Italy is the First to Broadcast Backwards Compatible 3D

Italian viewers will be able to enjoy the free over-the-air content in 2D or 3D.

One of the big problems with advances in television is that older gear just doesn't work with the new stuff. Take that 4:3 television you've still got sitting in your basement – no matter how good it was at the time, it just can't cope with today's tech.

3D is a lot like that, and there's a distinct possibility that owners of 2D televisions will miss out on content created only in 3D. A new format created by a partnership of both private and public parties in Italy aims to solve that.

Rather than side-by-side or top-and-bottom, the group used a new format they're calling 3D Tile. It integrates a pair of 720p frames into a single 1080p frame, which allows reconstructed images to maintain their original resolution. More importantly, it lets viewers with traditional 2D televisions watch 3D content.

Source: PR Newswire UK