Ericsson Provides ESPN 3D With End-to-End Video Processing

In 2010, sports fans around the world will be treated to more events in 3D than ever before. From the World Cup in football to the X Games, consumers are ready to watch their favorite games with a 3D movie-theater experience at home. Broadcasters, service operators, and content providers will compete for viewer attention by providing coverage of live sporting and cultural events in 3D. The winners will be home viewers.

To that end, Ericsson is providing ESPN 3D, the industry’s first 3D sports television network, with a complete standards-based video-processing solution, featuring encoders and receivers tuned for ESPN 3D broadcasts as well as for high-quality HD. The complete end-to-end solution supports the highest picture quality from venue to viewer.

“Our consumer labs research consistently shows that high-quality pictures are the number-one consumer desire in today’s TV market,” said Staffan Pehrson, head of Solution Area TV at Ericsson. “Having pioneered HDTV with our first-to-market solutions, we are well-placed to provide the video-processing platform for 3D, the next wave of consumer innovation. We are excited to be working with ESPN on delivering these groundbreaking 3D sporting experiences.”

ESPN is deploying a variety of Ericsson 3D and HD products, including the complete solution for direct-to-home and contribution and distribution of 3D content launched at NAB this week. At the same time, ESPN will transmit HD programming to viewers worldwide in 2D using Ericsson’s MPEG-4 AVC HD 4:2:2 video-processing system. The solution delivers more-efficient bandwidth use while ensuring that the transmissions meet ESPN’s high standards for picture quality.