UEFA Champions League Final In 3D

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Walkabout is to pilot a 65” ‘without glasses’ 3D TV at its flagship Covent Garden bar, London for the UEFA Champions League Final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC on Saturday 28th May 2011. The 3D TV will be provided by iPONT International, an innovator and technology partner in the glasses-free 3D market, making Walkabout Covent Garden the first bar in the UK to screen ‘live’ football in this way (SKY have aired 3D but always with glasses).

iPONT International will install the wide-angle auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) 3D LCD display with an iPONT 3D TV Box, a proprietary set-top box that streams real-time 3D broadcast content from a Sky+ HD satellite decoder.

“When Sky 3D launched, bars and pubs across the UK installed 3D TV systems that required the use of 3D glasses, active and passive types. The public’s reaction to them so far has been lukewarm. Nobody likes wearing darkened-spectacles while drinking a pint as it really detracts from the enjoyment,” said Matthew Young, director iPONT UK. “While there’ll be plenty of other 3D TV screens at Walkabout I’m fairly certain people will be jostling for position in front of ours. 3D without the glasses is only way to enjoy it and to watch the UEFA Champions League Final this way will be every armchair sports fans dream come true.”

The 3D auto-stereoscopic LCD displays, available in screen sizes from 27” to 65” (and even in portrait format which is rare), provide (so we are told) vibrant pixel-perfect detail from a rich colour palette with no image ‘ghosting’.

The 3D LCD display can be viewed in daytime conditions and features a wide viewing cone of 120° mirroring the same conditions a TV set is used in the home. iPONT’s 3D TV box technology, available as a set-top box, converts any live 3D broadcast signal into real-time auto-stereoscopic one for use on glasses-free 3D TVs and displays. The 3D TV box can handle Internet, satellite, cable and terrestrial services that stream 3D content directly into the home or business.

iPONT will be demonstrating their 3D capabilities this week at #ScreenMediaExpo on stand F15


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