Audio Video News

Already bored with your Sunday football game in HD? Ready to turn it up a notch? Ready to turn it up 3 notches? Are you ready for some 3-D football? Lucky industry insiders in LA, NY, and Boston will get an interesting opportunity to check out next Sunday's game between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders at local 3-D theaters. Not the most exciting lineup, but hey, it's in 3-D!  That's got to add a lot to the game.

This is being called a "proof of concept" by the NFL, wanting to get the idea out to the industry to see how much interest there is. Previous attempts at 3-D football were successful, but this will be the first live feed.

See who's invited to the event.

Unfortunately for you and me, this live game will be closed to the public. However, NFL broadcast partners and representatives from consumer-electronics companies will be on the invite list. Who can we ask for passes?

3ality Digital will be shooting the game with their special 3-D cameras, Thomson's Technicolor Digital Cinema will provide the satellite services and Real D 3D Inc., who already has 3-D in 1,500 theaters worldwide will be the theaters used for this "proof of concept" event. There will also be some TV sets on display at the theaters, technical standards for 3-D are still under development, so a 3-D TV you buy today might not be compatible in the future. Yuck.

3-D theaterical screenings have been attempted before with opera performances. Not sure how thrilling an opera would be in 3-D, but capturing the excitement of an NFL game in 3-D might be what it takes to push 3-D into the mainstream. —Leslie Shapiro

The Wall Street Journal