3D TV Making Waves in Sports

April 3:  Football fans (or soccer to us, irksome as the "misnomer" is to our neighbors 'cross the pond) gathered in 1,000 pubs across the UK and Ireland to watch rival teams Chelesa and Manchester United go head-to-head in a live three-dimensional broadcast of the game.

Several hours later, on this side of the Atlantic, CBS Sports and LG Electronics, along with 3D-leader Cinedigm, beamed the NCAA Men's Final Four semi-finals into 100 digital cinemas across the US.

On the heels of successful 3D film productions, the technology is now making waves with sporting events as well.

Or at least a sizable ripple.

But it seems like a good deal more fun to watch a game at a bar (pub), beer (lager) in hand, and in that respect, for the moment at least, Europe's got us beat.  By all accounts, opinions on the 3D showings have been mixed:  Overall, people seem enthusiastic about the concept, but less enthused about execution.

I scoured the web to find something other than a glowing press release to get some sense of what it was like to actually experience one of these games in all of their 3D glory.

A report from Harpenden, England (slightly over an hour's train ride north of London's Gatwick Airport) said the pub was packed with fans who squeezed in for the showdown.  Post-game reactions were a mix of laments over Manchester United's defeat to comments that the 3D tech, while an excellent idea, still needs some perfecting.  My favorite fan quote?  "Two of us have got headaches.  But we can't work out if they've come from the TV or the amount of lager we've had to drink."

Excellent observation.

On the US side, one reporter noted that the close up camera shots, following a player down the court for example, were less effective in 3D than wider angles and the CBS-generated graphic overlays.  The fast, up-close movements often resulted in blurred images that, "made this viewer long for the acuity of an HD picture."

No doubt the quality will only improve, as this is only the beginning of 3D event coverage.  Europe's Sky TV company boasted an impressive turnout for it's April 3rd event and already has dates lined up for more in the coming weeks and months.  Here in the US, the Masters golf tournament was delivered in 3D to Comcast subscribers (well, those who happened to own a 3D-TV) and ESPN will broadcast the World Cup in 3D this June.