In Depth: The A to Z of 3D TV sport:[/
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ThE MaStEr
2010-09-28
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In Depth: The A to Z of 3D TV sport:
What looks great and what falls flatSport is expected to be a major driver of 3D take-up, why else would Sky have invested so much in to its 3D football matches at numerous UK pubs?
Sport events create exactly the kind of buzz that 3D will thrive on. You get to witness all the excitement and tension of an event without having to endure poor weather, extortionate prices and a nightmare journey home.
It's not exactly the same as being there – we'll have to wait a few years till holographic 3D arrives for that level of experience – but watching sport in 3D is pretty amazing.
However, the technology is young and TV sport producers are still honing their 3D skills. It's also already clear that while 3D really works for some sports, others have not fulfilled their potential and fall a little flat - literally and emotionally.
So which sports do we think are made for 3D and which aren't?
American Football
This is expected to be one of the main attractions stateside beginning with regular weekly college football on ESPN 3D. Sports Illustrated has given 3D football the thumbs up, saying "Watching in 3-D, I saw what the players on the field and the fans sitting directly behind the goalpost had seen that night. The game-winning kick hooked in by mere inches, and just in time.
Had it waited another millisecond to turn, it would have hit off the upright." With the cameras in the right place we can feel the pain of the quarterback being jumped on by a linebacker.
3D rating: 4/5
Archery
Hardly the most exciting of events it's nonetheless bound to feature in the 2012 Olympics on the red button. If any cameraman were brave enough to lineup behind the target things might get quite spicy but those arrows are too thin and move too fast to serve up anything meaningful other than a headache.
3D rating: 1/5
Athletics
The UK will have whipped itself up in to a running frenzy by the time August 2012 arrives along with a rather important 'meet' in east London. The BBC has said it will film a lot of the Olympics in 3D. Those wonderful 110m hurdles side-tracking shots won't come off as 3D doesn't look so good side-on but we reckon there should be some corking moments such as Usain Bolt's knees thrusting into your sitting room or Phillips Idowu spring-boarding through the screen to end up in your lap. You might find yourself reaching down to pick up the baton that's landed at your toes after a disastrous relay hand-over.
3D rating: 3/5
Baseball
Another sport that's a sure-fire winner for American networks. Plenty of scope for the diamond to cut its way into your living room and you'll wince as the camera shows the catcher's POV as the bat swings back or the ball hurtles towards you.
Bound to offer some great crowd shots too when a home run fires in to the bleachers.
3D rating: 4/5
Basketball
Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples says that 3-D makes it feel as if you're stood on the court during a game. He recalls "When Globetrotter Kevin Daley jabbed his index finger as he addressed the crowd, I jumped out of the way to avoid getting poked." Players tussling might not add much but the big ball is ideal for 3D and should guarantee some wonderful aerial shots.
3D rating: 4/5
Boxing
Imagine sparring with Floyd Mayweather in your own living room without suffering any resultant bruises from the inevitable pounding. 3D boxing can't quite deliver that but as early Sky experiments have shown you get to really enjoy a virtual ringside experience as every punch, duck and swerve swoop through the screen. You may even need a brolly as a blood and sweat shield.
3D rating: 5/5
Bowls
Britain's most sedate sport is strangely compelling in 2D and a natural for 3D given that the cameras are naturally positioned at either end of the green. Side-on shots of the bowlers on bended knee won't offer much though.
3D rating: 3/5
Cricket
Sky will be showing its first live cricket match soon on its 3D channel. It'll be an interesting experiment as the sport is well suited to 3D with its natural viewpoint over the bowler's arm. Some of the wider shots might fall a bit flat but a lot of the pleasure in watching cricket comes from the slow-motion close-ups of great batting, bowling and fielding and these should all deliver the 3D goods with ease.
3D rating 4/5
Cycling
Following pedaling maniacs across the Alps could produce all sorts of weird effects - quick moving cameras are bad news for 3D but velodrome action could work well. The sight of Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and co sweeping round the bends, coming out of the screen and then deep in to it will be as effective as the side-view of the finishing line will look dead flat.
3D rating: 3/5
Darts
For atmosphere you'd be hard pressed to beat the experience of sitting in the crowd at the Lakeside. As you'd discover, it's not about the view, it's the frenzy. A 3D view behind Phil 'the Power' Taylor's elbow on the oché would be fun, and the dartboard close-up would be just like being in the pub.
3D rating: 3/5
Diving
The overhead shot at the beginning aside, we just can't see diving benefitting much from 3D. It all happens too quickly in a flatish plane with nothing coming towards or away
3D rating: 1/5
Golf
Ever wanted to stand behind Tiger Woods teeing off at St Andrew's or whisper in Lee Westwood's ear as he putts the winning shot at the Ryder Cup? We reckon the 3D experience would be highly effective, probably not any better at seeing a driven ball when the camera tilts and pans but it would transport you to some of the most beautiful sporting scenery on the planet.
3D rating: 4/5
Gymnastics
If ever there was a sport that screamed 3D it has to be gymnastics. The various disciplines - floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar - all require graceful, co-ordinated movement in three dimensions. Somersaulting, twisting and leaping on the floor could look especially amazing but the cameras would have to be careful not to move quickly. And no zooming - that is a headache waiting to happen.
