Sky And 3ality Digital Celebrate Their 12-month 3D Partnership

One year on from the world's first live 3D TV sports broadcast (when Manchester United played Arsenal in a Premiere League match last January), Sky is continuing to use 3ality Digital's range of products to create a televisual experience that is immersive and compelling.
3ality Digital, a leading in creative digital Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) acquisition technology, is central to Sky's image acquisition capability to produce unique content for its S3D channel, Sky3D.
Equipment used by Sky includes 3ality Digital's TS2 beam-splitter rig, which, with a quick and accurate set-up, allows Sky to film 3D on a 2D schedule. The fully motorised TS2 allows the use of a range of cameras and lenses, enabling the perfect capture of the fast paced action, associated with sport.
Alongside this, Sky uses the TS5, a handheld version of the TS2 and the fully motorised TS4 Side by Side rig, allowing for wide angle and deep shots. To ensure the cameras are capturing the right information to produce S3D, Sky also employs 3ality Digital's Stereoscopic Image Processor.
Steve Schklair, CEO and Founder of 3ality Digital, said: "Sky is a pioneer in the broadcast of S3D. Its offer to consumers is supported by the technology that we at 3ality Digital are able to provide. Our system is the only solution in the marketplace optimised for live broadcast production, which is why, as a leader in live production; it is so well suited to Sky."
As a key partner, 3ality Digital was consulted throughout Sky's planning process for S3D broadcast and trained Sky's existing camera crews in the operation of S3D equipment, negating the need to hire a specialist team.
Brian Lenz, Director of Product Design and Development at Sky, said: "It has been a great success. We would not be where we are now without 3ality Digita;; they started us on this exploration path and helped us develop our ideas."
Sky 3D was launched to consumers in October 2010, and as of 31 December 2010, around 70,000 customers had signed up to the service. Around half of all 3D TVs sold so far in the UK are connected to Sky 3D, with thousands more joining every week.
Since the launch on October 1 Sky 3D, Sky has achieved a number of world firsts - including the world 3D TV premieres of Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and the Toy Story trilogy.
Sky 3D brings viewers sports, movies and a broad selection of arts, entertainment and documentary programmes, including an average of three live sports events each week.
The launch of the Sky 3D channel in the home followed the successful introduction of 3D broadcasts in pubs and clubs. Since April 2010, over a million sports fans have enjoyed live 3D coverage in more than 1500 pubs across the country.
(KMcA/GK)