theibcdaily executive summary 23
“The appetite for 3DTV is still strong”
The future of TV
Tom Cosgrove Region: US
President and CEO 3net
Interview by Adrian Pennington
joint venture US 3DTV network launched in 2011. Last year it opened 3net Studios to produce 3D and 4K programming. Cosgrove was previously EVP and COO for Discovery Channel and began his career at Leo Burnett USA.
T
The 4K content factory
What does Ultra HD add to the viewer experience? First and foremost it looks a great deal better. It allows a more theatrical experience. That's a fairly straightforward proposition. The key thing about Ultra HD today is that the hardware is outpacing the software. The 4K market needs a content operation. This happens in the early days of any new technology. Some of the issues surround rights to distribute on different platforms. We want to originate content then make it available from theatrical to Consumer Electronics (CE) manufacturers to OTT providers, like Netflix, as well as more traditional linear options.
Have you altered 3net's content strategy in light of 3DTV's failure to fly? We haven't really changed it. We have built the world's largest library of 3D content and are enchancing it with 4K options for worldwide distribution. We started researching and commissioning 4K about a year ago and we've now banked, or have in production, 20 hours. Our strategy is TotalD, which is the
om Cosgrove
oversees all business and creative areas of 3net, the Sony- Discovery-IMAX
idea that, for the majority of commissions, we produce at the highest possible quality to derive assets all the way downstream including 3D 4K, 4K 2D, 3D 2D and HD. We began with the all-CGI 4K 3D three hour series Space and we have others in the pipeline. We may produce some only in 4K and some only in 3D, project dependent.
Producing 4K, let alone 4K 3D, sounds expensive. Is it? We are dealing with massive amounts of data and post is more time consuming and challenging. The cost is anything from 50-100% more than 2D HD, at this stage. We know from experience that those costs will come down. 3D production started close to 100% uplift and is now significantly reduced.
Does 3D TV have a future? The bottom line is that there is a strong appetite for 3D but that consumers want a simpler experience in the home. If you have to wear glasses and press a button to take you to 3D, these are steps which hinder the experience. The autostereo market
continues to develop as MasterImage, Dolby and Stream TV Networks push the technology, while the main CE manufacturers express that moving to 4K sets will make it easier to get to glasses-free viewing. Theatrical is still strong, it's encouraging that BSkyB's commitment is strong, and we are seeing tremendous interest in China and Asia, so it's wrong to say there is no enthusisam or market for 3D.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52