The helter-skelter rush to 3D, with most of the major set makers now announcing 3D TVs and Blu-ray players, has created such widespread confusion that Sky has had to issue a press release to reassure people “Sky's forthcoming 3DTV service will be compatible with all 3D TVs being introduced by Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG. Sky 3D will work with both ‘active’ and ‘passive’ 3D formats.”

Brian Lenz, director of product design and TV product development at Sky, says Sky has been “working alongside TV manufacturers.”

This is not what the manufacturers say. All the majors I have spoken to admit they have no idea how TVs designed to work with Full-HD-to-each-eye frame-sequential active-shutter Blu-ray 3D will work with the Sky service, which has so far been demonstrated only with Half-HD-to-each-eye passive polarisation sets from JVC, Hyundai and LG.

Sony, Samsung, Philips and Panasonic have separately said they have not yet had a chance to try their active shutter 3D sets with a Sky 3D broadcast. The best steer from engineers is that active shutter sets will probably work with Sky’s broadcasts, but will need manual set-up from on-screen menus with options including “side by side”, “top and bottom”, “interlace” and “checkerboard” decoding, which is sure to bewilder the average viewer.

This won’t matter where sets are installed by Sky in pubs and clubs to show footie in 3D. And it creates a nice little earner for skilled dealers and installers. But it ain't no way take it to the mass market.

In my next ERT magazine column I will deal with what happens when 3D video and high-resolution Dolby/DTS sound are fed by HDMI through an existing AV amplifiers.

And how will Half-HD-to-each-eye passive polarisation TVs from JVC, Hyundai and LG cope with the Full-HD-to-each-eye frame-sequential output from a 3D Blu-ray player?

I asked LG, the company that is supplying the passive 3D sets for Sky’s pubs, but I have not yet received any meaningful answer. In fact, I am having difficulty finding anyone representing LG who seems to understand the question.

As David Mercer, principal analyst with Strategy Analytics bluntly puts it: “Who, if anyone, will explain to customers that their passive 3D TV set will work with Sky, but not with 3D Blu-ray players or PS3s without modification?”

 Barry Fox