People love to complain about 3D. Some don't like the glasses, and others scoff at equipment prices. However, one of the most common complaints about adopting 3D into the home is, "Where's all of the content?" People are willing to pay -- if they can actually enjoy the technology. We know that more Blu-ray 3D releases should hit shelves this year. However, when you've made such an investment, patience is not one of the things included with your purchase price.
Well, Next3D is hoping to change all of that. The company just announced plans to enhance its partnership with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS), which means the two will deliver live events and live sports this year -- in 3D, as well as full high-definition 1080p.
That 1080p is very important. After all, plenty of networks, most notably ESPN 3D, are delivering 3D events. Even Turner has previously dabbled in 3D, with last year's PGA Championship and NASCAR. However, the hook here is how it's being delivered.
Unlike current broadcasts, which squeeze a 3D image into a 2D frame, Next3D uses a proprietary video compression technology to deliver the goods. "We feel that it's the best compression technique for low bandwidth, low-bit rate stereoscopic video," says David Cole, co-founder and acting CEO of Next3D. "It's the foundation of the company."
While no official events or dates have been formally announced, Cole says that Next3D is working with Turner to deliver live "Blu-ray quality" 3D events this year. Some of those may include baseball, NCAA basketball, and NASCAR racing.
Either way, Cole promises that the company can put on quite a show. Reducing the amount of data to deliver an HD 3D image by up to 75 percent, Next3D encoding reduces the bandwidth needed for home-delivery, without sacrificing image quality. "We're not the only potential solution, but we like to think we are the easiest to execute and we're the one that's the most advanced right now, in the terms of delivering a quality 3D image," he says. "We are the streaming format."
For now, Cole says the two companies are still in the testing stage. However, it shouldn't be too long. He says that announcements regarding Next3D events will be coming soon, probably sometime in the summer. Around the same time, Next3D plans to launch its own video-on-demand service, which of course, will offer streaming 3D content.
Unlike VUDU, Next3D's service will be entirely devoted to 3D -- without any options for 2D streaming. The company says that the lineup will include everything from IMAX and indie films to major blockbusters, events and TV shows. The company plans to initially launch into an unnamed PC product. "That's where the users are right now," Cole says. However, the company is already in talks with TV manufacturers about an app for future larger screen use.
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