Nine Networks selects Ericsson for Worlds First Terrestrial 3DTV

Major rugby league events available in 3D to home viewers

“The Harvey Norman State of Origin Series is one of the biggest tournaments in Australia’s sporting calendar and we’re delighted to pioneer 3D sports broadcasting on free-to-air television and provide our viewers with the best seat in the house,” said Charles Sevior, Network Manager Broadcast Technology, Nine Network Australia. “Bringing 3D to terrestrial television presents obvious challenges in terms of available bandwidth, so we were pleased to be able to draw upon the knowledge and expertise of the Ericsson team to deliver this revolutionary coverage using the latest H.264 MPEG-4 encoding to rugby league fans throughout the country.”

“3D innovation has fast become a reality for consumers, but this is the first sports broadcast of its kind anywhere in the world on terrestrial television,” said Staffan Pehrson, Head of Solution Area TV, Business Unit Multimedia, Ericsson. “Having pioneered technology for the HDTV market, Ericsson is now providing the solutions required by innovative broadcasters like Channel Nine to bring ground-breaking 3D broadcasts to consumers. We are pleased to be playing a key role in making this world first a success for the Nine Network.”

Ericsson 3D video processing solutions ensure high quality viewing for consumers

All three Harvey Norman State of Origin matches will be broadcast live in 3D. The first match between the Maroons, representing Queensland, and the Blues, representing New South Wales, was broadcast from the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on May 26th 2010, with the remaining two games taking place on June 16th and July 7th. Nine has deployed an Ericsson solution that will enable this world first 3D terrestrial broadcast, including the EN8190, Ericsson’s latest HD encoder. Channel Nine has also installed Ericsson RX8200 receivers, the MX8400 multiplexer and nCompass Control by Ericsson for this pioneering broadcast.

About Ericsson

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York