3D rating: 5/5
Football
Despite being the fans' favourite in boozers across the land, football is not the perfect 3D fit you might have been led to believe it is. The natural side-on view doesn't add much extra depth. Matters improve when the camera is placed behind the goal in terms of seeing the players but strangely the most compelling shots seem to be of the crowd.
As with all sports where the onscreen logo and score banner are placed has a strong influence on the depth of the image and these can be highly distracting when they stick out too much. Sky is working on it.
3D rating: 3/5
F1
It seems certain that Formula 1 will be seen in 3D fairly soon, possibly in cinemas only though. Daniel Webber, MD of SuperVision Media who nabbed the rights to show the World Cup in 3D recently told 3D Radar: "We think there's tremendous opportunities with sport and 3D on the big screen. It lends itself so well. We're now actively looking for other sports to trial, including F1." The scope for excitement is endless with cameras placed trackside, in the pits and on the cars. Overtaking manoeuvres could look sensational as you get to witness the thrills and fear of being an F1 driver for yourself from the safety of your sofa.
3D rating: 5/5
Horse racing
The drama of the Grand National magnified ten-fold. That would be the result of a 3D day at Aintree with some clever camera placement and a herd (yes, that is the right collective noun) of horses hurdling the famous fences at a hundred miles an hour. An angled tracking shot in the home straight with the animals in full pelt and the jockey going bananas to get your 80-1 sweepstake across the line would be pretty stunning too.
3D rating: 4/5
Hockey and Ice Hockey
We could even include polo with this pair - essentially two teams using sticks to hit a ball or puck. Similar rules apply as with watching football and rugby where too much side-on action wouldn't do a lot to excite the old 3D specs. There's also the problem of a rapidly moving small object that would be very hard to follow in 3D as the brain needs more time to process what's happening.
3D rating: 2/5
Luge
In some respects this could be the most exciting 3D experience of the lot. Imagine the sled smashing through the screen, scattering ice all over the living room carpet as you cower behind the sofa. Trouble is the damn things move so quickly that your eyes wouldn't be able to handle the dimensional journey - however if it was processed so that the sled travelled away from the screen into the TV or came from within, moving towards the plane of the screen the visual experience would be a lot easier to handle.
3D rating: 4/5
Rowing
The problem with rowing is that you really need to be alongside the boats to appreciate the relative positions of each crew and this view wouldn't do a lot for the 3D experience.
3D rating: 1/5
Rugby
Sky's already taken up the 3D mantle with live broadcasts to pubs and cinemas and plans to feature rugby on its 3D channel in the autumn. Like football, the best scenes work when the camera isn't side-on but placed at the ends with players coming towards your point of view. You also get some tasty scrum action that almost leaves you feeling winded whilst line-outs are great fun too.
3D rating: 4/5
Sailing
The big problem with sailing is that if you take away the commentators' voices it just looks like a few boats pootling around on the sea. Adding a third dimension won't do a lot to change that, especially with the broad overview shots that will still look flat but shooting plenty of close-up action with on-board cameras would transform the experience.
3D rating: 2/5
Skiing and ski jumping
Downhill skiing would be tremendously exciting in 3D but there may be problems if cameras are zoomed in too close to the skiers. Ski jumping offers great 3D potential as the jumpers move at a relatively slow speed and you could be offered a bird-eye view of the jumper's trajectory.
3D rating: 4/5
Snooker
The largely static nature and naturally deep viewpoint of snooker lends itself perfectly to 3D. Seeing the table stretch away in to the screen with the the potter's shoulder or elbow coming out of the screen would make a nice composition. It would be fun to see the balls heading towards your coffee table. There would be some good opportunities for crowd views too, recreating the atmosphere of the crucible in your home.
3D rating: 5/5
Squash
The ball is small and moves fast in squash, which makes it unsuited to 3D. However the placement of cameras in front and behind the players and their relatively fixed positions would create the on-court experience nicely.
3D rating: 2/5
Swimming
Swimming, like rowing, is best appreciated from the side of the pool, which isn't the best angle for 3D. The underwater shots of tumble turns and those that track the swimmers would be interesting if possibly a bit weird. Crowd shots would on the other hand be good as you really get to notice the individuals.
3D rating: 1/5
Table tennis
One of the best fits for 3D. The size of the table and the natural viewpoint behind the player's arm make an ideal basis for 3D. The producers could experiment with placing the net at the screen's plane so that half the table projected in to the TV and half out. Good crowd shot potential and great fun to be had with slow-mo close-ups of serves and returns.
3D rating: 5/5
Tennis
The French Open this year was shown in 3D by Eurosport. The strange thing about watching tennis in 3D when everything projects in to the screen is that although it's quite compelling you feel like you're Gulliver watching miniature people.
The ball and players move too quickly for the cameras to show outward-projecting action without giving you an unbelievable headache.
3D rating: 2/5
Wrestling
Pro wrestling, be it the WWE or TNA, has enormous potential for 3D broadcasting. The cameras could really convey the ring-side experience. A careening Hulk Hogan would threaten to leave an ugly orange smudge on your carpet and you'd virtually feel the bone-crunching effects of a John Cena 'attitude adjustment'. Ouch.
3D rating: 4/5
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