Panasonic, IOC to Deliver Live 3D Olympics Broadcast

London 2012 will become the first Olympic Games to be broadcast in 3D.

Panasonic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) announced a partnership that promises a 3D live broadcast in HD for a global audience. However, not all events of the Olympic Games will be delivered in 3D; the service is limited to about 200 hours of broadcasts (about 13 hours per day) and will include events such as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletics, gymnastics, diving and swimming, according to an announcement.

Specifics of the agreement have not been released. However, the British Telegraph reports that the 3D coverage will leverage 12 to 14 3D cameras and will cover 12 to 14 of the 26 Olympic disciplines.

The 3D broadcast is much less of a technology demonstration than, for example, the 1992 16:9 HD broadcast of the Barcelona Olympic games. There is the hope that the availability of 3D content will promote commercial sales of 3D TV sets. According to the OBS, NBC has agreed to deliver a 3D broadcast in the U.S. However, it is unclear how much that will be and whether the traditional HD broadcast will be impacted, or if some content will only be available in 3D.