The End of ESPN D, the Future of the D Format
13/06/2013
But, at the end of this year, that era let's call it the first 3D-sports era in the U.S. will come to an end. There will be no 3D World Cup in 2014, at least not in the U.S. (FIFA has not decided whether it will offer a 3D feed, but ESPN's dropping out of the we are interested column definitely does not help another 3D World Cup become a reality). And a wealth of other sports Wimbledon, The Masters, college football's national championship, the X Games will also not be available in 3D.
When ESPN launched the 3D service, it seemed as if it would not be alone in its commitment to the cause. Sony was on board as a partner, sponsoring the channel. And Panasonic and DIRECTV had a similar arrangement for a channel, with the former doubling down and sponsoring the US Open tennis tournament in 3D as well. Fox Sports delivered a 3D broadcast of the National Football Championship Game from Miami. Fox also delivered the MLB All-Star Game in 3D, and the YES Network did the same for a Yankees-Mariners baseball game. CBS broadcast the NCAA Final Four men's tournament to theaters around the country in 3D. The Masters also received the 3D treatment. Even the NFL dabbled in a 3D theater broadcast. And, of course, all those events were simply catching up to the NBA, which had been working in 3D since 2007. And then there were the London 2012 Olympics and countless other sports events produced in 3D around the globe.
But, with ESPN's announcement that its 3D channel will end broadcasts at the end of this year, the 3D format seems officially headed into hibernation mode, at least among U.S. broadcasters. The 3D format will, however, still have a presence in video-on-demand services, Blu-ray, and theaters.
Producing content in 3D was never easy, especially in 2010-11. The 3D camera rigs and the quality-control equipment were still in their infancy.
Since those early days, the efforts of ESPN, BskyB, and CBS with technology partners CAMERON PACE Group (CPG) and 3ality Technica have continually improved the 3D production process. And the uncompressed 3D images in the production truck? They were always stunning, comfortable, and compelling, regardless of the event. Even the very first event, the 2010 World Cup, saw improvement from the first match to the last. There was little doubt that positive developments related to 3D production tools were directly correlated to the number of events being produced in 3D.
Of course, many involved in live sports production are probably sleeping a bit easier: 3D broadcasts are difficult, time-consuming, and often simply layered on top of HD duties. And then there is 4K, the new darling of the consumer-electronics industry. The 4K-marketing dollars will soon begin flowing to make 4K sports productions a reality, much the way 3D-marketing dollars flowed to sports productions (and ESPN) three years ago.
In the coming days, there will no doubt be articles about ESPN's decision and whether it means the death of 3D. There will be discussions about why 3D failed. Topping the list of reasons? The glasses.
The glasses problem turned out to be about much more than their use in the living room. The need for glasses greatly inhibited the ability of consumer-electronics showrooms to properly demonstrate 3D to the public.
First, the need for active glasses led most 3D displays to require consumers to look through a pair of 3D glasses mounted atop an adjustable pole so that it could be raised and lowered to suit the viewer's height. Of course, many of those poles often had no glasses, which had been stolen. And, even if there was a pair of glasses, one could not help thinking that sticking your nose into a pair of glasses sitting in a showroom was about as sanitary as licking the buttons on an elevator. Trying out consumer electronics should never make you wonder whether you've recently had a tetanus shot.
So consumers never had a chance to really experience the 3D-viewing experience.
A bigger problem faced consumers even if they did decide to partake of 3D broadcasts: lousy resolution. The 3D channels are sent over the same bandwidth as an HD channel. Because the left- and right-eye signals (or top and bottom) share the same bandwidth, resolution is effectively cut in half, making consumers choose between an HD 2D experience or an SD 3D one. And that makes the 3D experience sometimes seem as much a step back as a step forward.
Lack of Marketing Cohesion
As if the retail 3D experience were not bad enough to discourage consumers from buying into 3D, there was also marketing confusion and a lack of cohesion. First, unlike HD, 3D never had a chance to become a marketing tool for satellite, cable, and telco operators to use against each other.
When DIRECTV began delivering dozens of HD channels, it turned up the competitive pressure on cable operators to respond in kind. And both offered broadcast and cable networks a reason to launch HD services. When DIRECTV launched its 3D services, cable operators simply launched 3D VOD services and called it a day. As a result, 3D never became a buzz.
Another problem was having companies like Sony and Panasonic sponsor channels. True, it gave ESPN 3D the financial gas to be a reality. Ditto for DIRECTV's 3D channel. But it led to issues that, ultimately, stymied the popularity of 3D, siphoning away money that could have ensured that the nation's biggest sports events were delivered in 3D, regardless of which network carried the event.
Will 3D Go Away?
The irony of the current situation is that a good porti
LINK: | http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2013/06/13/the-end-of-espn-3d-the-fut... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
15/05/2024
UKTV Ventures partners with The Farewell Guide in 1million airtime-for-equity deal
12th March 2024 - Award-winning broadcaster UKTV has today announced it has inve...
