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Press Releases
BBC and The3DFirm trial live 3D Rugby via satellite
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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 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, and 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 HD) signal through a three-camera position OB (Outside Broadcasting) at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh and deliver that signal via satellite to an invited audience in London.
The3DFirm will use its bespoke broadcast 3D rigs that have been specifically designed to bring 3D to the broadcast industry. They do not require special cameras, will work with all standard OB equipment and have a standard broadcast camera footprint.
David Wooster of The3DFirm said: "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.
"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 the BBC's commitment to exploring new technologies with a view to bringing maximum enjoyment to audiences."
The 3D feed will be standalone and will 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 colour transmissions in 1967.
CI
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