The 3D Business Gets Rolling

Demand for trucks shows 3D on the rise

By Glen Dickson

AS 3D PROGRAMMING heats up with new channels from ESPN and DirecTV, mobile production vendors have responded by building new stereoscopic 3D trucks capable of handling live and taped productions for sports, music and entertainment shows.

In the past month, three new 3D trucks, each worth around $10 million, have hit the street. They include two 53-foot units from mobile production giant NEP Broadcasting of Pittsburgh, and another 53-footer from All Mobile Video of New York. Despite the high cost of 3D production, which vendors say runs three to five times the price tag of conventional HD, the new trucks are already busy this summer and their owners say steady inquiries for new 3D shoots keep pouring in.

NEP’s newest truck, SS32, is dedicated to ESPN’s new 3D channel, ESPN 3D, and will handle the production of 60 events over the next year. Equipped with a range of PACE 3D rigs that include Sony cameras and Fujinon lenses, SS32 made its debut with ESPN 3D’s production of the Home Run Derby at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Anaheim, Calif., on July 12, and is now busy handling X Games 16 in Los Angeles.

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