15/05/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Jianjie Lin, the Writer-Director Behind Brief History of a Family
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
15/05/2024
De viktigaste insikterna frn Spotifys rliga Loud & Clear-rapport
Med sin rliga royaltyrapport Loud & Clear kar Spotify transparensen i musikindustrin, s att artister, l tskrivare, fans och hela musikbranschen f r en st rre...
15/05/2024
Chegaram as ltimas estatsticas: Artistas brasileiros geraram mais receita e alcanaram mais fs no Spotify - basta perguntar Anitta
Nos ltimos 10 a 15 anos, a mudan a para o streaming de udio transformou comple...
15/05/2024
The Latest Stats Are In: Brazilian Artists Generated More Revenue and Reached More Fans on Spotify-Just Ask Anitta
Over the last 10-15 years, the move toward streaming audio has completely transf...
15/05/2024
Celebrating 80 years of success in Morganton
On May 15th, we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the SGL Carbon site in Morganton, North Carolina. The entire SGL Morganton family came together to celebrate t...
15/05/2024
SBS Audio marketing campaign tells the stories of new Australians, with multilingual content offerings to assist migrants
SBS Audio marketing campaign tells the stories of new Australians, with multilin...
15/05/2024
ST Engineering iDirect's SKYflow Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of The Year Award
The pioneering satellite OTT solution clinched the Hardware Infrastructure award...
15/05/2024
L3Harris CEO to Present at Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference
MELBOURNE, Fla., May 15, 2024 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik will present at the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions C...
15/05/2024
Netflix to Stream Live Christmas Day NFL Games
In a major example of how large streaming services are successfully battling for lucrative sports rights, Netflix has announced that it has secured global right...
15/05/2024
NAB Show: Creative Lens on Live Sports
LAS VEGAS The premise of the 2024 NAB Shows Creative Lens on Live Sports: Next Gen Video Production and Fan Experiences session was very simple to understand if...
15/05/2024
ATEME Integrates Advanced HDR by Technicolor into TITAN Encoders
SILVER SPRINGS, Md. Encoder specialist ATEME has integrated Advanced HDR by Technicolor into its TITAN video compression solution, Technicolor said today....
15/05/2024
Berklee Artists to Perform at Major US Music Festivals this Summer and Fall
Berklee Artists to Perform at Major US Music Festivals this Summer and Fall The Berklee Popular Music Institute arranged placements at top festivals including...
15/05/2024
ABC Sets The Golden Bachelorette' for Fall Schedule
ABC shared its 2024-2025 fall schedule hours before the Disney upfront presentation Tuesday, May 14. There's The Golden Bachelorette, a new Ryan Murphy show...
15/05/2024
Alicia Keys Kicks Off Amazon Upfront Show, Reese Witherspoon Wraps It Up
Amazon's first-ever upfront presentation, at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan, got a late start due to its remote location. But the energy spiked when Alicia Keys...
15/05/2024
Disney Upfront Welcomes Back Bob Iger and Jimmy Kimmel
The Walt Disney Co.'s upfront presentation went on with a connections theme, and Bob Iger himself appeared onstage moments after it began. Emma Stone introd...
15/05/2024
Hulu's Under the Bridge' Tops TVision Power Score Rankings
Hulu's Under the Bridge moved up to take the top spot in TVision's Power Score rankings of the top shows on connected TV for the week of May 6....
15/05/2024
The CW Gets Rights to 11 PAC-12 Football Games
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network has announced it will be the broadcast home for 11 Pac-12 football games featuring Oregon State and Washington State during the u...
15/05/2024
Nielsen: Disney Is Top Media Distributor with 11.5% of TV Usage
NEW YORK Disney has landed on top of Nielsens newly launched Media Distributor Gauge, which offers its first cross-platform view of total TV consumption across ...
15/05/2024
Max Sets a May 21 Streaming Debut for 'Dune: Part Two
Warner Bros. Discoverys Max streaming services has finally set a launch date for Dune: Part Two with the announcement that the film will begin streaming on Thur...
15/05/2024
FCC Establishes Spectrum Steering Team
WASHINGTON, D.C. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced the establishment of the Spectrum Steering Team that will lead the FCC's efforts to develo...
15/05/2024
Gary Heelas joins TSL as principal engineer
TSL said the appointment marks a strategic enhancement in the companys commitment to focusing on UK and US-designed and manufactured solutions By Jenny Priestl...
15/05/2024
Is Sony about to pull out of its bid for Paramount?
Sony and Apollo may decide to acquire Shari Redstone's National Amusements, which is the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global By Jenny Priestley P...
15/05/2024
Presteigne Broadcast Hire enters administration
The company appointed administrators yesterday (May 14th) By Jenny Priestley Published: May 15, 2024 The company appointed administrators yesterday (May 1...
15/05/2024
Matrox Video Demos at InfoComm 2024 Will Showcase New AVo...
