No point buying a 3D TV without Foxtel, but Sony disagrees

By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY, NSW: There is no point buying a 3D TV if you don't have Foxtel. That's the salient message from Foxtel executive director of sales and product development Patrick Delaney, who said Foxtel is clearly the biggest single contributor to 3D content in Australia.

"If you look at all of the places you can actually use your 3D TV, you’ve got to have Foxtel because by far and away, by many multiples, we’ve got more content than anyone else," Delaney told Current.com.au.

This declaration came in the same month that Foxtel has broadcast the Sony Open golf tournament and the Winter X Games in 3D, and announced that it would show Australia’s first movie and documentary on television in 3D. All in all, Delaney said Foxtel had invested a considerable sum in 3D broadcasting.

"It’s in the millions [of dollars] because the commitment to keep the channel up there alone is quite substantial, then there’s the technology that goes with the set tops and the cost of getting the signals here and then all of the staff," he said.

Not everyone agrees with Delaney, however, with Sony technology communications manager Paul Colley reminding consumers that there is a swathe of 3D movies being made and subsequently released on Blu-ray and that more content is due down the pipeline. Furthermore, Colley said the facility exists for manufacturers to push 3D content to a connected Smart TV, though this has not yet been practiced in Australia.

Up to now, the free to air broadcasters have shown the NRL State of Origin, both the AFL and NRL Grand Finals and parts of the World Cup in 3D.

Related