The London Olympics will air in 3D, bringing the games right into living rooms equipped with cutting edge televisions.
NBC, which won the rights to broadcast the games, and Panasonic announced the plans Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In addition to having a 3D-capable set, viewers must have service with a carrier that will provide the enhanced coverage. Presumably Comcast -- which owns NBCUniversal -- will be in the mix, along with DirecTV, which has aimed to be the leading provider of 3DTV in the U.S.
"NBC has a history of utilizing technological innovations to distribute the Olympics in new ways for viewers," NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said in a statement. "We are proud to continue that tradition by partnering with Panasonic and Olympic Broadcasting Services to distribute the first 3D broadcast of the Games in the U.S. in partnership with our multichannel video programming distributors."
Panasonic is the exclusive Flat-Panel HDTV and Blu-ray Disc Player advertiser for NBC's coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Last year, Panasonic announced it would partner with the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Broadcasting Services to make the London 2012 Olympic Games the first ever 3D Olympic Games.
The more than 200 hours of 3D telecasts, to be produced by OBS and shown on next-day delay in the U.S., will span multiple competitions throughout the games, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, gymnastics, diving and swimming. OBS will produce the 3D coverage using Panasonic's 3D production technologies.
