Testing of the first land-based 3D TV broadcasts will commence next Wednesday, May 19, with trial broadcasts planned in the coming days by all four of Korea’s broadcast TV stations – KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS.
Korea Communications Commission (KCC) will offer three hours of live 3D programs per day from May 19 to June 10, beginning with the stereoscopic 3D broadcast of the 2010 Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting on KBS, which precedes the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships next year, according to the Korea Times.
The live 3D coverage will reach households in Seoul and its neighboring metropolitan area.
KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) is the nation’s primary public broadcaster; MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corp.) is a non-profit; SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) is privately-owned; and EBS is the state-run Educational Broadcasting System.
SBS owns exclusive broadcasting rights for the live 3D broadcasts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup beginning June 11.
Other satellite and cable services around the globe and in the U.S. have delivered 3D TV programming in recent weeks and months, but this would be the first ground-based over-the-air broadcasts provided free of charge.
“This is the first time anywhere in the world that live 3D television will be tested on a land-based network, and the participation of all four terrestrial television networks will contribute to accelerating the road toward commercialization,” said Oh Nam-seok, an official from KCC’s radio policy bureau.
He added, “The next step is to develop technologies and standardization efforts to provide live, high-definition (HD) 3D television over terrestrial networks.”
— By Scott Hettrick