'No plans' for BBC 3D channel

On the day the Corporation will make its first 3D broadcasts with the Wimbledon finals, the BBC has confirmed it will conduct experiments with 3D but has no plans to launch a dedicated channel.
The BBC will conduct up to six experiments with 3D broadcasting each year, but has no plans for a dedicated 3D channel, the Corporation has said.

Speaking as the BBC prepares for its first live 3D broadcast with today’s Wimbledon final, Danielle Nagler said that “The technologies on which the BBC should focus are the technology that have greater relevance for viewers. If 3D becomes important to viewers, it’s something the BBC should do but if it’s a gimmick I’d question whether it’s the right thing for the BBC”.

Ms Nagler, the Corporation’s head of HD and 3D, said that science fiction and natural history could be ideal candidates for the new technology. But she added that 3D, which requires users to own a special TV set that currently costs significantly extra, was not yet in the mainstream. “We can lead the way in terms of making it accessible and others can decide if they want to follow,” she said.

John Lewis claimed a 38 per cent rise in 3DTV sales in the run-up to Wimbledon, but Ms Nagler said the latest figures suggested there were still fewer than 200,000 active viewers for the platform.

“HD is a technology which applies across television – it brings you more of the picture being filmed,” she said. “3D currently has more in common with CGI – it’s a very useful tool for people who are making programmes. In these times of austerity, I’d question whether putting money into 3D is an ideal use of licence fee-payers money.”Today’s Wimbledon broadcasts, via the BBC HD channel, are costing a negligible amount to the Corporation because of a partnership with Sony, she said.
The BBC will use the experiments to gauge viewer interest in 3D. “We should be very selective about what we try and either it should really add something or we should feel that it can really add to the audience enjoyment,” Ms Nagler said. “Personally I can’t see 3D becoming mainstream as a channel, it’s about appropriate content.”

Wimbledon in 3D: behind the scenes

The BBC is about to broadcast its first ever mainstream 3D programmes – Wimbledon’s finals, and today’s men’s semi-finals, will be broadcast on the BBC HD channel. It will allow the small number of users who already own a 3D TV and either a satellite or cable subscription to see Murray, Sharapova, Nadal and others in a whole new dimension.

Journalists and others have been singing the praises of 3D for a number of years now, but the public has yet to show its enthusiasm. Even though John Lewis reports sales are up 38 per cent in recent weeks, there are still fewer than 200,000 sets in the UK. How many of those are actually connected to the essential 3D broadcast source is not know. The biggest drivers, analysts say, have been 3D Blu-ray discs and video games.

If ever there was a sport that should change that, however, it’s tennis. Not because of the unique appeal of Wimbledon, but rather because, in fact, it is the only sport whose coverage is fundamentally altered for the better by the introduction of 3D.

All the 3D coverage for Wimbledon is being provided by Sony, and the company’s Executive Producer for both this event and the preceding football World Cup is Peter Angel. He says that viewers have become used to ‘Camera 1’ – the high-level shot of two tennis players each pegged to a baseline. “But more than football or other sports, tennis is all about depth,” says Angel. “In 3D you can get a real sense of the ball coming towards you and whether it’s in or out. The shots on camera are lower down, closers to the players and there are more cuts.” He agrees that covering tennis in 3D is as artistically different as it is technically different.

Those technical details have been long in the perfecting, however. Angel estimates that 3D is now “twice as good for viewers” as it was a year ago. Admitting that the learning curve has been very steep, he says that filming the World Cup and the NBA has allowed the industry to learn what works as whole, rather than getting bogged down in traditional rivalries. Indeed, with Sky and Virgin providing the vast bulk of 3D subscriptions, those two companies have a huge amount to gain from the BBC increasing the profile of 3D programing. There is, however, a significantly increased workload in filming in 3D. A whole new category of employee, the stereographer, is responsible for providing a consistent standard of 3D footage from events, and at the beginning of each day’s filming for Wimbledon all the cameras are recalibrated, and they must also be adjusted in real time to new situations. A new, 3D version of the Hawkeye technology has been produced too. And simply because 3D footage is composed of two images displayed side-by-side, there is a lot more equipment around.
At Wimbledon itself, two huge outside broadcast trucks – built in Basingstoke - have been in position for the whole tournament. Testing throughout the first ten days, including using the ladies semi-finals as a dress rehearsal, has been exhaustive. The whole crew even wears the same ‘3D Crew’ polo shirts.
The footage the Angel’s team produces will be covered on BBC HD, but will also be beamed around the world to nearly 200 cinemas. Wimbledon, and Britain too, will receive a huge international boost. If there’s any justice, 3D TV sales will go up too.