Late last year, FIFA and Sony announced that a limited number of games of the World Cup would be broadcast in 3D for those with compatible Sony equipment, in a limited number of countries (But not in the US… Huh?). My thought at the time was that enough people in the U.S. watch soccer (The WC is on ESPN after all) and enough people would want to tune in just to check out the 3D. It seemed like a strange decision to not air the games in 3D here.
Well now, it appears ESPN has decided to bring the World Cup in 3D to America after all. This June, ESPN will launch “ESPN 3D” a new network broadcast 24/7 in 3D. They also plan to show the Summer X Games among other sports. As of now, I’ve only seen Direct TV as carrying this at launch, but we will see if any other carriers jump on before the World Cup.
What also remains unclear is what technology they will use. There are several out there from standard polarized glasses, to shutter lenses, to split signal for special screens. This (as well as Sony’s involvement) should be revealed more clearly at a later time.
WSJ Article with hints of Sony 3D Tech
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Admit that this would be cool and kind of goofy, but how will they get this done and new technology to market in just 5 months? Seems a bit late to get any traction to me. I’d rather be watching the games down the pub anyway.
@agillette
Yeah. That seems to be a serious catch. Not only will you need a special TV, but you will also need special glasses. Not much fun if you plan to have a few people over for the matches. At this point, it really isn’t much more than a novelty for those ready to plunk down a lot of cash.
Now, once they come up with 3DTV’s that don’t require glasses, then you’re talking. I’ve seen a glasses-less 3D video monitor before.
I think this is freakin’ awesome. I just like the idea of it, not sure how the actual execution would go.
But I am having visions of pubs full of people with 3D glasses on, beer spilling everywhere…
Hi John – good work. Hope this goes well for you!