[Eastday]

China’s first 3D TV channel will start a trial run on January 1, a spokesman from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said. After the test-run stage, the channel will be officially put into operation during Spring Festival later in January.

The satellite channel will offer 3D programs daily from 10:30am to midnight. Producing the 3D channel’s content will be China Central Television, Radio and Television Beijing, Radio and Television Shanghai, Radio and Television Tianjin, Radio and Television Jiangsu Province and Shenzhen Television Station.

The programs will include animation, sports, documentaries, TV dramas, entertainment and live broadcasting of big events such as CCTV New Year’s Gala and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

To watch the 3D programs, consumers need to buy a 3D TV set and install Capable TV’s high-definition set-top-box. The channel will charge no viewing fees during its early phase of running.

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Read the full story here: http://english.eastday.com/e/111228/u1a6280365.html

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[Wall Street Journal]

In a move that may cause headaches — real ones — for millions of people, China is about to launch a 3D television channel. That has the government sounding nearly as excited as any Hollywood executive exploiting 3D to make extra bucks.  …

So will 3D TV flop in China, or is it just crazy enough to work? On one hand, China’s growing class of wealthy consumers may be a receptive audience. Such TV sets are already selling faster than the dearth of 3D content would suggest. IHS iSuppli analyst Kathleen Zhang estimates there were more than five million 3D TV sets shipped in China this year, and that shipments next year could reach around 12 million units.

But the key may lie in how good the 3D content on TV is, and how quickly that content expands. (3D-TV owners can also make full use of their sets by investing in 3D DVDs and a capable player, but even the rich may balk at buying too many pricey 3D movies.)

So far, the people buying 3D sets aren’t making much use of the bundled glasses. They’ve been willing to buy the 3D sets because their prices aren’t too far off from TVs that are 2D-only, and they may be able to make use of the extra function in the future, Ms. Zhang says.

China’s new 3D channel will initially have just four-and-a-half hours of new content each evening, …

Read the full article here: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/12/28/chinas-latest-tech-dream-3d-tv/