Cox Inks Carriage Deal To Provide 3D Coverage Of The Masters

Cox Communications is making the 3D coverage of The Masters available to its customers next week.
The operator said it will present the Par 3 Contest on April 7, as well as two hours of coverage from the back nine on each of the tourney's four days from April 8-11.
The feed, supplied by Comcast and The Masters, will be available to Cox Advanced TV customers with an HD or HD/DVR receiver. Deal terms were not disclosed as Augusta National Golf Club, the private group that hosts The Masters, is negotiating the carriage deals with other providers. Sony Electronics is supporting the effort not only as a sponsor of the 3D telecast, but also as an industry expert, along with supplying the latest advances in professional camera equipment and its 3D-capable televisions.
Additionally, Comcast and IBM, the Tournament's technology partner, will combine efforts to offer the 3D feed via www.masters.com.
In order to check out the enhanced golf coverage from the famed Augusta National Course, which will play home to Tiger Woods's return to the game following his domestic and infidelity problems, Cox subscribers will need a 3DTV and a Cox HD or HD/DVR receiver to access the 3D programming. The TV manufacturer's specified 3D glasses will also be required to view the content in 3D. The receiver must be connected to the 3DTV via HDMI. Those customers will then be required to tune to a specific channel and change the setting on their 3DTV to 3D format or 3D mode.
"Cox is excited to offer our customers access to this innovative television event, bringing our customers the latest in video technology," said Cox senior vice president of marketing David Pugliese in a statement. "The Masters in 3D is available exclusively to cable customers, making it even clearer why Cox is the best choice for entertainment and communications services."
In addition to the 3D channel, Cox customers can access the following Masters content via the operator's on demand:
*two-hour blocks of 3D content - replays of every day's 3D telecast;
*daily highlights in 3D available the day after the live exhibition;
*Masters Moments": golfing greats at the Grand Slam event from the 1950s through the 2000s;
*2009 Masters Film: a 60-minute recap of last year's tournament;
*2009 Par-3 Contest: a replay of last year's competition; and
*Masters Tournament -- BBC Masters Anthology: a 60-minute heretofore unreleased anthology of The Masters.