After BCS championship, is 3-D broadcast technology coming to a theater near you?

Cheerleaders look better in 3-D.

Injuries look worse.

Bell-ringing collisions? They have a little more ring-a-ding-ding.

But if Thursday's screening of the BCS National Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma was any indication, 3-D sports broadcast technology is not ready for prime time.

81 movie theaters in 35 states broadcast a special version of Florida's 24-14 victory over Oklahoma to audiences wearing traditional 3-D glasses. It was the first public broadcast of a live sporting event using the technology.

In Los Angeles, the BCS game was shown at the world-famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre, adjacent to a more traditional movie premiere. The telecast was coordinated with Fox, but effectively independent of the feed that was seen in living rooms and sports bars across America. That meant a separate set of cameras, separate announcers, separate graphics, separate stats and no sideline reporters to ask for a dance.

It took a few minutes to adjust to the view, and some of the pregame shots of Bob Stoops and the Sooner sideline looked flat. Then a Gator walked across my lap.

That was the "wow" moment that organizers had obviously been hoping for.

Early in the game, a pair of brutal tackles drew loud reactions from the crowd. The hits were stunning in 3-D. Combined with booming theater sound and a live audience to share the experience with, it was a promising start.

Unfortunately, the cameras would periodically go out of focus, resulting in nauseated groans and forcing some people to rip their glasses off. A handful of fans left early, though most stayed through the entire game. Even when the cameras appeared in focus, it was difficult to read the graphics. There was no magic yellow line, which would have been useful because the 3-D image sometimes made it hard to figure out distance. A game clock was conspicuously absent during important moments.

Broadcasters Kenny Albert and Tim Ryan did their best Huell Howser impersonation and took every opportunity to remind viewers that they were watching the game in 3-D (as if the funky glasses on your face weren't a good enough indicator). Their sycophantic praise for the 3-D images made it seem like they weren't actually watching the intermittently blurry broadcast, or somehow were watching a much cleaner feed. Their analysis was adequate, but they were clearly handcuffed by limited production support.

Speaking of limited support, there didn't appear to be as many camera angles as audiences are used to during big games. If there were, they must have taken a backseat to the positions claimed by the main broadcast. Granted, it's never easy figuring out what Tim Tebow does with the football, but the overall shot selection was disappointing.

The field frequently was shown from a camera on the sideline, as if the audience was looking over the shoulder of players on the bench. It was artistic, but impractical.

When the angles worked out, the view was exceptional. Wide shots of the stadium were dramatic. Closeups of Urban Meyer talking to Tim Tebow were intimate. Impact hits were just ... wow.

Look for this technology to grow in the coming months. Mark Cuban is an investor, and he knows a little about sports and technology. The NBA All-Star weekend (mid-February) will have some events broadcast in 3-D, and even before that you can expect to see live concerts shared in theaters around the country. Live 3-D broadcasts are clearly a difficult undertaking, but they could be a great entertainment experience as organizers learn from these initial glitches.

As for the buzz, I hear that the NFL had a memorable experiment with 3-D broadcast. I hear that basketball looks great in 3-D. I hear there's quite a future in this technology.

We'll see.

-- Adam Rose

Photos from the Las Vegas 3D screening of the BCS National Championship Game. Credit: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Comments

[SoonerGrad]

I attended one of these screenings, and it sucked. They have a lot of work to do before I spend my money on a live 3D event again. We missed about 25% of the plays, several of which were critical to the game, because the camera either didn't follow the ball or wasn't filming the play at all. The "out of focus" instances were very annoying...like crossing your eyes.

I can definitely see the potential, but for the price paid for the tickets ($16), they have a long ways to go...