Company plans to launch the world's first 3D TV channel next year and the service will be available in Ireland, writes IAN CAMPBELL

SKY IS on course to launch the world’s first 3D TV channel in 2010 and the service will be available in Ireland although the precise launch date is still to be confirmed. Subscribers to Sky+ HD (high definition) will be able to access the channel as long as they have a 3D TV and 3D polarised glasses.

The drive to take 3D into the home follows a boom in 3D cinema, a trend that Hollywood hopes will continue this month with the release of Avatar, a live-action 3D film shot by Titanic director James Cameron.

The Sky channel will carry a mix of content including films, quiz shows and live sport broadcasts, such as English Premiership football. The broadcaster is still undecided as to whether it will charge a premium for the channel or bundle it with the existing HD package at no extra cost.

The glasses, which can be an inexpensive and passive part of the 3D process, could be made available through the free Sky customer magazine, directly through the post or from retailers.

“There is a lot still to be decided but there is a commitment to launch next year,” said Gerry O’Sullivan, director of strategic product development at Sky UK. “We have spent the last year in research and development, honing our skills to produce the best-quality 3D experience in the home.”

He also claimed it would be significantly better than the demonstrations that TV manufacturers have been using to pave the way for launching 3D sets in 2010. The TVs, which have a special polarising filter, will also be supported with content on high-capacity Blu-ray discs as well as the expected Sky channel.

Manufacturers have not said how much the new TVs will cost, but the industry is confident there will be consumer interest as part of the usual upgrade cycle coupled with next summer’s football World Cup, an event that always triggers a surge in TV sales.

3D content is created by filming a subject with two cameras that are rigged to shoot the same image, slightly apart to emulate the 6cm gap between our eyes. The two separate “stereoscopic” signals are then reconstructed with the help of special glasses.

Although 3D images need two cameras, O’Sullivan said it would be wrong to assume that twice as many cameras will be required to cover something like a Premiership match.

“In certain sports you might need less cameras,” he explained. “With 2D TV there are lots of shots and cuts to give viewers an idea of the geography of what they are watching. In 3D you can achieve that with one strategically placed shot.”

Fewer cuts and a rethink on camera placement highlight how 3D TV requires a whole new set of skills for broadcast professionals to master. O’Sullivan argues that Sky is ahead of any competition, both in terms of the training and technology. “Sky has been able to lead this because there are issues in other territories where companies are either a platform waiting for content or a content provider that’s waiting for a platform. We are in the unique position of being both.”

As a satellite broadcaster that was first to market with high-definition, Sky also has an advantage when it comes to transmitting the 3D images, according to O’Sullivan. “Satellite has almost infinite bandwidth. We have been quite innovative and put all the information in one HD signal, which is why our HD box can receive it and record it.”

The company claims its internal research and development has also addressed some of the apparent weaknesses of 3D TV demos to date. O’Sullivan said 3D transmissions would not look darker and was adamant that its programmes would be the best stereoscopic experience to be seen in the home regardless of the make of television.

There are number of 3D technologies, including the original anaglyph version that required red and cyan glasses to see the three dimensional image. More sophisticated polarisation techniques have evolved that send alternate images to the right and left eye of special glasses. The most popular form, found in cinemas, uses circular polarisation 3D where the light from the screen is circulated by filters contained in the frames.

Even within this principle there are different ways of treating the image. Panasonic 3D technology, for example, uses HD plasma sets and active shutter glasses that take separate signals from the TV via an infra-red receiver built into the frames, while Sony has shown demonstrations on LCD screens that work with the same type of passive glasses that are handed out in cinemas.

Sky is agnostic as far as the 3D viewing technology is concerned, although O’Sullivan conceded there were advantages with cheaper passive glasses that are easier to distribute.