Sky 3D football broadcast makes television history

Sky Sports made television history by becoming the first in the world to broadcast a live football match in 3D.

A selection of media, fans and industry executives were treated to Man Utd’s 3-1 win over Arsenal in full 3D at the Emirates Stadium and at nine secret pubs dotted around the UK all of which had been specially fitted with 3D ready TVs.

The broadcast served as a taster of what’s to come when Sky launches its 3D service in April. The company intends to deliver at least one Premier League match per week via 3D at no extra cost to viewers who already pick up their HD service – provided of course they’re watching on a 3D TV set.

The Arsenal fans among the lucky viewers will clearly have been disappointed at the game’s final outcome as two remarkable goals settled the game in Man Utd’s favour. An exquisite piece of skill from Nani jinking through two Arsenal defenders and a brilliant counter attacking goal finished off with a wonderful first time strike by Rooney put the Champions two up in the first half and all but ended the tie.

But while the Premier League’s top teams ensured there was ample flare on the pitch for such an occasion, the real question on the amassed tech journalists’ minds was whether watching the action in 3D would have enough wow factor to really make the 3D bug spread.

With the big brands all launching 3D ranges over the coming months, the success of content from providers like Sky, will be extremely important in driving the uptake of the new technology.

T3 First Look: The early Sky 3D verdict
“People feel they can now sit in their own homes and view things in a way they could only do if they came to the stadium themselves,” said Darren Long, Sky Sports director of Operations.

That’s a bold claim, and one that I went into this match hoping Sky could live up to. There’s been an awful lot of scepticism among the tech media and the general public about the power of 3D. From the anti-specs brigade to question over the ability to capture all the angles of a football match, the industry has a big job to do to convince people they need to own a 3D TV to get the ultimate experience. I come from a more optimistic position where I really want it to work.

Avatar has helped demonstrate the value of 3D, banishing green and red paper specs to the past and demonstrating that 3D can wow. I felt like I needed Sky’s historic football experience to do the same. I wanted to literally feel like they could put 3D in your face and make it impossible to ignore. Sadly, on first viewing I don’t think they’ve managed that.
Sat inside at the Emirates the overall the 3D experience wasn’t bad it just wasn’t brilliant. And I think brilliant is what is needed to make this a success.

The early close ups of the teams lining up and Sky’s excellent graphics suggested real promise. But once the game was underway you couldn’t help but feel like the majority of the action was a bit flat, almost like the 3D effect had been toned down.

The really jaw-dropping, in-your-face shots that we’ve been treated to in the promotional footage seemed to be missing. Some of the best 3D moments included the view from behind the goal as Van der Saar and Almunia punted the ball up field but let’s face it, goal kicks are just about the most boring part of football and it didn’t really add that much value to the viewing experience.

I had been expecting a lot more in terms of clever camera angles on corners, throw ins and substitutions. Cameras fixed on Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in ways that really take you close to the dug outs, but that wasn’t there.

It didn’t make for bad watch, far from it – in general the 3D effect added depth to the picture – but if you’re expecting Rooney bullets to be rushing toward your head then you’re going to be disappointed.

But let’s be fair, it is still early days. With around 20 cameras shooting the match in 2D and less than half that number capturing the 3D action, it’s not surprising there are gaps. I’m staying optimistic at this point. If Sky can build on this starting point then there’s definitely something there but on today’s viewing I’m not about to rush out and buy a 3D TV just yet.

Source: T3