World Cup to be shown in 3D
Beer bellies and silly specs ahoy!
The 2010 World Cup will be the first global soccer event shot in 3D, Fifa - the Fédération Internationale de Football Association - said today.
Sony has won the contract to provide the production kit, and will be releasing footage on an official Blu-Ray Disc in due course. The Blu-ray Disc Associaton has yet to define a standard for implementing 3D on BD, but it's working on it.
Sony has already said it will be releasing 3D-enabled Blu-ray players next year, implying the spec isn't that far off. It will equip the PS3 for 3D next year too.
It'll certainly be selling 3D TVs in 2010, as will other telly makers, all keen to capitalise upon the fad. They know punters need content, though, which is why they'll be keen to use hugely popular televisual events like the World Cup to promote the technology.
Satellite broadcaster Sky is expected to turn on a 3D channel next year, and we'd be very surprised if it isn't bidding for the rights to show World Cup matches stereoscopically. ®
COMMENTS
meh
This fad will go the way of 3D horror movies of days gone by. Some reasons:
1) Need to wear silly glasses. Bad enough in an of itself, but:
1a) They get lost.
1b) Extras for when friends come over?
1c) They get scratched/damaged.
1d) Prone to reflections from behind you.
1e) Need to make the effort to find them and put them on (sounds trivial, but if the remote isn't in reach, note how many people won't change the channel).
1f) Commercials in 3D?
2) Poor results... at least for me, the 3D effect comes and goes. I'm relating to the 3D shows at Disney... 15 minute show, and I could only track about 5 min of 3D, had 5 min of eye-splitting almost 3D effects, and about 5 minutes of alternating closing one eye at at time.
3) Limited gain in the viewing experience: "Oooh, I can totally tell that the guy at the top of my screen is farther away from me than the guy at the bottom... wow, following a football match is SO much easier this way!"
OTOH: 3D TV may open up a market for DVD/blueray/whatever releases of campy SiFi flick.
You can see where this is *really* leading, though: ANOTHER boxed set of remade Star Wars.
Re Geoff Hurst's goal in 3D
If they had 3D at the time it would have been immediately clear it was not, actually, a goal at all!
Reasons not to be cheerful...
You've got a good list of negatives there but you've missed the major one for many of us. There is no way for spectacle wearers to see with these things. Are we going to start carrying around special prescription versions of the glasses when we go round to a mate's?
silly specs
Lets just hope the glasses aren't being supplied by Sainsburys or it'll all be a waste of time.
