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Sony, IMAX, Discovery To Launch 3D TV Network

adeelarshad82 writes "In a surprising endorsement for 3D display technology, Sony Corp. of America, Discovery Communications and IMAX Corp. have announced plans to form a US television network entirely devoted to 3D programming. The three parties have signed a letter of intent to form the unnamed venture, which is scheduled to launch in 2012. The new network is intended as a sort of carrot to lure buyers to purchase 3D-enabled TVs." Reader jggimi notes NY Times coverage, which points out that this prospective network won't be the first: "Earlier Tuesday, ESPN announced that it would start 'ESPN 3D' in June 2010. The channel will show a minimum of 85 live 3D events during the first year."

6 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. Lame start... by LostCluster · · Score: 3, Informative

    They don't seem to be breaking much ground with this. It was already known that the World Cup going to be shot in 3D... ESPN is basically saying they'll make that feed available in the USA because they own the English-language TV rights. Could we please have Sunday Night Baseball and Monday Night Football in 3D?

  2. Party like it's 1999 by LostCluster · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is about the point where HD was in 1999. Announced, but not quite online yet and only limited programs are being broadcast. Channels are so light on content they sign off rather than take up bandwidth when they've got nothing to show. This will make more sense when the devices are out and priced like an HD set is today... we're just not there yet.

  3. Won't be needing 3D TV by sakdoctor · · Score: 1, Informative

    Won't be needing 3D TV ... ever.
    Just saw my first full length film in 3D, and I don't need that in my house. It just doesn't add that much to the viewing experience.
    I'll be skipping blu-ray.

  4. Re:Sony, IMAX, Discovery To Launch 3D TV Network by LostCluster · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sony and IMAX are more known for doing movies... but it's Disney's Pixar and Viacom's DreamWorks that's doing most of the HD movies. IMAX tends to like to upconvert major releases, but they've got limited processing power so they can't do everything... yet.

  5. Re:Sony, IMAX, Discovery To Launch 3D TV Network by omar.sahal · · Score: 3, Informative
    Stop me if I am wrong, imax cameras can be used by any studio.
    The list below was quickly trawled up on google, I dont discount you could be right.

    My main point is media companies seem to see 3d as some saviour giving a unique selling point whilst protecting demand (profit) from pirates.

  6. It's always a mind trick by jonaskoelker · · Score: 2, Informative

    True.

    And your TV can only display yellow by tricks of the eyes+brain.

    My interpretation of what goes on is this: there's a red dot and a green dot close to each other. These emit intensity-equal streams of "red photons" and "green photons" (of appropriate wavelengths). Pairs of these hit neighbouring cones in your eye, the long-wavelength cone reacting to the red photon and the medium-wavelength cone reacting to the green photon.

    Your brain then (acts as if it) assumes the activations of the cones were due to the same photon source. But the only way for one photon source to activate the long and medium wavelength cones equally is if the photon source is yellow.

    See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_vision

    Pedantry is fun. And the brain always computes on the information it is fed; there's never raw access (what would that even mean?).

    Not surprisingly, we design display/video technology such that after processing by our brains, we have the desired perception.

    So what if it's stereoscopic and not real 3D? The real world is always viewed through a stereoscopic lens (figuratively speaking).