3D Television in a World First

Channel 9 announced this morning that they will be airing the State of Origin series in 3D.

That will make it the first time a sports program has ever been broadcast in 3D anywhere in the world.

That’s all well and good but, as the old meditative saying goes: If sport is broadcast in a medium but nobody has the technology to watch it, is it really broadcast at all?

3D sports has the potential to be amazing but we still haven’t heard anybody say they actually want 3D television.

Still, a world first is a world first and it’s a long time since Australia has been first with anything in the world of television.

From the media release:

All three Harvey Norman State of Origin matches between NSW and Queensland – beginning with game one at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on May 26 – will employ the latest enhancements and technology in 3D production.

Nine CEO, David Gyngell, said the project was an enormous undertaking achieved through a collaborative effort with Gerry Harvey of long-term rugby league partner Harvey Norman, with the support of David Gallop, the NRL and the ARL, together with vital assistance from the Federal Government through Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

“It’s early days of course because the technology is still developing, and its availability to consumers right now is limited. But 3D is about to arrive with a bang across the world, and the Nine Network and Harvey Norman want to pioneer the revolution in Australia,” Mr Gyngell said.

Stay tuned as we try to bring you more information about 3D TV in Australia but, in the meantime, what do you think?

5 Comments

  1. catbrain says:

    It makes commercial sense and I'm sure there'll be plenty of association planted in the minds of viewers using 3D and Harvey Norman in the same breath.

  2. It's the first time that it has been broadcast on FTA TV in the world…ESPN and SKY UK (pay channels obviously) have broadcast football (soccer) already. Still a pretty big achievement, but as you say…if no one has got the medium, then why make the media? Still if they broadcast it live to a cinema in NZ, then I'll be going.

  3. Whenever I say I think 3D TV won't catch on people always bring up that “there is only a need for 5 computers in the world” quote, and yet I really don't see people crying out for this. And for every internet, there's a CB radio. Videophones have been available since the mid-60s and yet we still make the vast majority of our calls as audio only (the majority of video calls presumably being related to exposing yourself on Chatroulette).

  4. murrayNE says:

    A 3D TV purchase is not a big priority for me, especially as I now watch more of my TV online (mostly the channel websites) and from (old) DVDs as from broadcasts.

  5. I had a look at one of the Samsung sets on Sunday. Truly awful. The crosstalk (ghosts of each image in the wrong lens) was distracting, the image was jumpy, and when I moved a few feet away from the set the glasses flickered in and out of 3D.

    The bloke there said most of the people who are buying 3D sets are only doing so because they're cheaper than equivalent 2D sets, so they're not even selling on their main selling point.

    Do we know how Nine plans to broadcast its 3D rugby coverage? All currently available modes of transmission (terrestrial and otherwise) are too low in frame rate to support effective 3D, as far as I'm aware.

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