Walkabout Bar And iPONT To Show UEFA Champions League Final 2011 On 'Without Glasses' 3D TV

Walkabout, the authentic Australian bar chain, is to pilot a 65" 'without glasses' 3D TV at its flagship Covent Garden bar, London in time for the UEFA Champions League Final 2011 between FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC on May 28, 2011.
The 3D TV will be provided by iPONT International, an innovator and technology partner in the glasses-free 3D market, making Walkabout Covent Garden the first bar in the UK to screen 'live' football in this way.
Dal Jones, bar manager, Walkabout Covent Garden, said: "The Walkabout brand prides itself on providing customers with an amazing experience and the best in live sport and entertainment with huge sports screens. With the UEFA Champions League Final returning to Wembley this year, we're going to be giving our customers the next best thing to being there, but with the added bonus of having a beer in their hands. Not only will we be the first bar in the UK to screen 'live' 3D football without asking customers to wear 3D spectacles but we'll be bringing a totally new immersive experience to Walkabout."
iPONT International will install the wide-angle auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) 3D LCD display with an iPONT 3D TV Box, a proprietary set-top box that streams real-time 3D broadcast from a Sky+ HD satellite decoder.
Matthew Young, Director iPONT UK, said: "When Sky 3D launched, bars and pubs across the UK installed 3D TV systems that required the use of 3D glasses, active and passive types. The public's reaction to them so far has been lukewarm. Nobody likes wearing darkened-spectacles while drinking a pint as it really detracts from the enjoyment.
"While there'll be plenty of other 3D TV screens at Walkabout I'm fairly certain people will be jostling for position in front of ours. 3D without the glasses is the only way to enjoy it and to watch the UEFA Champions League Final this way will be every armchair sports fans dream come true."
The 3D auto-stereoscopic LCD displays, available in screen sizes from 27" to 65" (and even in portrait format), provide vibrant pixel-perfect detail from a rich colour palette with no image 'ghosting'. The 3D LCD display can be viewed in daytime conditions and features a wide viewing cone of 120° mirroring the same conditions a TV set is used in the home. iPONT's 3D TV box technology, available as a set-top box, converts any live 3D broadcast signal into real-time auto-stereoscopic one for use on glasses-free 3D TVs and displays. The 3D TV box can handle Internet, satellite, cable and terrestrial services that stream 3D content directly into the home or business.
Walkabout is an authentic Australian bar chain with 36 venues across England, Scotland and Wales. The 'without glasses' 3D TV will be at Walkabout Bar, 11 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London from 6pm - 10pm on May 28 for the final and from 12.00 midday onwards till 10pm on May 31 - June 3, 2011.
iPONT will also demonstrate its 3D capabilities on Stand No. F15 at Screenmedia Expo, Earls Court 2, London on May 18 and 19.
(KMcA)