Directv3d
Latest
DirecTV Q1 results are great for profits, multi-room viewing and RVU -- but not DirecTiVo
It's not difficult to guess what's on the soundtrack around DirecTV's headquarters, with revenue and earnings results that beat analysts estimates for the first quarter. That's thanks to higher prices and increased HD and DVR revenue (DirecTiVo? Yeah right, according to the conference call, it could be pushed back until "maybe the end of this year, or maybe early next year,") while it also experienced a net increase of 100,000 subscribers over the period. Of course launching DirecTV 3D is a major focus for the rest of the year, as well as increased VOD with DirecTV Cinema, multi-room viewing (officially rolling out next week) and "connected home" initiatives. All the dirty details are in the reports and transcripts linked below, dive in as deeply as you dare.
DirecTV quickly signs up the first baseball 3D broadcast
After being left out of the Masters 3D presentation, DirecTV isn't missing out on this one. It's teaming up with FSN Northwest and YES Network to bring home two games between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners on July 10 and 11, although they will only be viewable by customers in the normal home footprint of both sports networks. Unfortunately it looks like the flyover states will miss out on the games, but those with a 3DTV and DirecTV will already have enjoyed plenty of World Cup action, and can look forward to the All-Star Game on July 13. Multichannel News indicates YES Network COO Ray Hopkins said other networks will have the "opportunity" to cut deals regarding the games, so if you're on another broadcaster but live in the home areas there's a possibility you will see them as well. Expect six to eight 3D camera angles, including a few from lower than usual positioning, to bring the game home. Whether it's an exclusive or not for a couple of regular season games probably isn't that big of a deal, but it will be interesting to see which, if any, of the other broadcasters snap up ESPN 3D ahead of the World Cup next month.
DirecTV will have ESPN 3D at launch, next to its own N3D channel
Not that we ever doubted they would, but DirecTV and ESPN have made official plans to make ESPN 3D available to the satellite broadcaster's millions of customers as soon as it launches June 11 with the South Africa / Mexico World Cup game. Better news? There's no additional charge for ESPN 3D, at least for now, though of course you will need a 3DTV to make any use of the signal. The only other new news is a name for DirecTV's native Panasonic-sponsored linear 3D network, now dubbed N3D (Get it? In 3D? ...Yeah, we didn't either.) Now the only wait is to see if DirecTV can shove its own 3D exclusive in the competition's face (doubtful) or if we hear about any other carriage announcements between now and NAB 2010.
3D stole the show at CES 2010
Not sure why we've been putting this off, but we'll just come right out and say it: there's no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers. %Gallery-82768%
DirecTV 3D broadcasts officially announced, coming in June
Buried in Panasonic's flood of CES 2010 announcements is the official confirmation that DirecTV will be first in the U.S. to offer 3D TV. The three dedicated channels (PPV, DirecTV On Demand and a free 3D sample demo) offered at launch will be "presented by Panasonic" for the first year they're on-air and available to all DirecTV HD customers via a software upgrade. Additional content partners include AEG/AEG Digital Media, CBS, Fox Sports/FSN, Golden Boy Promotions, HDNet, MTV, NBC Universal and Turner Broadcasting System -- are we the only ones hoping the Mayweather/Pacquiao bout gets pushed back and broadcast in 3D?
