3D TV essential guide 3D TV on Sky

Sky 3D TV service

Sky plans to launch a 3D TV service in 2010 and has been busily recording 3D footage to hone the technique and build up its 3D library. Click the video player, above, to find out the first impressions of the Which? experts.

Sky digital launches a new 3D TV service in 2010

This is most likely to take the form of an event driven ‘pizza service’ – meaning rather than a full channel offering wall-to-wall 3D programming, Sky will offer live events, such as football or rugby matches to its 3D subscribers.

Sky has run some pioneering pilots across the UK, including beaming live 3D football to a selection of pubs.

We watched the first national 3D football match broadcast by Sky earlier in 2010.

What do I need to watch Sky 3D TV?

To watch the Sky 3D service, you’ll need a 3D ready TV, a subscription to the Sky 3D service, a pair of passive polarised glasses (though the active shutter type should work too), and a Sky HD box.

Check out our 3D TV reviews here, and see how the 3D models compare with other 2D models in our regular plasma, LCD and LED TV reviews

How does it work?

Special digital cameras record two images instead of one.

Sky 3D footage is recorded with two cameras instead of one, as though the action is being seen through a pair of eyes. The footage is digitally synched and then broadcast as a regular TV signal.

It’s designed to work with a regular Sky HD box, though you’ll still need the special TV and polarising glasses.

The ‘left eye’ images are displayed as odd lines and ‘right eye’ images as even lines (all TV pictures are made up of a series of lines).

Watched on a special 3D TV and wearing a pair of 3D glasses, the images are polarised by the panel and then filtered to each eye.

Check out our first look report for more on Sky 3D TV.

The disadvantage of the interlaced image method is a loss in vertical resolution. The left eye and right eye images each take up half of the allotted lines to create the combined 3D image.

The polarising glasses which should come with the Sky 3D subscription will probably not work with the Full HD 3D Blu-ray standard. To watch that you’ll need to use the active shutter glasses either supplied with the 3D TV or 3D Blu-ray player.

3D broadcasts across the globe

The UK is at the forefront of 3D broadcasting, though it’s not the only country involved in the technology.

Orange is running similar trials to Sky in France, recording the French Open in 3D, while ESPN and DirecTV in the US are planning trial services.

Since showcasing the fist 3D demos at Ceatec, Tokyo 2008, the Japanese have taken the furthest steps and already boast an active 3D satellite channel – though the service is fairly limited.