3D TV Industry Looks Set To Take Off

The three-dimensional TV industry appears all set to take off in 2010. Right from day one of this year, it appears to be 3D TV every which way you look.

Take for example the recent announcement of the American Departmental store of Sears, Roebuck and Co, which has earned the distinction of being the first retailer in the US (and therefore by default in the entire world) to handle demand for 3D-ready TV sets. The store is now taking pre-orders for two models: a 46-inch screen with a price tag of USD 2,599 and a 55-inch set costing USD 3,299.

That the hardware infrastructure is gearing up can be gauged from the fact that companies are betting their dollar on the new phenomenon. Samsung has already announced that 2 million 3D sets will rollout of its production facilities before the year is out.

The software is still struggling to cope. Barring a few, such as the celebrated “Avatar”, there aren’t any 3D-content going around for the time being. But the news from the studios is that within the coming few weeks, this shortage too will become a thing of the past.

Read more about the latest happenings in the 3D TV industry, here.

New Stream Of HD Content On Virgin Media

UK-headquartered Virgin Media Inc has entered into an agreement with Discovery Communications, per which all high-definition content archived and produced by the latter will be beamed to TV customers of Virgin Media.

Discovery Communications has over 100 worldwide networks such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, Discovery HD, and digital media services such as HowStuffWorks.com. The company has 13 brands operating in UK, reaching out to 4.5 million+ viewers on a daily basis.

The agreement inked between Virgin and Discovery empowers Virgin to beam Discovery HD content from Discovery’s collection of over 1,500 hours of programming, 24X 7 X 365. The content covers the widest spectrum of infotainment, from popular science, history, engineering, culture and natural history.

The agreement also encompasses HD on Demand, where in programs such as “Deadliest Catch” and “Miami Ink” will begin to run on screens at the touch of a button.

For Virgin Media, Discovery HD is yet another addition to its burgeoning portfolio of third-party HD content streaming. Channels from BBC, Channel 4, ESPN, FX, MTV Networks, National Geographic, LIVING, and the forthcoming Eurosport HD channel are now beamed to ‘XL’ TV customers of the company at no additional cost.

Read more about the fresh introduction of high-definition content now available to Virgin Media customers, here.

UN55B7100 LED HDTV From Samsung

The UN55B7100 television model from Samsung is a 55″ LED HD version belonging to the company’s 7100 series. The television set costs USD 3,499.99 (website price).

This particular model is available in black color. The set can be installed on a stand, and it can optionally be mounted on the wall.

The set measures 12″ (D) X 51.7″ (W) X 34.5″ (H), and weighs 48.9 lbs without stand (60.4 lbs with stand). The video has a screen size of 54.6″, with a dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1, with auto-motion plus feature operating at 120Hz. Audio is provided by speakers installed at the bottom of the set, with digital audio feature enabled.

The TV comes equipped with standard features such as Picture-in-Picture, Caption, Game mode and Anynet + (HDMI-CEC). In line with the current trend of television and internet integration, the TV set has internet connectivity provided by Media 2.0 technology. This implies that you can avail of Internet@TV, DLNA and content library services.

There are four HDMI channels in the set, with 2 USB 2.0 ports, two RF In ports and one Ethernet (LAN) port.

Read more about a top-end LED HDTV model launched by Samsung, here.

Avid Releases Q4 2009 Financial Results

Tewksbury, Massachusetts-headquartered Avid Technology Inc has announced the financial results for Q4 2009.

This leading digital audio and video technology player has reported revenue of USD 174.7 million, which is less than the USD 206.7 million posted for Q4 2008. This has translated to a net GAAP loss of USD 17.9 million, which is much less than the net GAAP loss of USD 100.3 million suffered in Q4 2008.

For the entire year of 2009, the company has reported revenue of USD 629.0 million, which again is less than the revenue of USD 844.9 million posted for 2008. Avid has posted a net loss of USD 68.2 million this year too, but the loss is much less than that of USD 198.2 million suffered for the fiscal year 2008. The EPS for 2009 has been worked out to USD 1.83, and the company’s balance sheet shows cash and cash-equivalent pile of USD 109 million as on December 31, 2009.

Avid Technology is in the forefront of creating digital audio and video technology. The company has come out with powerful solutions such as Media Composer, Pro Tools, Avid Unity, Interplay, Oxygen 8, Sibelius and Pinnacle Studio.

Read more about the latest financial performance of a leading digital audio and video technology player, here.

First Dedicated 3D TV Channel To Launch In April 2010

Get ready to watch 3D programs right on your TV from April 2010. That is, after you have upgraded your box to handle 3D and you have purchased those 3D viewing glasses. For Sky TV has announced that Europe’s first fully-dedicated 3D TV channel is going to be launched sometime in April 2010.

For a trial run, Sky filmed and broadcasted the 31 January 2010 match between Arsenal and Manchester United, thus becoming the first TV company to beam a sports event in 3D to a public audience. The footprint of the broadcast covered selected pubs in entire UK and Ireland.

In the first stage, the company plans to roll out its 3D channel to the pub network beginning April 2010; and viewers can look forward to watching one live Premier League match in 3D every week, while sipping their favorite beverage. In the next stage, depending on how fast the consumer laps up 3D TV equipment and gear, the company will roll out Sky 3D to all its Sky + HD customers.

With excitement around 3D TVs growing in leaps and bounds, it is for sure that other TV stations will follow suit.

Read more about a milestone achievement in TV broadcast, here.

837 Series From Mitsubishi – A 3D Ready TV

The 837 series of television models brought out by Irvine, California-based Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Inc are 3D ready entertainment boxes.