Technology innovator Matrox Video today announced that the company will highlight its leading AV-over-IP (AVoIP) technologies including the brand-new, next-g...
15/05/2024
RMi Amplifies Connectivity and Clarity at Major 2024 Musi...
Riedel Communications today announced its pivotal role in bringing unparalleled audio clarity and connectivity to one of the U.S.'s biggest 2024 music and a...
15/05/2024
Chyron Unveils Significant Updates to Chyron LIVE Cloud P...
Chyron today released a series of significant updates to its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production platform that were demonstrated at the 2024 NAB Show in La...
15/05/2024
VisualOn to Showcase Revolutionary Optimizer Content-Awar...
VisualOn, a leader in video software technology, is set to unveil its groundbreaking Optimizer suite at Broadcast Asia 2024. The unveiling will take place in th...
15/05/2024
StreamVue announce exclusive parnership with DigiBox
StreamVue, one of the global leaders in IPTV and digital signage solutions is excited to announce an exclusive distribution partnership with DigiBox, one of the...
15/05/2024
Vega Project Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow for XR Studio in Hilton Tokyo
Vega Project Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow for XR Studio in Hilton Tokyo Brie Clayton May 14, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design announced today that...
15/05/2024
Chaos Releases V-Ray 6 Benchmark
Chaos Releases V-Ray 6 Benchmark Brie Clayton May 14, 2024 0 Comments Popular Rendering Benchmark Brings Back CPU/GPU Stats in a Minute; New Benchmark...
15/05/2024
Rose City Futsal Sets New Standard for Community Sports Venues with AI-Automated Sports Production & Streaming Solution
Rose City Futsal Sets New Standard for Community Sports Venues with AI-Automated...
15/05/2024
That Station Artist Notes Series Returns This Summer
Artist Notes is back! Join That Station this summer for the conversation and concert series where you get to hear an artist on stage to not only play music, but...
15/05/2024
Assembling Disney's Upfront: It Takes More Than Magic (Video)
A lot goes into making The Walt Disney Co.'s upfront presentation....
15/05/2024
Madhive Names Premion Founder Jim Wilson President
Madhive, which provides technology for local connected TV advertising, said that it named Jim Wilson as president....
15/05/2024
Amazon Prime Video Swings With Nicholas Cage Spider-Man Series
At its first upfront presentation to advertisers, Amazon Prime Video announced new series and renewed some of its hits....
15/05/2024
Nielsen Crowns Disney in New Ranking of Media Distributors
Nielsen released a new ranking of companies in the media distribution business, including broadcast, cable and streaming, and The Walt Disney Co. was at the top...
15/05/2024
Latin Culture Is Key at TelevisaUnivision Upfront
TelevisaUnivision told advertisers at its upfront presentation Tuesday about more ways they can connect with Latin culture, including through music and live eve...
15/05/2024
VEON Publishes Annual Corporate Governance Report for Financial Year 2023
15 May 2024 VEON Publishes Annual Corporate Governance Report for Financial Year 2023 Amsterdam, 15 May 2024 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEO...
15/05/2024
VEON and Beeline Kazakhstan Partner with GSMA and Barcelona Supercomputing Centre to Support Use of AI in Local Languages
15 May 2024 VEON and Beeline Kazakhstan Partner with GSMA and Barcelona Superco...
15/05/2024
TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND CHANEL HOST THROUGH HER LENS CONVERSATION, JUNE 7 AT CROSBY HOTEL
May 15th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND CHANEL HOST...
15/05/2024
Thuraya unveils groundbreaking next generation IP NEO terminal developed in collaboration with Cobham Satcom
Abu Dhabi, 15 May, 2024 : IP NEO is a Thuraya 4-ready lightweight portable sate...
15/05/2024
Thuraya unveils groundbreaking next generation IP NEO terminal developed in collaboration ...
Abu Dhabi, 15 May, 2024 : IP NEO is a Thuraya 4-ready lightweight portable sate...
15/05/2024
MAGYAR TELEKOM RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024
MAGYAR TELEKOM RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024 Budapest, May 15, 2024 17:35 Magyar Telekom today reported its consolidated financial results for the...
15/05/2024
Tech Focus: Production Music, Part 1: Changes Come to the Sports Sector
Tech Focus: Production Music, Part 1: Changes Come to the Sports Sector Spurring the changes are increased custom-music demand, RSN turmoil, legal issues, AI B...
15/05/2024
SVG Sit-Down: Diversified's Justo Gutierrez Explores the Evolution of Sound for Sports Venues
SVG Sit-Down: Diversified's Justo Gutierrez Explores the Evolution of Sound ...
15/05/2024
SVG Sit-Down: Audiotonix' CEO James Gordon on Utilizing the Company's Brands for Smart Investment
New deal: Audiotonix' CEO James Gordon on utilising the company's brands...
15/05/2024
Commentary Revolution: DAZN's Technical Production Manager Max Mosgraber Talks Doing More With Less
Commentary revolution: DAZN's technical production manager Max Mosgraber tal...