Sony Professional Europe was selected by BSkyB (Sky) and Telegenic to design and build one of the world's first mobile units producing 3D content for live broadcasts.
Sky, Telegenic and Sony have been working to develop a next-generation mobile unit that delivers new production methods to produce immersive live three-dimensional content.
Sky had announced that this year it would launch the first 3D service in the UK. Such a service will offer a wide selection of available 3D programming, including movies, entertainment, dramas, sports and the arts. The service will be broadcast on Sky's High Definition (HD) infrastructure, and will be available through the current generation of Sky+HD multimedia adaptation units. To watch in 3D, users will also need to use a new '3D ready' TV, like the ones that will arrive in major stores in the UK and Ireland in the coming months.
The mobile outdoor 3D transmission unit – the first to be built in Basingstoke, UK – was designed by Telegenic's Engineering team with the support of Sony's Professional Services division.
This unit takes advantage of some of Sony's existing products such as the HDC-1500R cameras with a T-block option on the camera equipment to capture the content. The solution also powers the MVS-8000G Vision Mixer, which handles Dual Stream stereo signals as if they were a single source in order to deliver operational control and a production workflow similar to that of 2D productions.
During testing, the Sony Professional team worked with technicians from Sky and Telegenic to find the right solutions to many of the problems involved in capturing live three-dimensional content. Part of this process has included the creation of the 3D processor box, designed to reduce the complexity of monitoring and correcting live signals on the mobile unit. The new product will be launched by the end of the year.
