Flight 33's Hit TV Series The Universe Goes 3D

Online, July 27, 2010 (Newswire.com) - DirecTV viewers with 3D televisions will get a special treat this Friday when the satellite provider broadcasts a brand new episode of The Universe in 3D. The fifth season of the hit space documentary series actually kicks off this Thursday on History with the premiere episode "7 Wonders of the Solar System". The following night, DirecTV will broadcast the episode in 3D on its new n3D channel. DirecTV viewers with 3D televisions can tune in to Channel 103 on Friday July 30th at 10pm Eastern/Pacific, 9pm Central for a visually stunning tour of outer space.

According to Executive Producer Douglas J. Cohen, the move to 3D made perfect sense for The Universe. "In 3D, you want to be transported to places you could never see with your own eyes. That's what we do every week on The Universe." Among the seven wonders visited in the program are a colossal volcano on Mars, the alluring rings of Saturn, and the Great Red Spot swirling on the surface of Jupiter.

The program, produced by Los Angeles-based Flight 33 Productions, marks the first 3D production commissioned by History. "We are thrilled to be on the leading edge of this emerging technology," says Cohen, who already has several other 3D projects underway, "We have the biggest in-house CGI department of any factual producer in town, and so we are able to produce the visual effects ourselves. It was amazing to see the show in 3D for the first time. You really get the sense of what it feels like to be on these other worlds."

Flight 33 is one of the first major players to jump into the world of stereoscopic television production, and while many companies are doing 2D to 3D conversion, they are producing in stereo from start to finish. The move into 3D production was a natural for a company so accustomed to working with extensive CGI. Flight 33 pioneered the use of feature film-quality visual effects for factual television in series and specials like Life After People, which received three Emmy nominations. The team at Flight 33 is led by Executive Producers Louis C. Tarantino and Douglas J. Cohen.

Executive Producers for Flight 33: Louis C. Tarantino, Douglas J. Cohen
Executive Producer for History: Carl H. Lindahl