3ality Digital to Capture First NFL Game to Air on S3D TV

BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- 3ality Digital, LLC (www.3alitydigital.com), a leading stereoscopic 3D (S3D) technology and production company, today announced that it will collaborate with Verizon FiOS TV to deliver the first televised NFL game in S3D, which will be available to FiOS TV customers in parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The shoot will be among the first to feature 3ality Digital's new and highly versatile TS-5 rig.

Verizon FiOS1 Executive Producer, Orlando Martinez, along with Nicky Nichols Productions and Stephen Warner of Third Wave Productions selected NEP Broadcasting LLC and 3ality Digital as the premier vendors to shoot the Sept. 2 preseason match-up between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, which will be telecast from the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

"We're looking forward to working with Verizon to bring the action of the world's premier sports league home to consumers in crystal clear S3D," said 3ality Digital Director of Production Ted Kenney. "This league-first will be an opportunity for consumers to experience the transformative nature of S3D in the comfort of their own homes."

3ality Digital enabled the first-ever live S3D broadcast of an NFL game in 2008; that production of a Thursday Night Football game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers was made available to select audiences at three U.S. theatres as a proof of concept.

Since the Thursday Night Football broadcast, 3ality Digital has been at the forefront of other groundbreaking S3D sports productions, such as Fox's presentation of the 2009 BCS Championship game between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Oklahoma Sooners, and the New York Rangers-New York Islanders NHL game played on March 24, 2010, as well as the first S3D broadcast of a NASCAR race, the Coke Zero 400, presented on DirecTV's n3D channel on July 3rd, 2010.

For the upcoming Giants-Patriots game, 3ality Digital will work with NEP Broadcasting, the leading international provider of outsourced broadcasting services, to help ensure the highest quality production. NEP Supershooters, a division of NEP Broadcasting, will be providing state-of-the-art mobile broadcast facilities for the shoot.

To capture all the action, 3ality Digital will be using a total of six rigs, including three TS-2 beam-splitter rigs, one TS-4 side-by-side rig and two of the company's new TS-5 rigs. The TS-5 is the first fully-automated, remotely-aligned, hand-held lightweight beam-splitter on the market. Designed for wireless camera operations in tight spaces, it can be mounted on a Steadicam for maximum flexibility.

"S3D is uniquely able to bring the size and speed of NFL players to life on-screen," Kenney said. "While football is exciting in 2D, it is completely immersive in S3D, giving viewers a whole new perspective on an experience they already love."

FiOS TV customers in the region with S3D enabled televisions, 3D glasses and high-definition set-top boxes will be able to watch the preseason broadcast on FiOS1 Channel 834.

About 3ality Digital

3ality Digital develops enabling technologies to power live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) entertainment from image capture through presentation, independent of viewing environment.  3ality Digital's camera platforms, stereo image processing systems and S3D image scaling technologies are quickly earning a reputation as the "gold standard" for the emerging medium and are rapidly being adapted by broadcasters, production companies, studios and consumer electronics manufacturers.  3ality Digital's systems are optimized to handle the demands of live S3D broadcast, offering such must-haves as fast set-up, perfectly aligned zooms, accurate imagery right from the camera and automation that reduces the number of required production personnel.

3ality Digital technology has powered a number of live-action firsts including U2 3D, the first movie shot completely in live-action S3D; the first live S3D broadcast of an NFL game (Raiders vs. Chargers, December 4th, 2008); the first live S3D sports broadcasts available to consumers, including the 2009 BCS Championship Game, BSkyB's landmark Manchester United vs. Arsenal soccer broadcast  (January 31st 2010)  and the first network hockey telecast ever produced in S3D (New York Rangers vs. Islanders, March 24th 2010 on MSG); the first S3D commercial broadcast on television (Sobe "Lizard Lake"); and the first episode of a scripted television series shot in live-action S3D (Chuck vs. The Third Dimension, aired on NBC on February 2nd, 2009).

For more information, please visit www.3alitydigital.com

About NEP

About NEP:  NEP Broadcasting is the leading international provider of outsourced broadcasting services vital to the delivery of live sports and entertainment events. Serving the world's premiere broadcast networks and production companies, NEP provides state-of-the-art facilities, engineering expertise and technical management to support telecasts of major events and programs around the globe. With more than 500 employees worldwide, including the finest engineering and technical management in the field, NEP Broadcasting is proud to serve networks, producers and organizations through services provided by its ten specialized divisions: NEP Supershooters, NEP Denali, NEP Visions, NEP Screenworks, NEP Studios, NEP Live Power, NEP Premiere Entertainment, NEP Roll to Record and NEP Cymru, along with mobile facility services provided by New Century Productions.  NEP is majority-owned by American Securities, a private equity firm headquartered in New York, and NEP management. For more information on NEP, please visit our website at www.nepinc.com.

SOURCE 3ality Digital, LLC