March 19th, 2009
Eutelsat Communications is taking part in a full satellite demonstration in Europe of the end-to-end 3D broadcasting chain at the Sat Expo Europe 2009 international conference and exhibition in Rome from 19-21 March. Using capacity on Eutelsats Eurobird 3 satellite, a live music performance will be filmed, transmitted and projected in stereo 3D-HD on a cinema screen and on prototype models of stereo 3D-HD television sets.
Organised by Eutelsat, OpenSky and dBW, the demonstration will reproduce in full the conditions of a live 3D event. The three-dimensional shooting and production is managed by dBW, a specialist production company based in Rome, while OpenSky, which specialises in transmitting digital content via satellite will manage the encoding, decoding and projection. The three companies have also agreed to combine their resources and expertise in order to be able to provide end-to-end 3D services in Europe, from filming to playout.
The full-scale demonstration in Rome of a 3D out-of-home viewing experience is a prelude to a radically new way of experiencing cinema and television content. In addition to enabling an audience to share the same level of sensation as in a theatre for a live performance, stereo 3D-HD has the potential to enrich the entertainment offer in cinemas and theatres and transform them into innovative multimedia entertainment centres delivering premium content.
The demonstration in Rome marks a new step in Eutelsats participation in the emerging market for 3D transmissions. Satellite capacity at the Groups 9 degrees East position occupied by the Eurobird 9A satellite has been transmitting a test 3D channel over the last three months as a testbed to analyse the performance of screens, encoders and decoders, and to gather experience on the use of 3D content in the home and public locations.
(Source: Eutelsat)
