ESPN adds 3-D to its World Cup offerings
The game opener, South Africa versus Mexico, is scheduled to kick off the 3-D Network, which will televise up to 25 soccer matches.
ESPN launches its 3-D network Friday with the first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition as host nation South Africa plays Mexico in Johannesburg. The network plans to carry up to 25 soccer matches in 3-D, which lends heightened realism to televised coverage of sporting events.
"When a player scores a goal and runs off to the side, pulling off his shirt and waving it, you'll see the depth of field behind him," said Jonathan Pannaman, ESPN's senior director of technology.
To be sure, the audience for the inaugural 3-D telecast will be limited. Fewer than 1 million sets in the U.S. are capable of displaying these newly dimensionalized images — which can be seen only with the aid of special glasses — out of 110 million households, according to the Consumer Electronics Assn.. And even this new generation of TVs requires a source for the 3-D signal, such as satellite service DirecTV or, on the East Coast, cable operator Comcast Corp.
Still, consumers are showing a growing appreciation for 3-D as more and more people experience it in theaters. About 1 in 4 adults online said they had watched a 3-D movie in the last year — and 40% said they preferred it over flat 2-D renditions of movie and television shows, according to a study conducted by the Entertainment and Technology Center at the University of Southern California for the electronics trade group.
ESPN has been tinkering with the technology for more than two years before deciding it was ready for prime time. It will be showcased as part of the network's extensive World Cup coverage in conjunction with sister network ABC, which contemplates carrying all 60 games live with expert commentators.
Kevin Stolworthy, ESPN's senior vice president of technology, said the network is still learning how best to take advantage of 3-D in a way that enhances the experience — and avoids projectiles-into-the-eyes gimmickry. "The goal will be to immerse you in the sport, to give you a seat at the stadium," Stolworthy said. "We're not going to do as much reaching out of the screen to you."
FIFA, soccer's international governing body, will provide the World Cup soccer feed in 3-D using specially equipped cameras. But over the course of the year, ESPN plans to cover at least 60 additional live sporting events — including the X Games, the 2010 college football ACC Championship and college basketball and NBA games. Other networks, including Discovery, are also preparing to use the new technology.
These 3-D broadcasts are likely to feature fewer quick cuts to capture the action. Instead, cameras will be positioned to capture the entire field of play — an approach that exploits the technology's ability to simulate depth, making the field appear to extend into the television screen. Similarly, there will be fewer close-ups because the image flattens.
The number of graphics will be dramatically reduced as ESPN figures out how to position the graphics against the action on the field. "You're going to see more change as we evolve over the year," Stolworthy said.
When Landon Donovan scores a goal for team U.S.A. (he will, right?), World Cup soccer fans watching from their living rooms will have the chance to experience the moment in a new way — in 3-D.
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