The 3D transmitters used to broadcast the State of Origin and FIFA World Cup last year have been removed from towers in Australia’s capital cities. Foxtel recently ran the X Games in 3D, and it now looks like pay TV (and Blu-ray) will be the only place you’ll find 3D content. Is this a nail in the coffin for what many have always referred to as a fad?
Though many new TVs now have 3D capabilities, ‘Internet connectivity’ is the industry’s new poster child — largely because there’s simply not enough 3D content. And free-to-air all but giving up won’t improve matters.
The Courier Mail has confirmed the transmitters have been removed, and reports that the Australian Communications and Media Authority has received no further applications for 3D TV trials. Adding insult to injury is that even Foxtel has no plans to show the upcoming Rugby World Cup in 3D, despite the finals being filmed in 3D. Event cinemas will have special 3D screenings like they did for Wimbledon.
3D TV has stalled, but apparently enough demand, complaints, and new investment by broadcasters could still bring it back in time for the 2012 London Olympics. I won’t hold my breath. [Courier Mail]
Luke
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 11:43 AM3D will stick around, but it needs to be developed a bit more, LG are taking steps in the right direction with their glasses that dont need to be plugged in and charged.
My mate has a 3D TV and honestly its awesome but you have to have the right content and not just gimmicky 3d effects like the good old days of the paper red/ blue glasses.
Luke
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 11:46 AMPS… i think once glasses free 3D display panels are developed into something than can be used for a TV (i think the biggest glasses free 3DTV is like 22′) then it would be more popular, i think it is because of those ugly 3D glasses that is making people hesitant about buying these sets, and probably the lack of 3D content.
light487
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 1:26 PMNot to mention the price. I’d rather get a bigger non-3D for the same price to be perfectly honest… 3D is a gimmick and will always be a gimmick until they invent holographic tv’s that are within the average person’s budget.
Rod
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 11:45 AM3D is the last thing I’m worried about – Australia can’t even get decent HD services!
Luke
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 11:50 AMThat is so true… I watched Top Gear my mate downloaded which is in HD and it is so much clearer that what is broadcasted here.
The HD channels on Foxtel are proper HD and not the crap on free to air.
Andrew
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 1:00 PMagreed, all tv shows I get at HD (usually 1.5gb) now and the quality is much better.
Sam
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 1:47 PMCould not agree more! The first problem in Australia is lack of HD content in the first place, the second problem is how rediculously compressed the video feed of HD content is – making it substandard quality.
Steve
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 11:48 AMYeah what about broadcasting in HD first, then we can worry about 3D.
Richard
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 12:07 PMThe minute they announced the biggest and best (from a technical perspective) 3d film of all time (Avatar) was only available if you bought a Panasonic TV was the moment I realised this 3d thing was a joke from a content perspective.
Second prize, Up and Toy story 3 released on blu ray with no 3d option. It seems like the cinemas want the 3d fad to bump ticket prices, but once out of the cinema no-one gives a damn
Adam
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 12:17 PM3D is a Gimmick and will soon and hopefully fade off, Alot of movies and tv shows are Not in 3D, they are 2D converted into 3D, and even the actual effect 3D effect is not great, friend bought a 3D tv, watched it with the glasses and i was against 3D Fad before and after watching still against it
Paddy
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 12:20 PMI, too, would be happy with just a decent HD signal.
There seems to be less FTA HD now than 2 years ago.
Cameron
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 12:22 PMDoes anyone really care about 3D other than those who’ve wasted money specifically buying 3D TV’s? I’m sure people would love to see HD channels, rather than 3D, look at how many people have HD TV’s compared to 3D TV’s.
Shane
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 12:30 PMI’d say they’ve abandoned good taste and any desire to actually provide content worth watching.
Flicked every channel last night and then properly turned back to the media centre.
I think 3D is the least of their worries right now.
Andrew
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 12:56 PMIt’s just a fad/gimmic, after avatar I’ll never see another 3d movie at the cinemas nor do I know many ppl that see the 3D versions anymore. Also need to consider that there are possible health risks that will come over time. 3D = FAIL
CraftyNinja
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 1:58 PMAll I can say is this – good riddance.
Like the majority of the commenters, I agree that FTA need to have:
~ Better Content
~ Affordable Content
~ More High Def
~ Less restrictive copying and streaming to other personal devices
~ Less Reality TV (fits under Better Content, but important enough to have its own dot-point)
~ Smaller gaps in airing international content (waiting months to legally watch that American Show about xyz only to have it air just as it gets cancelled in the US is extremely annoying).
eddy96
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 2:01 PMYea lets get some more HD channels first before we even touch 3D.
Morkai
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 2:33 PMon the subject of bringing decent content to australian tv, i would pay a dedicated subscription fee (say, $10 a month, on top of basic Foxtel) to finally get HBO (the whole channel, with everything they produce, at the same time it’s available in the US) brought to Foxtel, i would be absolutely amazed and would feel compelled to fall to my knees and bow before the awesomeness that is HBO.
Greg
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 4:15 PMYou realise the chances of this happening are almost zero, right?
Let it go.
Puddiepants
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 2:34 PMI agree with pretty much everything already said above. I have a 3D TV that I bought purely for the great picture has. It came with 2 pairs of glasses and I have used it to watch 3D content and play 3D games via ps3. The glasses have been sitting in the draw for months now.
I couldn’t have cared less that it was a 3D capable TV when I bought it and after having watched 3D on it, still don’t care for the 3D
lulz
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 2:44 PMYe, they really need to improve HD offerings first, the biggest being the change of codec, but alas, they won’t be doing that for a VERY long time.
Australia. 10 years behind the rest of the planet.
Greg
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 4:14 PM3D is irrelevant. What’s more concerning is the fact that they’ve all but abandoned HD. Nothing worthwhile is broadcast in HD anymore.
7HD, TenHD. Such potential, wasted.
Oh well, I suppose this is where Foxtel HD is the big winner. More content, better quality.
Dinty
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 7:31 PMI understand that it may be seen as a bit of a fad, but must admit I really enjoyed watching the FIFA World Cup and the AFL Grand Final in 3D last year. I agree that HD is important, but I think increasingly so is 3D. I really hope the London Olympics will bring back the 3D transmissions.
DeeDub
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 3:42 PMHere’s hoping the extra bandwidth available when they switch off the analog signal can give us more HD free to air options…