BBC goes ahead with 3D Olympic experiment

The BBC has revealed that it is going to continue its experimentation with 3D broadcasting at the Olympics.

Roger Mosey, director of London 2012 at the broadcaster, wrote on his BBC Sport blog that the opening and closing ceremonies – as well as the 100-metre sprint final – will all be aired live in 3D, but there will also be nightly highlights in the format.

The plans represent a further step forward for technicians in broadcast jobs at the corporation in terms of the technology; continuing the BBC’s strategy of testing its 3D capability at special occasions, such as Wimbledon.

Explaining the decision, Mr Mosey said: “First, it’s part of the story of innovation around the London Games – and with the host broadcasters’ feed available in 3D we wanted to share some of that with UK audiences. Second, the industry will only know what customers want if we have actual data on their use of 3D and there’s no bigger stage on which to try this than the Olympics.”

Broadcast reporter Catherine Neilan noted that this is not the first time that 3D coverage at the Games has been mentioned, but it has not been officially confirmed until now. She highlighted how the BBC has previously picked out boxing and gymnastics as sports that could work well in 3D.

The Olympic coverage will broadcast this summer on the free-to-air BBC HD channel.

by Paul Smithson on February 17, 2012

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