More 3D from Foxtel and Tivo

Early 3D adopters looking for something to watch on their high definition 3D screens can now access 3D programming from internet portal Yabazam via a Tivo media device, as well as a new 24-hour 3D channel on Foxtel from 1 November.

Yabazam content downloaded to a Tivo device includes animation and extreme sports, documentaries, indie shorts, comedy and music videos, with programs running between four minutes and one hour in length. Prices range from $3 to $7, and the pay-per-view content can be viewed an unlimited number of times within 48 hours of the download commencing.

Foxtel’s dedicated 3D channel (Foxtel 3D, channel 201) is available only via the IQ2 high definition set-top box and will comprise movies, sports and documentaries in the side-by-side format. The 3D channel will be available to HD subscribers who also subscribe to the Sports Package.

Foxtel’s official press release suggests the 3D channel will be transmitted in HD (ie. “our customers are now able to choose from 20 HD channels, including a 3D channel”), but when asked for confirmation, a spokesthingy from the Pay TV company responded kind of strangely: “The channel will be transmitted in 3D only.”

Details about headline titles and the appearance of advertising on the 3D channel remain unclear too, with Foxtel’s spokesthingy saying it is still in negotiations with partners about these matters.

The 3D channel is one of several new channels announced by Foxtel, including four HD channels dedicated to motor racing (Speed HD; channel 206), music concerts and docs (MTVN Live HD; channel 252), documentaries (BBC Knowledge HD; channel 242) and nature (Nat Geo Wild HD; channel 238).

Yabazam was launched in 2009 by Dynamic Digital Depth (DDD), a company founded in Perth and specialising in the development of 3D displays and 2D-to-3D conversion software. Its patented TriDef technology appears in many 3D high definition televisions (including those from Samsung), notebook computers and some mobile phones.