NEW DIMENSIONS IN BROADCASTING
Eutelsat is at the technological forefront of helping make 3D a reality as the
next revolution in broadcasting gathers pace
Throughout Europe, momentum is growing for
The Next Big Thing in the entertainment industry,
namely 3D. Content creators, broadcasters,
encoding specialists, and manufacturers are
actively developing 3D solutions and the new
technology has hit the headlines several times
this year, most notably in Cannes, where the
audience donned 3D-glasses to watch “UP”,
the first-ever 3D movie to open the prestigious
film festival.
Earlier this year, Eutelsat launched a 3D
demonstration channel on EUROBIRD™ 9A to
gather experience on the use of 3D content
in the home. To run the channel, visible on
our stand at IBC, Eutelsat uses standard
encoding techniques incorporating MPEG-4
and traditional satellite modulation technology
to multiplex two streams, one filmed from the
left and the other from the right, replicating the
view of the left and right eye. The combined
signal is transmitted via an 8 Mb/s satellite
stream to a consumer HDTV set-top box, and
received by the 3D stereoscopic TV monitor
which has a decoder integrated.
Whilst enhancing the viewing experience, 3D
opens up many exciting new oppportunities for
broadcasters, pay-TV operators, as well as
for the film industry, which is gradually moving
towards digitisation and which will need
satellites as part of the content delivery chain.
3D live via satellite
In advance of experiencing 3D in the living
room, viewers will be able to discover 3D
in public locations, theatres, and cinemas.
Viewing of live events or feature films is already
a reality today and the studios are showing the
way, with 34 feature films set to be released
in 3D in 2009 and another 40 scheduled to
premiere in 2010.
On July 16, Eutelsat co-organised the first live
satellite broadcast in 3D, across France, of a
Julien Clerc concert. Clerc is a leading French
entertainer with a broad following throughout
France and Europe. The event was broadcast
live via Eutelsat’s ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3 satellite
to multiple digital theatres across France,
in partnership with CielEcran, a specialist in
broadcasting cultural and sports events to
large screens in France. In addition to the
technical achievement of delivering the signal
live across France via satellite, the concert
also demonstrated how far an audience
can be engaged in the 3D experience. The
added dimension drew fans from hundreds
of kilometers away into the concert, as if they
were watching the performer live on stage.
Eutelsat has been collaborating on the
development of 3D with its partners, the
production company dBw Communication,
and OpenSky, which specializes in the
transmission of digital content over satellite.
With these demonstrations becoming more
common, 3D entertainment, especially
broadcasts of live events in movie theatres,
looks poised to become that next great
entertainment medium and revenue producer
for the broadcasting sector.
