If you're a real football fan, the best place to watch a game is from the sidelines. I can not recommend this highly enough. It doesn't even have to be on the NFL (good luck with that, anyway) or college level; I've had the pleasure of watching more than a few games on the sidelines under the lesser brightness of the Friday night lights, and you see and hear things that give you a better insight and appreciation of the action. It's an incredible perspective.
But it does have its drawbacks compared to the normal experience. For one, depending on your locale, it's probably cold. You've got to stand the entire game. There's always the chance that the physicality gets a little close to you, such as the time a tight end got pushed out of bounds, but in to me, which, despite my valiant (yet inevitably hilarious) attempt at a stiff arm, sent me flying backwards. And there are no wings, potato skins, mozzarella sticks, or beverages. Oh, and no bathrooms.
But as I found out last night at a movie theater in Brooklyn, football in 3D is close to merging the best of both these worlds. But it's not quite there yet.
The Pavilion in Park Slope, Brooklyn last night had the buzz of an event. That's because a venue typically reserved for quiet and courtesy was handed over to college football fanaticism, one of over 80 theaters in the country broadcasting the BCS Championship Game using Cinedigm's 3D technology. This new wave is expected to transform sports fandom in a major way, beginning in 2011, when the NFL will be able to re-sculpt its broadcasting agreements to implement more of the potentially popular -- and lucrative -- technology.
Judging by last night's test run, it's got a shot. One of my reservations leading into the game was the atmosphere in the theater, a setup that doesn't exactly lend itself to active participation in the experience. But the crowd of about 100 was an even mix of Gator fans, Sooner fans, and curious bystanders, and the seating arrangement didn't keep anybody from cheering, standing for key plays, talking trash, or -- judging by the group of young men in blue and orange in front of me -- heavily pre-gaming with liquor. Some even stood for the national anthem.
We got our first taste of how effective the technology was before we saw a shot of the field, as pregame footage of Tim Tebow walking into the stadium was so lifelike I thought the big guy was coming to convert me personally. On field, a long line of military men was broadcast in remarkable depth, and Albert Gator's nose seemed almost to meet mine.
The broadcast was different from the one the nation at large watched, I'm guessing due to limitations in technology at the moment, but the experience was a better one for it. There was no constant scoreboard hovering in the corner or lower third, which was a tad disconcerting at first but then liberating (like forgetting your cell phone for a day). Ocassional down-and-distance and time updates were given along with the time, but the intuitive fan was able to focus more on the game without so many pesky graphic distractions (though when they were given they were spectacular; you could almost reach out and grab the numbers). The most enjoyable aspect was the lack of commercials -- there were a few cutaways to scenic Miami in 3D as well as spots custom created for the broadcast, but for the most part while the nation was on commercial break, the 3D viewers were watching field footage. Also, we were treated to Kenny Albert and Tim Ryan, which was probably a good thing.
That being said, the live action coverage needs some ironing out -- the cameras had trouble keeping up with the speed of the game, and the broadcast featured a lot of low-angled shots, meaning that while it felt like you were really on the field, you got the bad end of that too by missing a good view of plays on the near sideline, meaning plays like this early decleating had to be appreciated on replay. Also, there was an occasional issue with the feed that made everyone in the theater feel like we were having a brief, collective aneurysm, which is never a good thing to instill in paying customers (unless you're a raver).
But that replay. Wow. I'll forgive every minor transgression about last night's broadcast for those replays. Set from the point of view of the offensive and defensive backfields, the replays gave you a true sense of how plays develop. With the way the bodies were stacked and layered, you could see blocking assignments clear, zone defenses form, and routes develop. We've all heard the broadcasting cliche about a running back "getting to the second level." Well, with this technology, that second level is real, and you're on it.
Though I wouldn't necessarily make it a weekly habit, football in 3D has immense potential for fans looking for a new option with which to watch games communally, as well as for the NFL and whomever else to capitalize on a new source of broadcasting revenue. There are still improvements to be made in both technology and atmosphere (if a bar is ever able to broadcast like this, look out), but there's something special here. Judging by the way my fellow theater-goers oooooh'd and aaaaah'd throughout the night, I'd say it was the one thing everyone could agree on, allegiances aside.
BCS National Title Game
Once again, the ticker tape falls on the Florida Gators. For the second time in Urban Meyer's tenure, Florida is the national champion. But this came in an unexpected way, when two great offenses battled tooth and nail in a 24-14 heavyweight brawl.
J. Pat Carter, AP
And as always, it was Tim Tebow. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner rallied from a difficult first half to lead Florida to the second title of his career. Tebow passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 109, almost all in the second half as the Gators bashed their way to victory.
Pierre Ducharme, Reuters
The two teams entered averaging a combined 99 points per game, but both would be held to season lows in a game expected to be an offensive exhibition.
