Sony has acquired Hawk-Eye Ltd, a small British company specialising in providing tracking technology to sports events and broadcasters. The new purchase will be merged into Sony Professional, the B2B arm of the Japenese company, to provide solutions for 3D filming in sport and other fast paced areas. Sony also revealed in a press release that they, in partnership with the BBC, will be filming Wimbledon competition finals in 3D High Definition and broadcast it to cinemas around the world, although no news on whether or not viewers will get to see glorious three dimensions at home.
"Hawk-eye is recognised globally for its innovative solutions for resolving close calls in critical sporting situations, particularly in cricket and tennis..." said the Vice-President Sony Europe, Naomi Climer.
Hawk-Eye first made its name by providing precise ball locations in Cricket broadcasting using technology that is already used in the ATP, WTA and ITF tennis tours. They have also diversified into Snooker and Coaching filming while developing a system for football. This technology was used to film the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa.
"Watching tennis in High Definition 3D is a stunning experience, bringing the speed of the action and the emotions of the occasion to life" said Fujio Nishida, president of Sony Europe.
Neowin contacted Sony and asked them if they think this new acquisition will have any effect on the future of 3D Sony products and sales;
"Whilst we do not see any direct link between the acquisition of Hawk-Eye and sales of 3D sets, we are certainly excited at the potential for the Hawk-Eye ball tracking technology in many aspects of Sony’s entertainment offering." said Nick Sharples, Director of Corporate Communications at Sony Europe.
Image Source: Sony