was referred to as “the clear frontrunner for distribution of 3D movies to the home.”
The report noted 3D movies are on the rise, with seven titles launched in 2008 and 17 more on deck for this year. Production companies have committed to 28 feature films in 2010. -- Deborah D. McAdams
