Foxtel is believed to be looking at a new 3D TV Channel similar to what is set to be launched by the Sky UK Network while Panasonic is set to launch a brand new 3D TV in 2010.
Foxtel is believed to be looking at a new 3D TV Channel similar to what is set to be launched by the Sky UK Network while Panasonic is set to launch a brand new 3d TV in 2010.
One of the UK’s only HD providers Sky UK recently announced that in 2010 they will launch a 3D channel called Sky 3D. The new UK network will require that users have a HD DVR set top box and a special 3D ready TV.
In Australia several manufacturers are set to launch new their next generation of 3D enabled TV’s in coming months as more 3D content becomes available. Samsung and LG already have 3D TV’s.
At the weekend Titanic” director James Cameron signed on with Panasonic to promote their new range of 3D TVs which are expected in Australia mid next year.
The deal comes as Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox are aiming to break new ground with the release of “Avatar,” a movie shot entirely in 3D.
At the same time, Panasonic is making a big push to get consumers excited about three-dimensional TV viewing which requires viewers to wear special glasses to experience the 3D effect.
Rivals, including Sony, which has its own movie division and Samsung Electronics of South Korea have shown prototypes and may offer similar products.
The manufacturers face a problem in that 3D content is scarce. There’s also no agreement on a disc or broadcast format to bring the content to TV sets, though the industry group behind the Blu-ray disc are close to finalising a standard.
Several animation films are already being shown in theatres in 3D, along with a handful of live-action movies. “Avatar,” set for release in December 2009, will be the biggest major Hollywood film to debut worldwide in both 2D and 3D.
“I believe 3D is how we will experience movies, gaming and computing in the near future. 3D is not something you watch. It’s a reality you feel you could step into,” Cameron said on video.
Panasonic is hoping its collaboration with Cameron will give its brand an edge as a 3D leader, and give the company ideas for technological improvements for home TVs, GM Masayuki Kozuka said.
“We want to get global interest rolling,” he told the Associated Press. “For people to want to watch 3D at home, the movie has to be a blockbuster.”
Panasonic plans to have several trailer-vans driving around the U.S. and Europe next month with large-screen 3D TVs inside showing “Avatar. It is not known whether they will adopt the same strategy in Australia.
” In Japan, footage from “Avatar” — a science-fiction romance set in a futuristic jungle inhabited by creatures evocative of Cameron’s “Aliens” — will appear in ads for 3D TVs. Cameron developed a new computer-controlled 3D camera system for the movie.
The new specially designed Panasonic TV is slated to go on sale in the UK in 2010, the same time that Sky will launch their 3D channel. The network will offer a variety of programming including sportscasts, movies and other forms of entertainment found on mainstream channels.
Sky is yet to release an official launch date in 2010, nor have they offered any type of pricing structure. What we do know is that trial versions have shown such offerings as rugby, boxing, and a performance of Swan Lake.
Foxtel Management have refused to comment on the concept of a 3D Channel.
