QVC 3D To Let Users Eye Before They Buy
QVC are reportedly planning to be the third UK broadcaster to formally move into the 3DTV market, harbouring intentions of ‘taking home shopping into 3D’, meaning viewers could literally be up close and personal to a potential future purchase.
This would be a surprising move for the multi-national company were they to go through with it, as bigger names such as BBC or ITV might have been tipped to be doing more for the advancement of 3D in the UK.
While QVC (which stands for Quality, Value, Convenience) have been testing the concept with official 3D showreels at their headquarters (in Croydon (England)).
They might not want to step too far ahead with regards to broadcasting technology, as possibly equally surprisingly, they do not have a high definition channel (though a recent official statement confirmed that this would be released within the next couple of years). Video-on-demand had been another suggested update, but nothing official has arisen.
Specialist website 3D Focus claims that the showreel for QVC contained footage of its presenters selling usual items such as jewellery, kitchen products, and clothing, amongst others.
While they were quick to deny any concrete plans for 3D, QVC’ will want to enhance the their status as the highest-rating shopping channel in the UK, and maintaining their eye for innovation in their field has never been a problem for them, as since their launch in 1993, advancements have included a conversion to widescreen, a red-button interactive service (QVC Active), and an official channel iPhone app.
QVC’s ‘director of media operations’ Richard Burrell has made a statement on the QVC website regarding the next step in their business plan, which is 3D, with an official target to launch ‘QVC HD’ with broadcast capacity and quality following the completion of the UK’s digital TV switchover at the end of 2012, with the channel looking likely to feature on both Freeview and subscription services such as Sky.
Current carriage agreements on Freeview (made in 2007) ensures that QVC are contracted to their slot with multiplex operator SDN through to 2022, and broadcasts live for 17 hours a day and 364 days a year.
In other 3DTV news for the UK, Sky’s official 3D channel (Sky 3D) is being rivalled by recently-released Eurosport 3D (currently only available on Virgin Media systems), while Sky’s partnership with ESPN continues, as the American broadcaster brings over some of their expertise to supply Sky 3D’ with coverage of the NBA Finals. With 3D growing around the world, will QVC, a company who have probably sold a few 3DTV’s in the past, be able to give themselves a head-start in working the other way?
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