DTG consults on 3D television

The Digital TV Group, the industry association for digital TV in the UK, has confirmed that it will launch a new consultation on 3D television.

The DTG's members, among whom are digital television broadcasters, platform operators and hardware manufacturers, will be asked for their views on feasibility and viability of 3D television, and will also consider interoperability issues.

"The DTG has been at the heart of every development in digital television since its inception more than a decade ago," said the group's director general, Richard Lindsay-Davies. "Our early work in the largely nascent area of 3DTV is a further example of our ability to help frame the debate on an emerging technology and provide a forum for all the key industry players.

Sky has already confirmed that it plans to develop a 3D television service based on its existing Sky+ HD playout and set top box infrastructure.

"Some industry observers regard 3DTV as a natural, evolutionary next step for high-definition television (HDTV)," said Lindsay-Davies. "However, numerous challenges exist across the value chain, from image acquisition, storage and post-production, to distribution, reception and display. These challenges need to be understood and overcome in order to make 3DTV a feasible and viable consumer proposition."