CES News - Discovery and ESPN Hop on the 3D TV Bandwagon

Once deemed a novelty, 3D is now being heralded by some (like uber-mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg) as the future of the movie industry. It might also be the future of television, as companies like Imax, Discovery and Sony team up to bring 3D programming to the small screen.

The joint venture is expected to be officially announced sometime today. While all three companies will hold an equal stake in the channel, it will be distributed by Discovery Communications. According to The New York Times, the channel will showcase a mix of 3D content. (Imax and Discovery partnered together in the early days of HDTV.) You can read Discovery’s official announcement here.

3D TV is expected to be a hot topic at CES this year, with companies lining up to announce their plans to bring the digital 3D experience to consumers’ homes. Last week, we reported on DirecTV’s plans to launch a 3D HDTV channel in March.

DirecTV and Discovery aren’t the only companies to announce engagement with 3D HDTV; earlier today ESPN announced its plans to launch a 3D channel in June. ESPN 3D is expected to showcase at least 85 live sporting events in its first year, kicking off (so to speak) with the World Cup soccer match on June 11. The station will go dark when there are no 3D events — much like ESPN’s initial HD coverage.

Of course, to enjoy these new 3D HDTV channels, consumers will need to own a 3D-capable HDTV set. Manufacturers will have plenty of sets on display. Like HDTV, the risk for 3D television is the relative expense of producing and broadcasting the content in relation to the number of homes with compatible devices installed.

However, the slow-as-molasses conversion to HDTV could actually benefit 3D TV technology, as consumers may decide to upgrade to a 3D-capable set when moving to HDTV or replacing an aging HD unit.

What do you think about 3D TV? Is this something you could see investing in?

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