Sports, Big Events Driving 3D TV, Panel Says

12 May, 2010 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Big event programming, notably major sports competitions, appears to be the content of choice for cable, satellite and network operators looking to to take 3D mainstream in the home, said panelists at a 3D discussion at the iHollywood Forum in Los Angeles May 11.

Next month at the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa, Comcast and DirecTV both will devote considerable resources showcasing 25 key matches via Disney’s nascent ESPN 3D channel, including the June 11 opener between the host country and Mexico. The quadrennial soccer tournament is arguably the most-watched sports event after the Olympics.

Comcast, which began broadcasting so-called 3D “stunt” content in 2008, found that 16% of consumers opting to watch recent video-on-demand (VOD) horror movies did so in 3D. The titles, which included My Bloody Valentine, were available in anaglyph 3D, the formerly gimmicky format that requires wearing inexpensive paper glasses with red/green lenses.

The No. 1 cable operator also was the first content aggregator to offer a major sports event, The Masters golf tournament, live in 3D.

“That’s a pretty amazing statistic if look across at on demand viewing across Comcast,” Derek Harrar, SVP and GM of video and entertainment services with Comcast, told a May 11 panel discussion. “For a show that is available in standard definition and high definition, we’ll still only see maybe 25% to 30% of the views in HD.

Harrar said the results to Comcast represented a clear indication of consumer interest in 3D content in the home.

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, chief technology officer of Panasonic Corp. of North America, said CE manufacturer believes there will be 1.5 million 3D-enabled TVs sold domestically this year.

“I’m pretty comfortable with a range of 2 million units,” Tsuyuzaki said.

He said that by 2013, 70% of all Panasonic plasma TVs will be 3D-enabled, and that 60% of all LED units will be as well.

Steve Roberts, EVP with DirecTV, said the satellite operator waited to engage in 3D broadcasts until a “perfect storm” arose: intense interest in the format by the consumer electronics industry and the technological ability to deliver 3D content into the home.

“When those two factors came together with the plethora of content produced on the studio side … [that] enabled us to make a big commitment to jump in,” Roberts said.

He said that following the World Cup, DirecTV would launch three 3D-specific channels.

“[3D] is here, and it’s not gimmicky anymore,” Roberts said.

Bob Wilson, VP and GM, networked video solutions with Motorola, said 3D has leapfrogged into public awareness in six months, compared with what took HD 10 years to accomplish.

Wilson said there would be compromises over the next 12 months as industry players iron out spectrum differences, including creation of uniform glasses.

“This is not just a technology shift; people have shown they are willing to pay extra for a new way of storytelling,” Wilson said. “There does seem to be a business model that will develop from this.”

With 3D content on the television largely earmarked for special events or VOD, panelists were asked if the format would finally be the catalyst needed to mainstream VOD consumption in the home. Harrar said that without compelling content, broadcasters will be hard pressed to entice consumers to don special glasses to watch 3D.

“It will be a really long time, if ever, that somebody will sit down and put those glasses on to watch the news,” he said, adding that he doubts 3D viewing would ever become the majority format.

DirecTV’s Roberts said he believes there is a bit more “ubiquity” among potential 3D TV consumers, underscored by premium documentary and music video content. He said today’s 3D content has to be more than Freddy Kruger’s hand reaching out from the screen.

“It won’t just be an event-driven experience,” Roberts said. “People will want to watch their favorite genre in 3D.”

The executive said internal tests found that viewers watching non-event-driven programming had a better experience in 3D.

Panelists said the dearth of 3D content has contributed to a rush to convert existing 2D content into 3D, with mixed results.

DirecTV is opting to produce original 3D content (rather than 2D conversions), which is why it is focusing on live sports and select episodic content.

“We are going to rely on our content partners and ourselves to go out and produce the best 3D content possible,” Roberts said.

Harrar joked that Comcast’s initial on-demand 3D movies featured lower-quality anaglyph resolution because the “people that like to watch ‘slasher’ films don’t tend to have really high standards.”

Motorola’s Wilson cautioned that rushing sub-standard 3D content to the TV could quickly undermine the 3D market. He said cable, television and satellite operators have to be careful not to overrun the 3D supply line. Wilson said producers should be mindful to use the appropriate technology when shooting for 3D.

“The 1950s style 3D is not what people want to day,” Wilson said. “If we force-feed [2D to 3D] too quickly to consumers, we could off in its infancy what could be a great business opportunity.”

He said existing set-top box infrastructure supports 3D transmissions by splitting the screen with left-eye/right-eye images, which results in lower picture resolution.

Motorola is one of the largest set-top box manufacturers.

Wilson said that without changes to existing set-top-boxes, close captioning in 3D becomes problematic, in addition to allowing 3D-enabled TVs to accept a 3D signal from a box.

“Turning off close captioning to your viewing audience is a very sensitive subject,” he said.

Wilson said enabling full resolution 3D content found on a Blu-ray Disc via a set-top box would require additional investment and would not be available for another 18 to 24 months.

“Blu-ray will do it today, which is great for movies but not so great for live action and sports,” he said.

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