Donald Miralle, Getty Images
Oklahoma seized the defensive momentum early, when Nic Harris picked off Tebow on the Gators' first possession. Oklahoma would later complete a pass to Jermaine Gresham on the five-yard line, but a holding call returned the ball to midfield and eventually forced a punt.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
Last year's Big 12 defensive player of the year Gerald McCoy made the first half difficult for Tebow. The sophomore intercepted a pass, Tebow's second of the half, and generally kept the Gator quarterback off-balance in the backfield.
Pierre Ducharme, Reuters
Florida didn't breeze through Oklahoma's offensive line, but managed enough pressure on the Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. Bradford completed 26-of-41 passes, but had two interceptions when his passes were tipped by receivers.
Pierre Ducharme, Reuters
And there were Major highlights, as in Major Wright. The Florida cornerback laid a huge hit on Manuel Johnson on the Sooners' first possession and then intercepted a bobbled Bradford pass on the goal line with three seconds left in the first half, preserving a 7-7 tie.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
Percy Harvin said he was around 95 percent healthy for the BCS title game, but it's hard to imagine how he could've played even five percent better. Florida's speedster rushed for 122 yards, including a game-changing 52-yard blast on the first play after Oklahoma tied it in the fourth quarter.
Mark Humphrey, AP
Florida's defense had a flair for the dramatic. The Gators twice stopped the Sooners on the goal line, and, when Oklahoma was driving again in the fourth quarter with Florida up three, Ahmad Black made the play of the game, ripping a pass out of Juaquin Iglesias' hands and ending the Sooners' last credible threat.
Donald Miralle, Getty Images
This title wasn't nearly as easy as the Gators' first win under Urban Meyer, a 41-14 romp over Ohio State in 2006. Oklahoma held the Gators to 14 points through three quarters, but Florida broke out in the fourth quarter.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-09-2009 @ 1:03PM
heyjorge said...
The 3-D part was amazing because it made you feel like you were one of the players. The best part was their camera angles. Unlike traditional sports broadcasting shooting from top midfield, were low and close to the players.
It was fun to raise hell against the Oklahoma fans too, they all left the theater right before the game even ended.
They do need to fix many glitches though. Since the company hires their own commentators, graphics and camera people, they had cheesy Miami scenes instead of commercials, there was no scoreboard with time clock, downs, or the yellow highlight line to indicate first down, etc. so it was very hard to tell what down they were in. And the commentary was also somewhat amateurish, just talking about how great the technology was instead of focusing more on the game.
Overall, I'm glad I went, but next time I rather enjoy the game with great feast and friends, until this 3D company makes money and is able to be competitive enough with quality staff like broadcast TV.
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1-10-2009 @ 4:45PM
David said...
I general I agree with the review, but they need to refine the 3D camera controls. The problem mentioned above as a "bad feed" was actually the eye seperation suddenly becoming very large.
Because the eye seperation was not constant, another problem occured. As the view changed from one camera to another the eye seperation would be different. It would take a moment for my brain to adjust and for the image to come into focus.
1-09-2009 @ 2:20PM
eric chase said...
Ok, let me be totally honest - I didn't like it. I think every sports fan should still check it out though!
Let me qualify my dislike by saying I'm as hardcore as it gets when it comes to my sports. I'm the idiot who doesn't get out of his chair on Sundays because I've got a laptop with 6 windows of football open, I'm watching my phone for updates, and oh yeah, I'm flipping back and forth between to games. Needless to say I'm enamored with information. It's my job, it's my life, and I know I'm FAR from being a typical sports fan.
That's where the game lacked for me. The predominant camera angle was too low, so it was difficult to watch the play develop. And when a play came to the near sideline, because the camera was too low, the players on the bench blocked your viewpoint. Much like in hockey when you lose sight of the puck in a near corner.
Also, it's the fault of today's advanced technology, but you don't know how much you miss the yellow line (not official! lol), the down and distance and frequent statistical updates, until they're not there! There was multiple times I didn't know how much time was left in the period, which had to be terribly frustrating for even the most casual of fans. I could also tell the Albert and Ryan were a bit out of their element. They're a solid crew, however they're NFL guys who seemed a bit underprepared, overused cliches and without much on screen stat info to banter about, it was practically a marathon broadcast for them with rarely a commercial break. Too often, usually during timeouts, there was NOTHING going on. I never realized how boring an inaudible team huddle during a TV timeout could be until last night - the non action actually made me long for a SAVED BY ZERO of FIVE DOLLAR FOOT LONG commercial.
Visually speaking I get that the 3D technology has rolled out REALLY fast, and there will be some tweaks as we go along until the science is perfected. During the play, some camera changes were headache inducing, and for half of the first half we had to flip our glasses upside down - some guy in the audience figured that out before the usher mentioned it. Eventually we were told that Fox had fixed the problem.