A typical 837 television measures 48.5″ (H) X 73.2″ (W) X 22.7″ (D) and weighs 154 pounds. The device deploys digital light processing technology from Texas Instruments to generate and display images at 1080p, and also has the capability to convert lower-resolution signals to 1080 before displaying them.

The 16:9 widescreen picture format lets viewers enjoy full theatrical experiences in the comfort of their home. An integrated HDTV tuner enables the box to receive both over-the-air HDTV broadcasts (received via an antenna) and non-scrambled digital cable broadcasts, including non-scrambled HDTV cable programming. There are HDMI inputs which accept digital 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p video signals along with PCM digital stereo signals. The HDMI inputs can also accept a variety of PC signals and resolutions. These input support HDMI 1.3 Deep Color (up to 36 bits) and the x.v.Color extended color gamut.

The 837 series of Mitsubishi televisions also come with an Easy Connect Auto Input Sensing facility that automatically recognizes when a device has been plugged. Users are prompted to type in a name to the device. Any unused inputs are ignored, so that the menu now displays only those devices that are named.

Read more about the 3D-ready TV from Mitsubishi Electric, here.

3D Display Market To Boom In Coming Years

According to market research company DisplaySearch, the stereoscopic 3D display market is predicted to boom big time. From a current market of 0.7 million units sold and USD 902 million in revenue in 2008, the 3D is going to take businesses to 196 million units and USD 22 billion in revenue in the next 10 years. This amounts to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38% for revenue and 75% for units.

The impetus for this growth comes from the recent spate of 3D movies – with “Avatar” leading from the front – that has taken the imagination of the TV viewing audience to a new height. Not only has production of 3D-centric content begun in all earnest, standardization of 3D technology is being discussed earnestly across the board in all boardrooms.

The 3D display market is not restricted to televisions alone. Other displays such as monitors, notebooks, Blu-ray disc players as well as digital cameras / camcorders / photo frames too are not going to escape the 3D craze. Expect people to move around with the special 3D glasses hanging as ubiquitously on the bridge of their nose in the future as the mobile now hangs round their waist belts today.

Read more about the latest prediction that is set to change the face of the TV industry, yet again, here.

World’s Largest 3D Plasma Display From Panasonic

Osaka, Japan-headquartered Panasonic Corporation has launched the world’s largest 3D plasma display. At 152-inches, with 4,096X2,160 pixels, the display hogged attention at the recently concluded CES 2010. At this size, users can experience true movie-theater experience, that too 3D, at their home.

The technology behind the ultra-large panel is self-illuminating plasma panel. This technology has inbuilt features that makes it possible to show motion pictures in 3D images at the right speed. A 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio has been achieved on the screen. Another technology called “Crosstalk Reduction” improves clarity in the 3D images using frame-at-a-time driving methodology, using newly-developed phosphors that have shorter luminescence decay time than the conventional phosphors used hither to fore. Yet another groundbreaking technology deployed in the device is the full HDX2 Frame sequential method, which displays time sequential images which reproduce discrete full HD images for the left and right eyes alternately.

Panasonic has been pioneer in coming out with ultra-large panels. In the past, the company launched the 103-inch Class size Full HD 3D display, and also the home-theater size 50-inch Class Full HD 3D display, both industry firsts.

Read more about the awe-inspiring 3D HD TV from Panasonic, here.

Samsung Leads Market With 3D TV Offerings

Samsung Electronics America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, has announced an alliance between the world’s largest DVD manufacturer and film processor, and also the world’s leading entertainment content producer, which will likely change the TV viewing landscape in 2010 forever.

This alliance promises to produce 3D content (from Dreamworks Animation SKG), which will be burned on DVDs and distributed worldwide (thanks to Technicolor), and which viewers will ultimately be able to watch on TVs (3D television sets from Samsung). In the new world envisaged by the three, viewers will have bid goodbye to the earlier 2D sets eventually, and embraced the new technology that is being offered by the alliance.

Samsung’s 3D products include 7000 Series+ LED and plasma devices and 750 series LCD TVs. These are all HDTVs with a 3D processor and emitter built in them. When there is a 2D movie being played, flicking a button on the TV converts it into 3D, which can be flicked back again to the original 2D mode.

Besides TVs, the company has also come out with Blu-ray players, such as the BD-C6900, which are exclusive 3D products.

Read more about the latest breakthrough in TV entertainment technology, here.

Fetch TV Platform To Beam On More Set Top Boxes

London-based IP Vision has announced a partner programme with ANT Software Ltd which will enable it to offer its Fetch TV platform on third-party set top boxes, besides its own range of SmartBox devices.

Cambridge, UK-headquartered ANT Software Ltd is into the business of open-standards, flexible application and middleware product for a range of consumer platforms, operating systems and embedded connected products such as the set top box. IP Vision will make use of ANT’s Galio suite that comprises a browser and presentation engine that supports rich and dynamic user interfaces. The Galio suite will enable Fetch TV service to integrate with Hybrid Broadcast Broadband (HBB) devices such as FreeView UK , as well as the emerging Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV specification (HbbTV) in Europe.

The business model pioneered by IP Vision is to deliver over-the-top VOD and TV content to television screens using a broadband connection. The consumer is not expected to bind themselves into a monthly subscription or particular broadband supplier. With the partner programme with ANT, IP Vision is also freeing the consumer from binding with its own set top boxes (such as the SmartBox): customers can go buy any set top box, and install Fetch TV.

Read about the latest strategy unraveled by IP Vision to expand its reach, here.

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