First-ever comprehensive 3D coverage of the Olympics will be available to about 80% of U.S. TV households starting next weekend, July 27, it was announced today by NBC Olympics and Panasonic Corporation of North America.
About 12-hours of U.S.-oriented 3D programming hosted by Bob Costas will be featured every day, albeit on a next-day delay, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Men’s and Women’s gymnastics, diving and swimming, cycling, and full coverage of track & field from the Olympic Stadium. Coverage will also include competitive highlights from the previous day as well as the best moments of the Games to-date.
The 3D broadcasts will be carried by many cable, satellite and telco providers such as such as Panasonic’s n3D channel on DirecTV, as well as AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon. The roughly 242 hours of 3D broadcasts will also be available via Armstrong, Blue Ridge, Bright House Networks, Insight, Mediacom, RCN, Suddenlink, and WideOpen West. (See related Hettrick blog on Panasonic likely dropping n3D after Olympics.)
Olympic Broadcasting Services, which is producing the 3D broadcasts, will capture the Games using Panasonic’s state-of-the-art 3D production technologies and fully-integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camera recorder products.
Panasonic produced 3D coverage of some of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, and has been using stunning 3D footage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in promotions for its 3D TVs. That Beijing footage is also now being shown on Panasonic 3D TVs at retail outlets.
“Panasonic’s 3D technology and NBC Olympics’… coverage of the Games will make the events more engaging to viewers…,” said Joseph M. Taylor, Chairman & CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America. Panasonic is NBC Olympics’ exclusive Flat-Panel HDTV and Blu-ray Disc Player advertiser for the London Olympic Games.
— By Scott Hettrick