Comcast Offers "The Final Destination" in 3D

Comcast, looking for some share of the 3D buzz this week, announced it will offer horror film The Final Destination on video-on-demand exclusively in 3D and HD formats the same day as the DVD release and Blu-ray release. The cable operator has previously offered movies on VOD in 3D, including My Bloody Valentine, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience and Coraline. Currently, Comcast uses anaglyph 3D, which require the traditional red-and-blue glasses, whereas newer 3D technologies that use polarized or active-shutter glasses render crisper images.

"Comcast On Demand is the best way to watch The Final Destination in 3-D and HD the moment it's available," Derek Harrar, Comcast senior vice president and general manager of video and entertainment services, said in a statement. "Our 3D plan is to always have the most 3D content, just like we do in HD and just like we have done in every category since we launched on demand."

Comcast is distributing 3D anaglyph glasses at its payment centers and mall locations while supplies last. The operator said The Final Destination, the fourth movie in the New Line Cinema horror franchise, will let customers "scream and duck as lethal objects fly from the TV screen right in their own living rooms."

In a recent online survey of 1,000 HDTV owners, 46% of respondents said they had a strong interest in viewing 3D TV in their homes over a cable or satellite distribution system versus other distribution means such as Blu-ray. Comcast was the only video service provider in the top three "most trusted brands" for 3D on the survey, conducted by Quixel Research in December, along with Sony and Samsung Electronics.

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News