The three new 3D channels were switched on Thursday during a press event in New York. All are available at no extra cost to DirecTV subscribers who already pay for an HD upgrade package.
Upcoming events to be aired in 3D on n3D channel 103 include the July 13 Fox Sports broadcast of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and the July 3 NASCAR Coke Zero 400 auto race at Daytona International Speedway.
The n3D services on DirecTV will work with any brand of 3D-capable HDTV and active-shutter 3D glasses, not just Panasonic's. The necessary software upgrade has already been delivered to DirecTV hardware in subscribers' homes. Roberts said on-demand 3D movies will be priced one dollar more than other movie offerings but said the 3D premium for special events would be determined on an individual basis.
"The emphasis [in the 3D content] is on the whole family," said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, chief technology officer at Panasonic, who explained that the "n" in "n3D" stands for "network."
More information on the n3D channels is on DirecTV's 3D Web site ( www.directv.com/3D ).
This story, "DirecTV, Panasonic Partner On Dedicated All-3D Channels " was originally published by PCWorld.