This month > Editor’s note
Digital TV Europe
April 2010
Issue no 293
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Editor Stuart Thomson Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 5314
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idea of 3D video is almost as old as moving pictures themselves. Historically, 3D is best remembered as a fad of the 1950s, when it was initially seen, along with CinemaScope, as a potential saviour of the movie business in the face of the onslaught of TV. The ‘50s experiment failed for a number of reasons, many of which had to do with technology and the cost and complexity of making the movies and fitting cinemas out to show them. Ultimately, CinemaScope was seen as the better bet to get pun- ters back into the cinema. Now 3D is back. Will things be different this time? The success of Avatar shows there is a mar- ket for at least some big-budget 3D movies in the cinema. However, 3D is now seen as a tech- nology not only for the big screen but the TV. There, the business logic has some parallels with the logic of introducing it into cinemas in the ’50s: it is a way for existing pay-TV operators to differentiate their services against the threat of over-the-top services, as well as competitors lack- ing the bandwidth (and means) necessary to support it. An added bonus is that operators such as Sky with existing populations of HD set-tops can use introduce the service without investing in additional consumer equipment. Will customers, many of whom have only recently shelled out for a flat-screen HD TV, stump up again for a new 3D-capable set? Over time they may (although there will need to be more 3D content available), but probably not as quickly as they adopted HD. Will we see families sitting together in their living room all watching a screen wearing identical 3D polarised specs? It may resemble a nightmare of social alienation dreamt up by Guy Debord, but who knows. Time will tell how quickly we become hooked. In this issue, we assess instead the current state of technology that supports 3D TV, and look at some of the choices that must be faced by pay and free-to-air broadcasters.
Depth of view
The
Also in this issue, as we approach the MIP TV programming market in Cannes, we look at some of the issues facing kids channels as they address the need to cement brand loyalty among their young audience at as young an age as possible. In the run-up to the IPTV World Forum in London, we also look at IP-based ‘connected TV’ and ‘over-the-top’ services (one of the reasons cited above that pay-TV providers are taking an interest in 3D) and the ways in which existing service providers stand to lose or (possibly) gain from the launch of such services. Elsewhere in this issue of Digital TV Europe, we interview the new president and CEO of Discovery Networks International, Mark Hollinger, about his plans for the rollout of new inter- national channels following the launch of TLC. Finally, we also preview some of the technolo- gies and products that will feature at the forthcoming IPTV World Forum, NAB and ANGA Cable trade shows. ●
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