British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB), the largest pay TV broadcaster in the UK and Ireland, is making an additional $400,000 investment in Jaunt, a Silicon Valley company developing 360-degree virtual reality cinema tech. The British broadcaster invested $350,000 in Jaunt last December, hoping to get one step ahead in the future of television. Jaunt’s technology, which uses Oculus Rift VR headsets, could be rolled out commercially as early as three years from now. Continue reading BSkyB Makes Another Investment in Cinematic VR Developer

During the recent International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, the broadcast community debated the practicality of Ultra HD, challenges involved with achieving it, and whether consumers will care. While industry interest remains mixed, companies such as Sky Deutschland and BSkyB are presently testing 4K broadcast transmissions. Stakeholders in Europe are expected to be early adopters of the format, with one estimate projecting more than 110 million Ultra HD displays to reach homes by 2025. Continue reading IBC 2013: Broadcast Community Debates the Future of 4K TV

At the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam on Friday, FIFA and Sony announced that next year’s World Cup Final in Brazil will be produced in 4K. Sony also revealed it is developing production equipment to support 8K technology, and that 8K broadcasts are being planned for coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. Sony hopes the announcements will help spark interest in Ultra HD, including the ultra sharp 8K, which is 16 times the resolution of current HD offerings. Continue reading IBC 2013: Ultra HD Planned for World Cup and Tokyo Olympics

While 4K Ultra High Definition TV has yet to make it into the living room, the industry is moving forward with new cameras, evolving standards and early television production. Sony Pictures Television, for example, is producing select pilots with digital cinema cameras, while 3Net is forging ahead with its Total D strategy that includes producing versions of programs in both 2D and 3D at multiple resolutions. Initial tests for broadcasting sports in 4K are just around the corner. Continue reading NAB 2013: TV Industry Moves Toward 4K Ultra HD Format

UK pay TV company BSkyB will begin offering its Sky Sports content on a per-day basis for people interested in watching a particular event, or in sampling programming on Sky Sports. Customers can pay £9.99 ($15.80) for 24 hours of Sky Sports coverage. “This will mark the first time that consumers will be able to watch BSkyB’s premium sports content on a pay-as-you go basis without a pay TV subscription,” notes The Hollywood Reporter. Continue reading BSkyB to Offer Sky Sports Access on Per Day Basis Online

The International 3D Society and 3D@Home Consortium hosted a series of 3D sessions that sent a message that 3D has arrived. Conversations included 3D coming to CE devices such as TVs and mobile devices (MasterImage’s Matt Liszt showed a tablet playing 3D content). Speakers asserted that 3D is not just for entertainment, citing as examples education and medical applications. And speakers shared their views on how 4K fits into the 3D dialogue. Continue reading CES 2013: Stakeholders Share Their 3D Observations