The NFL Network's Thursday Night Football game on Dec. 4, between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders, will be broadcast in 3-D.
3ality Digital will produce the live 3-D broadcast which is being seen as proof of concept for the possibilities of 3-D televised sports.
The game will be presented to invited guests at theaters in Los Angeles, Boston, and New York.
"This broadcast will be an exciting test of how 3-D could affect fans' experience in the future," said Howard Katz, the NFL's senior VP of broadcasting and media operations.
While this sounds unusual it’s not unprecedented. In 2004, predecessors to 3ality filmed Super Bowl XXXVIII in 3-D. The NBA has experimented with 3-D basketball broadcasts and the BBC broadcast a 3-D version of rugby's Six Nations Championship.
3-D television sets are commercially available but unfortunately you still have to wear the goggles.
According to experts, 3-D will visually enhance JaMarcus Russell’s incompletions and viewers will think the Chargers "wilting under pressure" is coming right at them.
However, experts were suspiciously silent when asked how Norv Turner’s complexion would look in 3-D.
Don’t get too excited about the NFL in 3-D. This isn’t an occasion to tempt fans with yet another way to spend an exorbitant amount of money to enhance their NFL viewing experience. 3-D football in your living room is not coming anytime soon.
Instead, this is an excuse for industry insiders to show off their 3-D technology to NFL executives and an elaborate way to make a Raiders game relevant.
Speaking of the Raiders, the silver and black responded to an announcement by reminding fans that even though the broadcast will be in 3-D, Oakland's game plan will still be one-dimensional.
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about 1 month ago
I think it's a really cool idea. Here's where logic fails me, though. Wouldn't it be attractive to include cities like oh, I don't know - OAKLAND and SAN DIEGO in this promotion?
from about 1 month ago
Excellent point. Also, why include L.A.? They don't even have a NFL team.
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