For local television stations, 3-D is a dimension far in their future.

Despite television manufacturers such as Sony and Panasonic pushing new 3-D capable sets out to home consumers and networks such as ESPN occasionally testing 3-D programming, Central Texas television stations say the technology is too new and its viewer demand too uncertain to make it a priority at this time.

“In all our trade magazines, it’s the topic du jour,” said Bob Bunch, vice president and general manager of KWTX-TV. “But it’s not on our radar as far as our Gray Television (Inc.) broadcast group.”

Electronics companies such as Sony Corp. are offering 3-D televisions, but one Waco TV official says the concept may be a little bit ahead of its time for the local market.
Shizuo Kambayashi/Associated Press

Bunch noted that his station was the first to air a digital signal in 2001, and it took nine years before the Central Texas television market fully converted to digital broadcasting.

Hollywood studios already have placed bets on 3-D in their future, particularly after James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi fantasy film “Avatar” set global box office records. Sports network ESPN broadcast some World Cup soccer matches in 3-D this summer and is testing college football. The network also has plans for 3-D National Basketball Association tests and aims to join the Discovery Channel and Sony in a 3-D channel next year.

But rather than work to implement a new technology, local stations are more focused on improving the level of their high-definition broadcasts, expanding their Internet presence or integrating mobile television technology into their current offerings.

Station managers cited familiar problems from the early years of converting from analog to digital: a lack of network and local programming, too few viewers with properly equipped television sets and the technology in an early stage of development.

There’s another factor, as well, at least for some of the current 3-D sets: viewers’ need for electronic glasses synchronized to the television screen. Asking television viewers to buy, wear and keep up with another piece of equipment to watch television will slow its widespread adoption, KCEN-TV General Manager Gayle Kiger said.

“I think 3-D has the same issue as it did back in the ’50s and ’60s. It was popular, but it went away because of the glasses. . . . 3-D may be a viable option for us, but it may be a little ahead of its time,” Kiger said.

Upgrading current system

KXXV Station Manager Mike Lee said his station was more intent on upgrading its system from broadcasting its current 720p high-definition signals to a 1080p one, a format that offers high visual quality even for motion-intensive programming such as sports.

“I’m not sure there’s much of a market for seeing your local news anchors appear in 3-D,” he said.

At Fox affiliate KWTK-TV, the emphasis also was on improving local high-definition production and transmission, engineer Lou Strowger said.

Bunch said his station was working hard to remain competitive in what he termed a “three-screen world” that includes television, computer screens connected to the Internet and handheld units such as cell phones.

In addition to its news and other local programming carried through its over-the-air-signal, KWTX serves an average of 1,200 hours of video to viewers on its website each month and had sold around 1,000 applications enabling iPhone and Android cell phone users to access and read news from KWTX’s website, he said.

KWTX is getting roughly 1 million page views a month from cell phone users, he said.

Nationally, broadcast television recently finished a multiyear transition from analog signals to digital last year.

Anticipating that, television manufacturers spent years persuading consumers to swap their analog sets for more expensive digital ones. Will consumers push those new sets to the rear to buy pricier 3-D sets? Some television executives are doubtful.

Driven by networks

The push to 3-D adoption likely will come from the top down — the networks, particularly sports ones — rather than a consumer-driven bottom up, some station managers say.

As national 3-D programming increases, more networks will seek to distribute it, leading local affiliates to carry it on a pass-through basis.

As audiences and stations become more accustomed to 3-D programs, stations will gradually add local programming — but not anytime soon.

“I think we’re eight to 10 years out,” Bunch said.

choover@wacotrib.com

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