The two things that blew me away were some of the set, steady camera shots. The people in the foreground, on the bottom of the screen, looked outstanding! As did graphics (which I'm sure is easier than live action to incorporate into 3D), like the starting lineups and stats...which I wanted to reach up and touch, because they seemed so close.
Because it was my first time I kinda wished it was a game of less magnitude so I wouldn't have been as nitpicky about the issues in the paragraphs above. But my expectations were probably too high to begin with. Thanks to last night I'm probably more likely to go see a 3D movie, but my sports viewing, at least for MAJOR events will probably be put off awhile, however I'm definitely thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of last night's very exclusive experience!
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1-09-2009 @ 6:51PM
Richard said...
I am a FSU Seminole fan to the core! I love Tim Tebo an approve of the message on his face! Turn off your TV if you don't like it! I do hope he goes PRO...I dont like getting beat by the Gators!! GO NOLES...Way to go TEBO !!!
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1-09-2009 @ 9:48PM
Jamie Cox said...
I saw the 3D broadcast in Viera, Florida. It was a technical disaster. To start with, they had the left and right projectors swapped, so the whole theater had to wear their 3D glasses upside down to see the 3D effect properly. It went down from there. The broadcast suffered from focus problems, perspective problems (varying strength of the 3d effect), dirty lenses, poor camera angles, glare, dim image, muddy sound and a low refresh rate. Also the directors loved to change camera angles right before the snap, which is very distracting. Definitely not ready for prime time. Sony, Fox, Cinedigm, the Rave Theater and anyone else involved in this should be ashamed.
Our view of many plays were blocked by people's heads, either players standing on the sidelines, or photographers, or just people wandering around. We left at halftime, and went home and watched the rest of the game on TV.
On the plus side: The 3D effect was good and during some of the better moments, the 3D, plus the large screen gave a great sense of presence to events on the field.
I agree that it was great to have the video of the game presented with absolutely NO graphics overlaid on the screen. They had the capability which they used occasionally, but during plays they didn't have a logo, clock, yards-to-go or any of that other junk the networks clutter up our screens with. This part they got right.
Anyway, great game, and go Gators! Another Championship.
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1-10-2009 @ 1:07PM
sam said...
Congrats to Florida, but the so called National Championship Game on Fox was just another bowl game. In order to be crowned national champion you must prove it on the field against all comers. Not be appointed by some computer or sports writer. I feel sorry for Utah, USC and Texas for not having the opportunity to play each other. My 8 year old son said it best, "dad if they had a playoff, OK and FL might not be playing each other. That says it all. SHAME on the NCAA
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1-10-2009 @ 4:51PM
David said...
At my theatre we never had to flip the glasses. So either fox provided your theatre a different feed or the problem was at your theatre. :)
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1-11-2009 @ 10:45AM
Robert said...
Still with the goofy glasses? Ah, progress!
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1-11-2009 @ 4:08PM
Chris said...
I'm a 3D enthusiast as well as a Gator fan, so I was thrilled to see this game in 3D. And basically I thought it was a good experience, certainly for a test run.
A few criticisms: our theater also was right/left reversed (pseudo), and we had to wear our glasses upside down to correct. I've heard a number of theaters had this problem, which leads me to believe the entire broadcast feed was reversed. Many viewers may not have known this and simply thought the 3D effect wasn't very good. There were occasional glitches with camera alignment. The low camera angles provided better 3D, but made following the action more difficult, especially since we've been programmed by the traditional press box angle. The frame rate didn't do so well with fast action, particularly when the camera panned. And there should be a little more information about down and distance, game clock, and score.
Otherwise, I thought it was a great experience, and I think this sort of event watching has great potential. The marketing wasn't great. I only heard about it last minute through a 3D group, and there wasn't a theater in Chicago so I drove to Champaign (2 hours) to see it. Plus, in Florida there were only five screens, none in Gainesville where UF is located. The only screen in OK was in Stillwater where OU's rival OSU is located.
BTW, the glasses are polarized, not red/cyan, and look pretty stylish.
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1-12-2009 @ 8:59AM
www.3d-sketchup.com said...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2gX3_hyv9A
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1-13-2009 @ 10:33AM
Jenny said...
Just wanted to let you know that I linked to this post from my blog (http://turl.ca/zoybc) and to say "thanks"
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1-31-2009 @ 5:43PM
El Guapo said...
We were half way through the first qtr and we thought it was just OK. It was like watching a HD telecast. Nothing really special. The this man started walking around the theater suggesting we put our glasses upside-down NOW THAT WORKED! The 3D was very cool. Worth the price.
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