Adding A Third Dimension In Sports
Posted by Anthony Mowl in TELEVISION on 07-08-11 No Comments
The BBC had its first 3D broadcast last weekend, adding a new dimension in its airing of Wimbledon’s men’s and women’s semi-finals. It was a hefty endeavor, with two huge broadcast trucks, dedicated staff and specialty cameras all brought in for a 10-day test run leading up to the actual broadcast.
While tennis is probably one of the most 3D-worthy sports (think about a tennis ball flying toward your face at 120 mph), you have to ask yourself if the effort was worth it. The broadcast was shown live in just 200 theaters worldwide, and less than 200,000 televisions in the UK support 3D. While sales of 3D televisions are picking up, movie theaters around the world are literally making customers sick of 3D.
3D started off with a bang when 80 percent of people who watched Avatar in theaters saw the movie in 3D. But newer movies are averaging only 35-45 percent 3D viewership. Moviegoers are literally getting headaches and feeling sick from the 3D effect, balking over the $4 to $6 premium to watch a film in 3D, and in some cases they’re complaining about the diminished quality of the movie itself. It turns out that some theaters, in an effort to save money, are dimming the bulbs on their projectors so the picture does not come out as bright or as sharp. While director James Cameron believes 3D is here to stay, moviegoers are saying otherwise with their wallets and opting to see movies in 2D instead.
This makes us wonder whether Wimbledon’s 3D broadcasts were simply an experiment or an assertion of what is to come in future sports broadcasts. If performance in movie theaters is any indication of the public’s interest, is it worth pursuing a third dimension in sports broadcasts? 3D is expensive, technically challenging, and not everybody likes it (including The Sports Tech Nihilist). Sure 3D might be a neat gimmick, but is it commercially viable?
Like this post? You may also like these:
- Back From The Future: Tennis At Wimbledon, 2036
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- Prima Cinema has big league potential
- Episode 23 – 2/3/2010
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