3D Television Coming Soon?

A former NBC head and a boxing promoter have teamed up to form Signet International Holdings, a startup with plans to purchase a small network called AMG TV. Though I've never heard of AMG, it apparently broadcasts mainly syndicated programs in areas just outside major cities, like New York's Hudson Valley (New York City/Stamford, CT) and California's Victorville (Los Angeles). Once AMG is in hand, they've teamed up with a company that spun off Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic, Kerner Broadcast Corp., to create the first U.S. 3D network (apparently Japan has one already...of course).

Read the full story at Variety.


I can see where 3D television could be exciting at first. Could you imagine seeing the opening plane crash of Lost in 3D? That would be stellar TV in, literally, a whole new dimenson. The possibilty of stepping up the impact of visual effects on non-action scenes is just a great. Earl's wings on Saving Grace, for example. The problem is this technology won't instantly make old TV shows 3D -they have to be filmed that way and I forsee the costly nature of 3D as being quite a hinderance. I imagine it is probably expensive to film and broadcast and this could only lead to a drop in production values and we saw what happens when production values are lowerd (I'm thinking of you, NBC, and your 2008 flop Crusoe - low quality, low viewers, right?).

From reading the Variety article it seems the networks that are currently experimenting with 3D technology are all sports related. Not being a sports fan I couldn't care less, but I do realize how cool it could be to watch sports in 3D. I can see the commercials now "See the sweat fly towards you!".

Read more...