3ality Digital to Support the Launch of Sky's Groundbreaking 3D TV Services
BSkyB (Sky) and 3ality Digital have announced they are to collaborate on the launch of what will become the first 3D TV services in the UK and Ireland. Launching in 2010, Sky's 3D TV services will use 3ality Digital's state-of-the-art camera rigs and image processors to capture much of the programming it plans to broadcast.
Sky's 3D TV service will be broadcast across Sky's existing High Definition (HD) infrastructure and be available via the current generation of Sky+HD set-top boxes. 1.6 million homes are already equipped with Sky+HD. To watch 3D content, Sky+HD customers are only required to upgrade to a 3D-enabled television set, a wide range of which will begin to be retailed in 2010.
The agreement with Sky represents the latest in a long line of broadcast firsts for 3ality Digital. In the past 13 months alone, 3ality Digital technology powered the first-ever live 3D broadcast of an NFL game and the first live 3D sports broadcast available to consumers. During the same period, the company also shot the live-action footage for the first 3D commercial broadcast on television, as well as the first episode of a scripted television series shot in digital live-action 3D.
Sky's 3D TV service will provide its customers with a comprehensive mix of programming, spanning sports, movies, entertainment, documentaries and the arts, including live content.
3ality Digital began making its automated 3flex camera rigs available for sale in April, 2009 as part of the company's continuing effort to expand the creation and distribution of live-action 3D entertainment. Developed using proprietary intellectual property, the rigs are manufactured to aerospace-level precision. When used with 3ality Digital's rig software controller (SPC) and Stereo Image Processing Systems (SIPS), the 3flex rigs allow operators to capture nearly pixel-perfect live-action 3D footage. 3flex camera systems use sophisticated artificial intelligence to sense the environment and ensure the highest image quality. The systems feature semi-automatic setup and alignment, as well as full 3D metadata output.
Source: 3ality Digital
