ESPN became the first network to announce plans for a 3D channel.  This news comes after DirecTV announced the launch of a high-definition 3D channel later this year.  Discovery Communications also announced an alliance with Sony and Imax for a 3D network to debut in 2011.

ESPN 3D will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, beginning June 11 with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup match, featuring South Africa versus Mexico, ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer announced.

Other events to be produced in 3-D include the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, college basketball and football contests, up to 25 World Cup matches and the Summer X Games. Additional events will be announced at a later date.

“ESPN’s commitment to 3-D is a win for fans and our business partners,” Bodenheimer said in a statement. “ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan’s viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing.”

3D-TV is real.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) running from January 7-10 in Las Vegas is expected to showcase all kinds of new 3D TV technology.  Look for the following:

AMD announced it will demonstrate a Blu-ray stereoscopic 3D standard at the CES 2010 showcasing how consumers will soon get to enjoy HD 3D entertainment.

DirecTV will be launching their first US 3D HDTV channel early in 2010. The announcement will be made at the CES 2010, with the new channel expected to go live in March of 2010. More

NVIDIA will showcase 3D Blu-ray playback technologies at CES 2010. NVIDIA and movie playback software developers including Arcsoft (TotalMedia Theatre), Corel (WinDVD), Cyberlink (PowerDVD Ultra) and Sonic (Roxio CinePlayer BD) have been working together to develop programs that support 3D Blu-ray titles, which are limited to just a few as of today. Major titles in 3D Blu-ray will be hitting stores in 2010. We can expect to see many 3D Blu-ray titles at CES 2010 including ones that will work with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision. More

Swiss audio technology company, Sonic Emotion , will debut its 3D sound technologies on the US market at CES 2010.

Look for Sony, Samsung, Mitsubishi, LG and other manufacturers to showcase flashy 3D displays at CES.  Sony has recently announced a partnership with 3D tech firm RealD to bring 3D technology to Sony Bravia HDTVs and the Playstation 3 Blu-ray player.

While Avatar and its stunning 3D appeal is grabbing all the attention, could 3D TV really be a reality next year?

Avatar’s Catalytic Impact on Future 3D TV and Film:

"Avatar won’t be alone for long in pursuing next-level 3D. Tim Burton ’s Alice in Wonderland for television and Steven Spielberg ’s live-action Tintin for the big screen will be matched by major 3D video game efforts involving iPod, PS4, Xbox 720, 3D Blu-ray and 3D blockbuster video games. Greenfield says that by this time next year, 3D could be more of a presence on television, although it is expected to gradually grow only to about 30 percent penetration over time."

3DTV testing starts in Finland:

“Welho, the cable broadcaster based in Finland, has begun testing out 3D TV with customers located around the Helsinki area. The company is another broadcaster looking to offer a full 3D TV channel at some point during 2010.”

Avatar: Good News for 3D TV and Blu-ray?

"But will the 3D trend extend to home entertainment, too? In recent months, the consumer electronics industry has been working behind the scenes to build the framework for 3D in the home. The Blu-Ray Disc Association this week announced specifications for creating full 1080p 3D Blu-Ray content. The first 3D-enabled Blu-ray players will likely debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Meanwhile, major TV manufacturers are hoping 3D TV becomes the next big thing. Sony , for instance, predicts that 3D sets will compose 30 to 50 percent of all the TVs it sells in its 2012 fiscal year."

Sony Corporation and RealD announced a technology partnership aiming to provide immersive 3D home entertainment to consumers beginning in 2010. The pact includes Sony licensing the stereoscopic RealD Format, know-how in producing active and passive 3D eyewear and other RealD technologies. Sony and RealD have been closely working together to create a better 3D experience at movie theaters for years. The parties will now join forces to deliver a similar premium 3D entertainment experience to the home.

“Sony has its proprietary LCD panel driving technology to reproduce full HD 3D images on the screen of new “BRAVIA” LCD TVs, which will work in sync with new 3D eyewear based on RealD’s technology. We are excited to work with RealD in bringing 3D to the home,” said Hiroshi Yoshioka, Executive Deputy President, Officer in charge of Consumer Products and Devices Group, Sony Corporation.

Read more here from the WSJ.

