Historical 3D Transmission from Ullevaal

Whether Norway will qualify for next year's UEFA Football Championship in Poland and Ukraine or not, the 11 October 2011 is a milestone in Norwegian television-history: In addition to the regular TV 2 broadcast in high definition, TV 2 will also produce the match in 3D and transmit it as the very first Norwegian television production on the new TV2 3D channel.

"It's fun that we get to be first with a 3-D production in Norway. This is a confirmation that we keep pace with the development and an illustration that we are ambulatory and equipped to meet the future. The further development in this area will go fast, so it is important to be in the front seat," says Bjorn Taalesen, sports director of TV 2.

"It is important that football is in the forefront of development. We want to give all those who do not have the opportunity to be at Ullevaal Stadium, our national arena, a visual football experience as close to the real as possible," says Norwegian Football Association president Yngve Hallén, and he continues, "3D provides a unique feeling of togetherness. I am therefore pleased that the Football Media together with our partners will offer `Superbowl´ Norway vs Cyprus in full 3D production."

And Petter Carlsen, CEO of Canal Digital Norway adds, "We have a number of years been a key partner for the Norwegian Football Association and find it very positive that we, together with TV 2 now get lifted our football product to new heights that will delight Norwegian football fans. By offering this `Superbowl´ in 3D, exclusively for Canal Digital's customers, we demonstrate that there is a will and an ambition to drive our 3D initiative forward."

The 3D production is made possible by the TV 2-owned OB-Team, which recently took delivery of a 3D-ready HD OBVan. This truck is currently the only one of its kind in Scandinavia. Jens Cornelius Knudsen, senior director, production TV 2, will be the man in the hot seat. Along with a television team consisting of people from TV 2 and OB-Team, and five 3-D cameras to be placed around the Ullevaal to provide true 3D images. Knudsen admits, “I am of the opinion that we do not get started until we have tried something, so this is a good manoeuvre and an opportunity to learn a lot. We will take an internal assessment in the aftermath.”

Bjørnar Nordahl, managing director of OB-Team AS concluded, "It is exciting that we finally go on air with a full 3D production. We've really been lucky with the `timing´. We needed to expand our fleet of television production trucks. At the same time 3D technology and the market for 3D production evolved so that it seemed appropriate to build the 3D functionality to our newest HD OBVan."

The 3D broadcast will be available for Canal Digital's customers - both on satellite and on cable - on a new channel named TV 2 3D. Satellite customers will find it on channel 169 while cable customers will have it on channel 93. To view the broadcast the HD decoder from Canal Digital, a 3D-ready television and related 3-D glasses are essential.