Cablevision Licenses RealD Format for 3D Content in the Home

LOS ANGELES, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- RealD, a leading 3D technology provider for cinema, home and professional applications, and Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC), one of the nation's leading media and entertainment companies, announced today that Cablevision has licensed the stereoscopic RealD Format for the delivery of high definition 3D content to the home. Through this licensing agreement, Cablevision's content providers will be able use RealD tools to format their 3D content and deliver it to millions of homes in crisp, clear high definition 3D. The delivery of RealD Format content is compatible with Cablevision's current HD broadcast and on-demand systems and works with existing HD set-top boxes

The RealD Format will first be utilized for the March 24th MSG (Nasdaq: MSG) telecast of the Rangers vs. Islanders hockey game from Madison Square Garden, the first network hockey telecast ever produced in 3D and the first time a live 3D sports telecast will be available to homes in the U.S. In addition to the game's 3D telecast available to Cablevision subscribers in the Tri-state area with 3D-enabled TVs, a special viewing party will be held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden utilizing the RealD Format for content delivery and RealD's XL Cinema System for projection on the big screen.

"3D content in the home is the next frontier in premium entertainment and we look forward to providing our customers with an unmatched 3D experience in cooperation with RealD," said Jim Blackley, Cablevision's senior vice president of engineering and technology. "We've been extensively testing the RealD Format and believe it is the highest quality and most broadly compatible method for delivering 3D video to our customers."    

"This agreement with Cablevision marks another milestone in the emergence of 3D entertainment in the home," said Michael V. Lewis, Chairman and CEO of RealD. "Now Cablevision customers who have 3D television sets will be able to experience high definition 3D from the comfort of their living room beginning with the Rangers vs. Islanders game."

The RealD Format builds on the company's patented side-by-side 3D formatting technology and is capable of delivering crisp, clear, high definition 3D to the home utilizing all channels of the existing HD broadcast infrastructure. Cablevision has chosen to use the side-by-side method as its primary method of delivering 3D content due to its ability to deliver high-quality progressive and interlaced video over existing infrastructure including existing HD set-top boxes and DVRs.  

About RealD

RealD is a leading global licensor of innovative 3D technology solutions that enable a premium 3D visual experience. We license our RealD Cinema Systems to motion picture exhibitors to allow them to show 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content. We also provide our RealD format and related technologies to content providers and consumer electronics manufacturers to enable 3D content creation, delivery and viewing in the home or elsewhere on high definition televisions and other displays. Our cutting-edge 3D technologies have also been used for mission-critical applications such as piloting the Mars Rover, robotic medical procedures and exploring the human genome. www.reald.com

About Cablevision

Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) is one of the nation's leading media and entertainment companies. Its cable television operations serve more than 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area. The company's advanced telecommunications offerings include its iO TV® digital television, Optimum Online® high-speed Internet, Optimum Voice® digital voice-over-cable, and its Optimum Lightpath integrated business communications services. Cablevision operates several successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv, through Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, and serves the New York area as publisher of Newsday and other niche publications through Newsday Media Group. In addition to these businesses, Cablevision owns Madison Square Garden and its sports teams, the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. The company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, and the Chicago Theatre, and owns and operates Clearview Cinemas.

SOURCE RealD