Live 3D sport broadcasts to be biggest driver for 3D viewing
Live 3D sporting events will be the biggest driver for the 3D broadcast industry, according a whitepaper by Screen Digest and commissioned by Panasonic Europe. As 80 percent of all planned 3D channels will focus on sporting events, the availability of live 3D sports content is expected to have a major impact on the consumer uptake of 3D in the home.
According to Screen Digest’s research, a quarter of households in major Western economies will have a 3D capable TV in the home by the end of 2014. However this level of consumer penetration is dependent on the availability of high-quality content to influence purchasing decisions. Alongside soccer, American football and golf, Screen Digest expects the live broadcast of major tennis tournaments to be a major driver for the 3D industry.
Panasonic is playing a leading role in making these major sporting events available live in 3D across Europe. This week, in collaboration with the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), Orange and Eurosport, Panasonic is showcasing the first major multi-day sports tournament in Europe – the French Open, Roland Garros – to be broadcast live in 3D via Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD and Astra satellite.
This collaboration between Panasonic, the FFT, Orange and Eurosport, is allowing consumers across Europe to experience the tournament in immersive high-quality 3D, all the way through to the men's final on June 6th 2010. The event is showcasing Panasonic’s full end-to-end 3D capabilities; from 3D cameras being used on court for filming, to the state-of-the-art VT20 3D Plasma TVs that the tournament can be viewed on in retail stores across Europe.
Laurent Abadie, CEO and Chairman, Panasonic Europe, commented: “This is a great opportunity, which will showcase the potential of live 3D sport in the home. We are delighted to work with Orange, Eurosport and the FFT to lead the industry in delivering such an unmissable 3D viewing experience to so many consumers across Europe.”
Roland Garros
The 3D coverage produced on-site by Orange at Roland Garros is being broadcast live via ADSL and fiber to Orange subscribers throughout France on its new dedicated 3D TV service. Eurosport is delivering the live 3D signal via satellite to Panasonic VT20 3D Plasma TVs in more than 3,000 retail stores across the rest of Europe. Satellite distribution across Europe is possible thanks to partnerships with Eutelsat and Astra. The dealers participating in the program can be found at the Panasonic 3D website.
Laurent Eric Le Lay, Chairman & CEO, Eurosport Group commented: “By adding another dimension to live sports broadcasting, the viewing experience of audiences across Europe will be totally enhanced. During the next fortnight, we will bring the immersive experience of being court-side at The French Open directly to television screens. Our collaboration with Panasonic and Orange will set a standard for the future of sports broadcasting.”
Ghislaine Le Rhun-Gautier, 3D Project manager for Orange, commented: “Roland Garros is the perfect event for Orange to launch its first dedicated 3D TV service in France, as it is also the place where we’ve first experimented live 3D broadcasting in 2008 and 2009. Our aim is to offer our customers innovations that revolutionize how they explore and access content across all our platforms. With 3D, Orange now takes TV experience to the next level.”
To complement its VT20 3D Plasma TV and DMP-BDT300 3D Blu-ray Player and further its Full HD 3D leadership, Panasonic will enhance its full end-to-end 3D product suite during 2010. In August it will release the market-first 65-inch Full HD 3D television, which will be followed by a 3D camcorder, a digital 3D compatible AV mixer and 3D LCD video monitor later in the year.