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Archive for the '3D' Tag

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Time Warner joins 3-D cable frenzy for Tiger’s return

April 7th, 2010, 7:49 am by

Time Warner Cable has put its foot in the 3-D TV ring and said Wednesday it will offer the upcoming Masters Tournament in 3-D. The golf event, which has the added publicity of Tiger Woods returning to the tournamnet,  starts April 8.

Time Warner, however, will only offer the coverage on demand, unlike other cable providers Cox Communications and Comcast Corp. (see “Cox getting into 3-D; ESPN 3-D starts in June“). Those companies are offering viewers a mix of live 3-D broadcasts and on-demand coverage.

Offering 3-D broadcasts is a big step for cable companies, which are maxed out when it comes to channel capacity on existing cable lines. Hence, they tend to be behind the competition for the number of HD channels offered. While Cox is using switched digital video technology to convert some channels into a type of on-demand channel so they’re not broadcasting 24/7, Time Warner has been moving the space-hogging analog channels to digital.

Time Warner’s 3-D coverage will be available until April 30 to customers with a cable HD box and HDMI cord. But to get the full 3-D experience, consumers must also have a 3-D HDTV.  (Read related story: “Should your next HDTV be 3-D?)

“We remain committed to bringing our customers not just the latest programming, but the most innovative ways to watch it. The Masters coverage and these viewing parties will provide a good test for the future rollout of 3-D TV in our footprint,” said Melinda Witmer, Executive Vice President of Programming for Time Warner Cable in a statement.

If you don’t have a special TV but were hoping to watch the game in 3D, Time Warner is hosting two private viewing parties. Looks like anyone can sneak in to the San Diego event. Here’s where to show up: The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo on Saturday, April, 10th, from  1:00 PM – 4:00 PST, at 12280 Greens East Rd, San Diego, CA 92128. More details at Time Warner’s site.

Previously on 3-D TVs:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Verizon FiOS plans 3-D TV broadcasts by 2010 holiday

April 2nd, 2010, 10:42 am by

It’s been a big week for 3-D TV news, as DirecTV gave the new ESPN 3-D channel a June launch date while several cable providers said they will air the upcoming Masters Tournament in 3-D (Time Warner Cable is joining the effort too, announcement is coming).

Today, Verizon chimes in. The company however, isn’t joining the 3-D trend just yet. It’s too early, says Shawn Strickland, vice president of FiOS product management for Verizon.

Currently, consumers need a 3-D HDTV and special glasses to view 3-D broadcasts. But beyond a handful of Blu-ray Disc movies, there is very little 3-D content available.

“The market for 3-D TV is very, very early in its development. We’re monitoring the early sales of 3-D TVs with interest and expect to announce a 3-D offering well in advance of the holiday TV shopping season, when 3-D television sales will expand,” Strickland said.

But don’t count out Verizon. Strickland goes on to say that its FiOS TV service has become the leader in HD channels and offers the most to consumers who can order the TV service. “Ultimately we expect to provide the same industry leadership with 3-D,” he added.

So, it sounds like Verizon FiOS will offer 3-D broadcasts before the end of the year.  And not just one channel but “our commitment will be to bring the broadest range of 3-D programming,” Strickland said. He adds that Verizon is actively negotiating with “a number of companies in the emerging 3-D value chain.”

Now if only more consumers could order FiOS…

More on 3-D TVs and 3-D viewing:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • | 1 Comment »

Cox getting into 3D; ESPN 3D starts in June

March 30th, 2010, 2:54 pm by

Take a day off, miss some big 3D news. DirecTV offered us an update yesterday on one of its upcoming 3D TV channels. We knew ESPN 3D was coming, but now we know when: June 11. More notably, Cox Communications plans to air the upcoming Masters Tournament for all customers who have an HD receiver. That makes Cox the first cable TV provider in Orange County to make some sort of commitment to 3D.

Let’s start with Cox. The cable company will air the Masters Tournament next week from Augusta National Golf Club beginning Wednesday, April 7 (yes, that’s the event where we will all see Tiger Wood’s return to the sport). There will be two hours a day of live coverage, starting at 1 or 2 p.m, our time. The same coverage will also be available on demand (go to channel 1). If you’re not an eligible Cox subscriber, you can also view the 3D coverage at Masters.com if you have a 3D-compatible computer.

What will you see? “Viewers will be better able to depict the many subtleties and elevation changes of the course’s grounds,” says Cox.

The interesting note is that Cox is a cable company. And cable companies have complained about not having enough space to air more HD channels. Companies are tweaking the technology and playing with available bandwidth in order to squeeze more HD into a customer’s house. Cox, for example, has turned some regular TV channels into on-demand only so that they are not broadcasting 24/7. When a customer wants to view the channel, it starts airing as if it were broadcasting 24/7.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, is also airing the Masters Tournament in 3D. Here’s a good explanation about how Comcast is doing 3D by Engadget, “Comcast’s 3D Masters broadcast explained.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 19 Comments »

Should your next HDTV be 3D?

February 5th, 2010, 3:34 am by

Mitsubishi Digital 3D HDTVs3D movies today are far from the fuzzy 3D of the 20th century, where  blue-and-red cardboard goggles were more of a fashion statement then advancement in technology. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, it became very clear that 3D is heading to living rooms nationwide.

Pretty much everyone announced a 3D HDTV, including budget TV brand Vizio. But the even bigger news came from companies like DirecTV, ESPN and the Discovery Networks, which all announced major efforts to bring 3D videos to TV sets.

3D glasses from NvidiaBut are consumers ready for a 3D TV?

The simple answer: Not yet. Yes, many 3D TVs will begin hitting store shelves in late Spring. And DirecTV begins offering three 3D channels in June. But experts agree that the content is just not there yet. So, when should you buy a 3D TV?

