Source: Daily_Mail
Future's so bright we need shades - Sportsmail sees Arsenal v United in 3D
I have seen the future of televised football - and it's stunning. TV entered a new era yesterday with the world's first live sports 3D broadcast - turning audiences into something resembling a mass Blues Brothers tribute group. [LNB]In advance of the launch of Sky 3D, Europe's first dedicated 3D TV channel, in April, Sky beamed 3D footage of the Arsenal-Manchester United game to nine pubs around the United Kingdom. [LNB]Eight rigs with 16 high definition cameras were set up at the Emirates as we waited to see if 3D really is the next frontier of football coverage. [LNB] Wow factor: fans of Manchester United enjoy victory in a new dimension[LNB]Even managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger got involved, chuckling away as they sported pairs of 3D specs before kick-off. The glasses are black-rimmed plastic numbers that look like fake Ray-Bans. [LNB]The graphics are the first thing that hit you. The team line-ups, logos and match clock come out of the screen, spinning in front of your eyes. You feel you can almost pluck them from space and put them in your pocket. [LNB]Another wow moment came as the teams stepped on to the pitch, the players floating towards us in their 3D glory. But as the match began, there was a sudden moment of anti-climax. [LNB]The high camera angle allowed you to watch more off-the-ball action, but it diluted the 3D impact. Where were the balls flying at me from all over the pitch? Why wasn't I ducking and diving out of the way? [LNB] Enlarge [LNB]But herein lies the point. By mixing the lower, more visually impressive angles - particularly ones from behind the goal (I was praying for a penalty) - and the wider, higher shots, the coverage told the story of the match. [LNB]3D TV was not the main event. The football remained the focus. The technology increases your feeling of involvement in the action. [LNB]Watching football has changed profoundly, with the experience no longer the passive act of watching a series of moving pictures. [LNB]Sky have compared the step from HD to 3D to the jump from black and white to colour. I wouldn't go that far but, if it wasn't quite a ringside seat, it was close. [LNB] Caught on camera: Manchester United's Wayne Rooney[LNB]The technology is, in part, down to the pioneering work of the film Avatar. Brian Lenz, Sky's director of product design, met Vince Pace, the main technician behind James Cameron's film, and went behind the scenes to discover how it was shot. [LNB]Lenz said: 'We were lucky enough to get posted at James Cameron's studios when they were working on Avatar. I think that everyone knew Avatar was going to be a pivotal point in everything that's happening in 3D so it was exciting to be there. [LNB]'3D's a revelation in TV. It's a brand new way of telling stories. It's also an opportunity to show sport in a totally different way.' [LNB]When Hollywood meets the Premier League, the action gets even more compelling.[LNB] Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3: Champions show their class as misfiring Gunners are humbled in title-race showdownArsenal v Manchester United will be world's first 3D football matchFans hail first 3D broadcast of a football match as better than being in the stadium [LNB] Explore more:People:Wayne Rooney, Alex Ferguson, James CameronPlaces:United Kingdom, Europe