James Cameron’s cinematic 3D film, Avatar , represents a critical junction in the public’s approval of 3D immersive entertainment.  Will Cameron’s $300 million sci-fi film meet and exceed the hype and bring a new sense of empathy and depth to cinema?

"The 3D experience is at the heart of Avatar . (In fact, some suspect that Cameron cannily delayed the movie’s release to wait for more theaters to install 3D screens—there will be more than 3000 for the launch.) Stereoscopic moviemaking has historically been the novelty act of cinema. But Cameron sees 3D as a subtler experience. To film the live-action sequences of Avatar , he used a modified version of the Fusion camera. The new 3D camera creates an augmented-reality view for Cameron as he shoots, sensing its position on a motion-capture stage, then integrating the live actors into CG environments on the viewfinder. “It’s a unique way of shooting stereo movies,” says visual-effects supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum. “Cameron uses it to look into the environment; it’s not about beating people over the head with visual spectacle.” This immersive 3D brings a heightened believability to Avatar ’s live-action sequences—gradually bringing viewers deeper into the exotic world of Pandora. In an early scene, Sully looks out the window as he flies over the giant trees and waterfalls of the jungle moon, and the depth afforded by the 3D perspective gives the planet mass and scale, making it as dizzyingly real for viewers as it is for him."

Read the full Popular Mechanics Article

Expected to debut sometime in 2010, LG’s 23-inch HDTV will feature a 1920 X 1080 pixel resolution 3D display which purportedly offers image quality that’s almost twice as crisp as existing 3D monitors, thanks to LG’s proprietary “high performance 3D exclusive controller” and “copper bus line.”

The South Korean electronics manufacturer estimates that the 3D TV market will exceed 30 million units by 2012.  The Korea Communications Commission has set the 3D world abuzz with plans to start a 3D broadcast trial service in 2010 using its terrestrial networks.  Licensing begins in January and first broadcasts are expected sometime later that year.  Engadget is also reporting Korea’s PPV providers want a piece of the pie too, with CJ HelloVision set to offer 3D content through its video-on-demand offerings in late 2009.  CJ HelloVision will initially target about 300 households with plans to extend the service to 1,000 homes by 2012.

Electronics manufacturers are betting big that 3D TV will catch on with the public.  Sony has announced big plans and up to 25 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches in South Africa will be produced in 3D TV.

Philips WOWvx technology was on the market for several years, but Philips discontinued the sale of its marque 42-inch 3D display in March.  Philips mainly targeted business to business applications, but predicted the gaming industry would eventually open up this technology to the consumer market.  Alas, in the end, the hefty price tag and low demand caused the demise of the WOWvx display.  However, many manufacturers are counting on an explosive growth in the 3D electronics industry and this may spur renewed interest in auto-stereoscopic (no glasses) 3D monitors.

The Chairman of Sony is forecasting 3D TV, movies, pictures and games will be the electronics maker’s next $10 billion business.  Sony’s profits have tumbled over the past two years, posting consecutive losses for the first time in 50 years.

Hoping to turn things around, Sony is forecasting its 3D-related products will generate more than $11 billion in the 12 months ending March 2013.  Sony will begin offering 3D TVs, Blu-ray players and game consoles that adopt the technology starting next fiscal year.

Sony also confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will be receiving a firmware update to enable 3D gaming by the end of 2010.

Read more here

Sony PS3 3D

Debuting at the International Broadcast Exhibition in Japan, Sony’s 21-foot wide 3D LED entertained a massive audience.  By using anaglyphic technology, Sony’s 3D TV projects images to both the left and right eye, and the viewer’s special polarized glasses blends the image it receives from each eye, and our brain interprets the differences as being the result of different distances, creating a 3D illusion.

The electronic entertainment industry is gearing up for 3D mania in 2010 with 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray players expected to become standard household items in Japan.  Sony is even working on a 3D enabled PS3 console.

Read more here

AVATAR, James Cameron’s epic animation/live-action adventure film is coming to theaters next month, and it could be the most revolutionary 3D project ever.  Cinema has long experimented with using 3D elements to enhance the viewer experience, often resulting in cheesy side attractions (see JAWS 3D), but AVATAR could bring it all around. The 3D elements of AVATAR may actually serve to enhance the storyline and provide a delicate touch of immersion film goers have yet to experience.

Read more about this film here