coverstory_cover story 30/08/2013 12:13 Page 1
3D
television is by no means a 21st century phenomenon, first being demonstrated in 1928 by TV pioneer John Logie Baird. Even its use in movies came in the 1930s, with the 1950s seeing the heyday, with iconic titles such as House of Wax. Fast forward to the late 'noughties' and early 2010s, and 3DTV arrived with a bang, but doubts exist as to its full commercial potential, with broadcasters such as the BBC scaling back on 3D trials, and payTV operators such as ESPN and Foxtel dropping services. In the meantime, high definition TV has become commonplace in households, with the
3D has been a very slow burn so far and only the introduction of glassesfree might see it take off as first envisaged. Meanwhile, Ultra-HD is gaining traction among CE manufacturers and content producers; how fast will the market grow? Colin Mann takes a close look at TV's new definition standards.
prospect of Ultra-High Definition, or 4K television becoming the next viewing standard to be adopted by the broadcasting industry and consumers. Can the market support HD, 3D and Ultra-HD at a consumer level, or will they find their own niches? What about glasses-free 3DTV viewing? David Wood, as Chair, DVB commercial module UHDTV and DVB commercial module 3DTV, is well placed to comment on both the techni