Element Technica, global leader in camera mounting equipment for 3D video acquisition, supplied its groundbreaking Quasar 3D Rigs for live coverage of the 6 Nation Rugby Tournament 2010 the weekend of February 6-7 from Twickenham Stadium in London and on February 27 from Rome. Telecast of the England vs. Wales contest Feb. 6 was viewed in 3D at 40 sold-out Odeon and Cineworld cinemas throughout the UK.

Each 3D rig precisely aligns a pair of HD cameras as a left-eye, right-eye view to provide a realistic 3D view. Of the six Technica 3D Quasar rigs supplied for the production, three were arranged for side-by-side camera mounting, and three in beam-splitter configuration. Beamsplitter mounting allows the camera lenses to be closer together than placing the cameras next to each other would allow, which is critical when the camera is located close to the action.

Element Technica is a pioneer in manufacturing camera-agnostic 3D rigs, which can easily be assembled and configured with a variety of HD video cameras, using a minimum of tools and alignment equipment. Should the director decide at the last minute to change any particular camera pair from side-by-side to beam-splitter configuration, or vice versa, a Technica 3D rig can quickly be converted to the new configuration.

The rugby tournament broadcasts, produced by the UK 3D specialists Inition, became the largest ever sports events to be broadcast live in 3D. Technica 3D rigs were supplied through the rental facilities of Panavision UK. Panavision recently signed an agreement to supply Technica 3D rigs worldwide.

www.technica3d.com