Cue John Williams' and Leo Arnaud's majestic Olympics theme music, as well as the 3D glasses. When the London 2012 Olympic Games kick off next July, they will be broadcast live in 3D.
Panasonic made the official event announcement today. The company has been named the "Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category." Working in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the three will create the first HD 3D live broadcast in Olympic history.
"We are now proud to announce this partnership to realize the first ever live 3D Olympic Games, and we are confident that this unprecedented broadcast will be a great success in no small part due to the 3D technologies provided by Panasonic," said Manolo Romero, managing director of OBS. "Ultimately, we believe this production of the first live 3D Olympic Games will make the London 2012 Olympic Games one of the most significant in the history of broadcasting technology."
Another first: Deadline.com says that the BBC plans to test out the Super Hi Vision format, a digital video format developed by Japan's NHK that promises a picture resolution 16 times that of current high-def television.
As far as the 3D is concerned, the OBS plans to produce more than 200 hours of 3D coverage during the London 2012 Olympic Games. This will be done using Panasonic's AG-3DP1, a P2HD professional fully integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camera recorder. The 3D coverage will include the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletics, gymnastics, diving and swimming. From there, the 3D will be broadcast to participating rights-holding broadcasters around the world.
"The Olympic Games has always been a pioneer in the development of TV broadcasting technologies, and has been on the cusp of innovation since the first live over-the-air broadcast was introduced in London 1948. Panasonic has been proud to support the Olympic Host Broadcaster since the first digital broadcast in Barcelona 1992, right through to the first HD broadcast in Beijing 2008," said Takumi Kajisha, Panasonic's managing executive officer. "Now we are proud to announce the partnership with the IOC and OBS to create another successful era in Olympic broadcasting with the first live 3D Olympic Games at London 2012. There is no doubt that the Olympic Games will provide some of the best content for the 3D market in the future, and that 3D TV will drastically change the way we experience this great sporting event in our living rooms."
Panasonic's Olympic slogan is "Sharing the Passion." The idea behind the initiative is that people will be able to share in the event from all over the world, as well as state-of-the-art digital AV equipment technologies ranging from professional broadcast systems to consumer products.
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