Cable programmer History, a unit of
A&E Television Networks, will deliver its first stereoscopic 3D broadcast
this Friday, July 30, by airing a 3D version of the season five premiere
episode of its series, The Universe,
on pay-TV operator DirecTV.
History's 3D broadcast will be shown at
10 p.m. ET/PT on DirecTV's new 3D channel, "n3D", which is sponsored by
set-maker Panasonic. On the same day, DirecTV will also offer a 2D version of
this episode on The 101 Network.
The season five premiere of The Universe, titled "Seven Wonders of the Solar
System," was natively produced in 3D by Flight 33 Productions, which shot interviews
and B-roll with 3D camera rigs and generated the show's 3D animations in-house.
Technicolor provided stereoscopic encoding for the program. The show makes extensive use
of CGI graphics to visualize recent findings from the latest space probes and
examines various marvels of the universe including mountain ranges on Saturn's
rings and the famous red spot on Jupiter. It also includes what History describes
as the highest resolution images ever taken of the lava flow on Mars that might
indicate volcanic activity.
"Offering this programming in 3D will
enable our viewers to completely immerse their senses in the uncharted
landscape that makes up our solar system," said Derek Chang, EVP of content
strategy and development for DirecTV, in a statement. "This is the type of
programming that lends itself perfectly for 3D and still looks amazing in HD.
We are excited to be partnering with History as they embark on their first 3D
mission and look forward to continuing to deliver compelling 3D content to our
viewers."
"This is a great opportunity for
History to partner with DirecTV to showcase our hit series The Universe in 3D," added David Zagin, EVP of distribution for
AETN. "The 3D experience greatly enhances the graphics of The Universe and adds an exciting new element to History's
programming."
