No longer is full Hi-Def 3D available only from a pre-recorded Blu-ray Disc on a TV; Panasonic is engaged in a technical collaboration with Verizon’s FiOS TV service to stream full-resolution 3D via the telco’s fiber-optic lines to a Panasonic Blu-ray 3D player.
The companies are offering a demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week that is the result of work by engineers from both companies who worked closely to co-develop the required network, software and user-interface enhancements.
(Story continues following the promotional video below supplied by the companies.)
In order to achieve the 3D effect, many other 3DTV solutions reduce the image resolution by half. The CES demonstration by FiOS engineers was streamed at a bit rate of up to 18 Mbps (megabits per second), double the bit rate currently used by most cable providers.
“Panasonic has always believed that the best way to view 3D is via a Full HD, 1080p resolution image, but until now the only option available has been on Blu-ray Disc media,” said EisukeTsuyuzaki, chief technology officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America. “Over Verizon’s high-bandwidth FiOS network, we’ve now shown that this kind of innovation can be accomplished by a premium television service like FiOS as well.”
Built with the future in mind, FiOS was designed with the bandwidth headroom to grow along with consumer demand for the latest technologies, said Tony Melone, chief technology officer for Verizon. “Delivering full-resolution 3D content is a natural fit for Verizon’s FiOS network.”
Last year, Verizon televised the first National Football League game in 3D, the New York Giants versus the New England Patriots, as well as the first Major League Baseball games in 3D, between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. Verizon offers more than 140 HiDef channels and interactive services such as social networking, DVR management via broadband or mobile phone, and an interactive media guide.
— By Scott Hettrick