• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, October 16, 2012

A little over a year ago, Discovery Communications chief David Zaslav said 3D TV adoption had not met projections. "3D candidly has been slower than we expected," he said as Discovery, IMAX and Sony launched their 24/7 3D network.
 
But the trio is pushing ahead with the launch of 3net Studios, named for the network, which is looking to produce content for a global audience. The production house will have bases at Sony’s operations in Los Angeles and Discovery’s in Silver Spring, Maryland, a D.C. suburb.
 
But the studio is not just looking at native 3D content, but content for the 4K, or ultra-high definition (UHD), format where several manufacturers have launched compatible sets. The sets are expensive, and a significant amount of available content appears to be a ways off.

The 3net owners are referring to their range of formats as “TotalD,” which also includes other formats. 3net head Tom Cosgrove stated: "With the industry now struggling to keep pace with the rapidly accelerating consumer demand for 3D programming across multiple platforms -- and now with the evolution of 4K -- the formation of a world-class production studio to help fill both the 3D and ultra-high definition content voids became a logical next step in our evolution as a global player in the entertainment arena."

3net launched in 2011, and the owners say it has the world’s largest collection of original productions in native 3D. While DirecTV has launched 3net, neither of the two largest cable operators -- Comcast and Time Warner Cable -- has.

In April, Discovery’s Animal Planet and 3net simulcast an episode of “River Monsters.”

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