London 2012 to be first live, 3D Olympic Games

(AFP)

The Olympic Games that open in London on July 27 next year will be the first ever to be covered live on television in full 3D.

Panasonic Corp. announced Thursday in Tokyo that more than 200 hours of live coverage of the 17-day sporting spectacle will be beamed around the world in "immersive 3D."

The broadcasts are scheduled to include the opening and closing ceremonies for the International Olympic Committee's main event, as well as the major competitions, including athletics contests, diving and swimming races.

The coverage of the London 2012 Olympics will utilize Panasonic's state-of-the-art 3D production technologies, the company said, with camera teams using its AG-3DP1 twin-lens Full HD 3D cameras to capture the best of the action.

"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 in 1948," said Takumi Kajisha, managing executive officer of Panasonic.

Panasonic has been an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner for more than 20 years, he said, since the first digital broadcast in Barcelona in 1992 through to the first HD output from Beijing in 2008.

"Now we are proud to announce the partnership with the IOC and [Olympic Broadcasting Services] to create another successful era in Olympic broadcasting with the first live 3D Olympic Games at London 2012," Kajisha said.

"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," he added.

Panasonic's announcement of its plans for the upcoming summer Olympics comes at an exciting time for advances in 3D home entertainment, with Sony Corp. announcing at the IFA electronics show in Berlin the launch of a 3D visor that is reminiscent of a virtual reality helmet.

Sony said the helmet is the "world's first 3D compatible Head Mounted Display" and uses the latest organic LED technology and surround sound to give the wearer the full effect.

JR