We’ve been treated to 3D movies for some time now, with the spectacle of lines of people emerging from the theater donned with 3D glasses a common occurrence. But 3D television is still in the realms of science fiction. However, Sky TV has recently shown that 3D television broadcasts are now possible, and promise to develop the techniques more fully in coming years.

Sky TV is a service operated by BSkyB in the UK. It offers satellite television in both SD and HD and also offers Sky+ which is similar to TiVo. Sky is often at the cutting edge of technology and broadcasting developments thanks to its subscription model making the company profitable enough to push the envelope of what can be offered to viewers via the goggle box.

While Imax cinemas are now offering plenty of 3D movies for people to enjoy, including in the new digital formats, television has up to now been a purely 2D affair. But according to BBC News, Sky TV has now demonstrated 3D programming on a domestic television, meaning true 3D broadcasts to my and your living rooms is sure to follow soon.

Sky has reportedly been filming various events in 3D over the past few months. These events could easily be broadcast into people’s living rooms via the company’s Sky HD set-top boxes. The only problem is that a 3D television would still be required as well as those aforementioned spectacles that make even the best-looking person look like an absolute idiot.

3D televisions are still a few years away from being available commercially but a number of prototypes are expected to be unveiled by major manufacturers soon. It’s already been suggested that 3D holographic televisions could be a commercial reality in around ten years time and now we have a broadcaster ready and prepared to take the risk in providing the content for the product.

The big problem remaining for me is the need for 3D glasses. I maintain that until the human brain can be tricked into seeing 3D images on a flat screen without the need for special glasses, the technology won’t truly become mainstream.

Related:

Entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 8:17 pm under Opinion, Technology.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
Stumble It!