BBC and The3DFirm Trial Live 3D Rugby Via Satellite

http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/digitalcinemamag/articles/article_16862.shtml

 

By Staff Mar 10, 2008, 14:18

The BBC is to test screen the RBS Six Nations rugby match between Scotland and England live in 3D HDTV to a select audience on 8 March 2008. The event, at Riverside Studios in London, is a joint venture between BBC Sport and The3DFirm, a consortium comprising media communications firm, Can Communicate, 3D specialist company, Inition and hire and post production house, Axis Films.

The 8 March event is thought to be the first ever live test screening of an international sports event in 3D HDTV via satellite. The3DFirm has spent six months testing 3D live with BBC Resources. Having successfully delivered satellite broadcast of a stereo signal, the next step is to do it at a live event. BBC Sport created the opportunity of testing this using its exclusive rights to the Six Nations.

The3DFirm and BBC Resources will produce a stereoscopic (2 x HDTV) signal from a 3x camera Outside Broadcast at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh and deliver the signal via satellite to an invited audience in London. The event at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith will be hosted by The3DFirm, drawing upon its big screen knowledge to give the audience a “best seat in the house” experience. The3DFirm will use its bespoke 3D camera rigs that have been specifically designed to bring 3D to the entertainment industry.

David Wooster of The3DFirm commented: “Premium sporting events, where demand for tickets outstrips supply, lend themselves perfectly to live 3D transmission. 3D creates an immersive, ‘almost as good as being there’ experience. Unlike traditional television coverage, 3D ‘places’ the audience in the stadium, as if they were actually there, giving a heightened sense of reality.”

According to Aashish Chandarana, BBC Sport Innovations Executive, the process is very much at a test stage: "We're trying to do something no-one's tried before and bounce dual HD signals around and re-encode them as a 3D experience," said Chandarana. "Editorially it will not be a fast-cut TV experience but more the experience you'd get if you were at Murrayfield. This exciting event is part of broadcasting history, and shows BBC’s commitment to explore new technologies with a view to bringing maximum enjoyment to audiences."

The 3D feed will be standalone and not cut into BBC Sport's live host broadcast on BBC One. It will be supplied with BBC Radio Scotland commentary.

The3DFirm are running the set up and execution of the event at Riverside Studios in London including the 3D projection, and providing traditional rugby fare for guests.

Coincidentally the Riverside Studios, formerly owned by the BBC, was the location of the BBC's first broadcast of color transmissions in 1967.