Sky Tests 3D TV Broadcasts

British broadcaster Sky has successfully tested delivering a 3D program to a domestic TV — but don't get too excited yet.

Watching the real crunch of a tackle in 3D or the subtle body language in a drama might be some of the great advantages of 3D television, and they could be on the horizon. British broadcaster Sky has been filming events in 3D recently, and has successfully delivered some to a domestic television, using an HD set-top box.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s right around the corner. That domestic TV is a special 3D model, not on sale yet in the UK, and it will still require wearing those lovely 3D glasses most people remember as novelties.

In the trial Sky delivered a 3D broadcast to a London theater, but the company has shown that it could easily deliver the programming to a Sky+HD box.

Gerry O’Sullivan, Sky’s director of strategic product development, told the BBC:

"We have shown it is a technical reality. Now we have to find a way to bring it to viewers."

He said that there will likely be some prototypes of 3D sets at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. More interestingly, he declared that the investment in 3D probably won’t be as expensive as that in HD.

"It’s not hugely costly," he explained, "because it piggybacks on the investment in HD."

In Japan, always on the cutting edge, some channels already broadcast in 3D