“2013,” says Alfred Poor, an analyst who covers the TV industry and is known as the “HDTV professor.” “2013 is when we’ll start seeing 3D televisions shipping in quantity. Why? Because of content. Content is king, always has been, always will be. … Hollywood is now committed to producing 15 to 20 3D features this year. That averages to 2 to 3 hours each so that’s about 40 hours of new content. That’s not enough to fill a single week of primetime.”

DirecTV is working with Panasonic to offer the three channels beginning in June. They will include one pay-per-view channel, one special events channel (sports, music) and one video on demand channel. Subscribers who already have DirecTV’s HD box will get a free software update so they can access the 3D channels for free.  But viewers will need a 3D TV and 3D glasses to view the content. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 8 Comments »

Who’s bringing 3D content to 3D HDTVs

January 9th, 2010, 10:23 am by

Mitsubishi Digital 3D HDTVsProbably the biggest 3D news at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is the 3D content that is coming to TVs very soon.

ESPN, Discovery and others announced moves into the 3D market. Three more channels will be available only to DirecTV subscribers in June 2010.

► DirecTV said it is also working with CBS, Fox Sports/FSN, Golden Boy Promotions, HDNet, MTV, NBC Universal and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. to develop 3D programming that will debut this year or next year. Panasonic, which is pushing its 3D Viera HDTVs, will sponsor the effort in the first year.

DirecTV subscribers who have HD service will get a free software upgrade to access 3D content. The 3 channels will be:

  1. Pay-per-view movies and documentaries channel
  2. On-demand channel
  3. 3D sampler demo channel, featuring sports and music events

► ESPN committed to 3D TV and plans to broadcast 85 live sporting events in 3D this year, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Sony Corp. will help sponsor the channel. Other 3D events include up to 25 2010 FIFA World Cup matches, Summer X Games, college basketball, NBA basketball, college football and basketball which will include the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, AZ on January 7, 2011

► Discovery Networks announced plans to create a 3D TV network in partnership with IMAX and Sony.

► DreamWorks Animation, Technicolor and Samsung partnered to bring more 3D movies to homes.

Consumer Electronics Show 2010 with The GadgetressFor more CES 2010 coverage, visit the Gadgetress CES page at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/ces2010.
Most recent headlines:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Next up in 3D: Samsung’s 3D camera for consumers

January 8th, 2010, 8:15 am by

Samsung 3D camera prototypeWith all the 3D HDTVs coming out, people will one day want to create their own 3D home movies or photos for their new TV. Samsung was one company demonstrating a prototype 3D camera at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Samsung projected images from the camera in a roped-off darkened exhibit area so it was difficult to get good pictures of the camera itself. But a sign at the entrance shows what the camera looks like (on right). With two ‘eyes,’ the camera has a left and right lens so it takes two photos simultaneously and weaves them together to create a 3D image viewed best with 3D glasses.

The camera on display was a 12-megapixel camera with HDMI outputs. As with many new gadgets at CES, no price or launch date was available on this one. It appears to be a gadget for the further future.

Samsung isn’t the only one playing with 3D cameras for consumers. Fuji has the newish FinePix Real 3D for $600.

More Samsung 3D camera pics from the show floor (click to enlarge):

Samsung's 3D camera prototype sam3dcamimg_7758 Samsung's 3D camera prototype sam3dcamimg_7757

Consumer Electronics Show 2010 with The GadgetressMore CES coverage: gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/ces2010. Recent headlines:

Posted in: Gadgets • • • • • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Toshiba’s ultimate TV will make you want to dump your system

January 6th, 2010, 2:16 pm by

toshimg_7219That new HDTV you just bought? Outdated. Get ready to dump it after you hear what Toshiba America is coming out with this year: The CELL TV, which Toshiba announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It’s still an HDTV but every feature has been turbo charged.

It’s faster (480 Hz compared to existing 60 Hz TVs), brighter (1,000 cd/m2), blacker, more connected and converts 2D video to 3D video (see photos below from the press conference for some details). Gee, what else? It’ll include a 1 TB hard drive, built-in Blu-ray Disc player, Wi-Fi, DLNA (so it can access family photos, music, video and other files stored on personal computers) plus a high-quality video phone system.

The main feature: The CELL chip, which is the same chip that powers the PlayStation 3 and has been finding its way into certain advanced computers. Toshiba, which developed the chip with Sony, always intended to put it in a TV. This year, it will begin selling the CELL TV in the U.S. No specific date or price has been announced. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sensio’s 3D video technology making more sense

January 6th, 2010, 6:36 am by

I’ve got to admit, watching 3D shows on TV is very cool. But the experience is hard to capture in print and on a blog. I stopped by chipmaker Sensio Technology’s table during a pre-CES event Tuesday evening.

The Canadian firm, which happens to be providing the 3D decoder into new 3D TVs from Irvine’s Vizio, had plenty of cardboard glasses for attendees to try on and take a peek. Images really did appear to hover out of the TV. I didn’t feel like Bono was reaching out to touch me, but his hand did seem to stretch three inches from the TV screen.

I did my best to capture the experience. The left image below is the raw 3D video on a TV. The right photo is, obviously, the same image through special 3D glasses. Click either image to enlarge.

Looking at 3D video without glasses. Sensio's 3D technology powers TV video

It made me get excited about U2 again.

Maybe 3D will be in my next TV even if I have to spring for some extra glasses?

Consumer Electronics Show 2010 with The GadgetressFor more CES 2010 coverage, visit the Gadgetress CES page at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/ces2010. Most recent headlines:

Posted in: Gadgets • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 7 Comments »

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