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FIFA reconsiders 3D World Cup 2014 coverage after ESPN 3D shutdown
ESPN 3D launched in 2010 with coverage of 25 FIFA World Cup matches, but word that the channel will be mothballed has the international football association reviewing whether it will use the tech in 2014. An Associated Press report quotes FIFA director of television Niclas Ericson saying that there is interest from several broadcasters in a 3D presentation, but the cost is currently under review. While FIFA focuses on its standard HD broadcasts, it's also thinking over offering 4K Ultra HD coverage, which is currently being tested during Confederations Cup matches. The Hollywood Reporter points out that while Sony has backed off some of the sponsorships that pushed early 3D productions, it's providing some of the equipment for UHDTV tests like its F55 4K camera. Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is already in line for a 4K soccer broadcast in 2014, we'll see if it's put to use alongside new goal-line technology.
ESPN 3D to shut down citing 'limited viewer adoption', makes room for 4K sports
A lack of interest in 3D viewing at home has claimed one of its first major victims today, as ESPN announced its 3D channel is going to shut down. ESPN 3D launched back in 2010 with coverage of the FIFA World Cup, but it will not make it to the next one, or to see ESPN's new Monday Night Football deal. In between it's broadcast everything from golf to the X Games to the NBA Finals, along with college football national championship games and and a one-off news spot on E:60. AT&T's U-verse dropped the channel in August 2011 after being one of the launch partners, but said it would come back due to a new agreement signed earlier this year. ESPN overcame many technology and cost hurdles to broadcasting 3D over the years, but in the end the chilly reception from the marketplace for 3D at home appears to have been too much to overcome. Another element that likely affected it were recent layoffs by parent company Disney, that Multichannel News reports included some jobs associated with ESPN 3D. So what's next for ESPN? According to a statement, "committing our 3D resources to other products and services that will better serve fans and affiliates." That should include the 4K capabilities planned for its new facility in Bristol, but we'll have to wait until it opens next year to find out. For now ESPN says it will be ready to provide 3D content again "if or when" the viewing format takes off -- the release of another Avatar flick or TVs that don't need glasses for 3D might help -- now the question is if / when other early efforts like n3D and 3net could also be shelved. [Thanks, @defiance]
Google Fiber TV channel lineup sees its first 3D additions with 3net and ESPN3D
Google's Fiber efforts may not be that widespread yet, but it's obvious the search giant is doing all it can to improve the service for those who are lucky enough to have it. With that in mind, Google announced it's now brought an initial batch -- albeit a minor one -- of 3D channels to its growing Fiber TV lineup, giving "Gigabit + TV" subscribers (who own a three-dee-ready TV, of course) access to 3net at no extra cost and to ESPN3D for an additional $5 per month. While the inclusion of 3net and ESPN3D might seem like a pretty minor one on paper, it's without a doubt a step in the right direction for Fiber TV -- and, as the company puts it, this shows how the company is "committed to making these qualities that you've come to expect from Google Fiber TV better and better."
ESPN signs dozen year deal for Division 1 college football playoff games
Wondering who is more excited than college football fans to see that the top division is finally moving to a playoff system? It's ESPN, which just announced it's signed a 12-year deal for the championship games, semifinals, additional bowl games and "related programming." The deal kicks in after the 2014 regular season, when ESPN's current BCS deal ends. While it's bad news for anyone hoping to get legit access without a cable package, ESPN now has rights to offer the games on TV, in 3D and to mobile devices through its WatchESPN apps (now including the Xbox 360) until 2026. ESPN says its broadcasts of two BCS Championship games have generated the highest cable audiences ever, so it's no surprise they'd want to keep an iron grip on these new games. There's more details in the press release after the break, hit the source link to hear an interview with network VP Brooke Magnus about the negotiations.
Cablevision inks deal with The Walt Disney Company, brings WatchESPN and more to subscribers
For some time now, Cablevision subscribers have been missing out on many of the internet-based and other offerings from The Worldwide Leader in Sports. Today, however, folks will be happy to know that The Walt Disney Company (ESPN's parent outfit) and Cablevision have reached a deal which will bring access to a variety of new content on different platforms, including WatchESPN, ESPN3, ESPN 3D as well as on demand channels from ABC and Disney's extensive repertoire. Mum's the word on how much cash was involved in the deal, but we do know it's a multi-year agreement and that Walt & Co. feel rather content about it, with a company's spokesperson saying, "With our robust and ever-growing multi-platform content offerings, we're pleased to be able to expand our relationship with Cablevision."
Must See HDTV (July 2nd - 8th)
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II This weekend Chael Sonnen gets his wish. Most of our wishes don't include being locked in a cage with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but it's the only way for Sonnen to take the belt he's been chasing for the last few years, including a loss in their first title fight in 2010. While we'll be interested to see if the "best fighter on the planet" Silva can extend his 14-fight winning streak, that's not the only fight on the card as Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin square off for the third time as light heavyweights. Plus, unlike other sports, UFC isn't purely tied to subscription pay-TV, so you can watch on YouTube, Roku, Xbox 360, PC or mobile device if you'd like. Check out a video preview for the fight embedded after the break. (July 7th, PPV, 10PM ET) Tour de France Cycling's biggest race is going on all month on Versus, oops, we mean NBC Sports Network / NBC. While we usually try to avoid getting up early for anything other than Formula 1, fans of the sport can get their stage action at 8AM daily (with a few exceptions). Epic hillclimbs, peloton crashes, inevitable accusations of doping, what's not to love? (All week, NBC Sports Network / NBC) Wimbledon Completing the sports trifecta for this week's highlights, Wimbledon action continues after the early rounds last week. Also broadcasting from Europe, Wimbledon is bringing a morning and daytime schedule finishing up with the men's and women's finals on Saturday and Sunday. ESPN has locked up the entire schedule and will be broadcasting it live, including on ESPN 3D. (All week, ESPN / ESPN 3D)
Behind the scenes with live ESPN 3D boxing at CES 2012
ESPN had a presence at this CES like no other we've witnessed from the sports network and the last of the four letter network's big events was Top Rank Boxing live from the show floor. The event drew quite a crowd and the 3D quality didn't disappoint. The crew was using a Sony HDC-P1 camera system with 3D rigs by the Pace Cameron Group all sent through a Sony MVX-8000x production switcher. If you didn't catch it live on ESPN 3D, we're sure there will be plenty of opportunities to catch the 3D reruns.Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report
ESPN 3D BCS Championship demo eyes-on
It seems like it's been forever since we last saw college football in 3D at CES and oh my has the technology come a long way. ESPN partnered up with RealD, Marchon, and Christie Digital to present the LSU vs Alabama BCS National Championship game in 3D at the Las Vegas Hotel theater. We left wow'd and believe everyone else did too. We walked about the theater and didn't find a bad spot, although front and center was the best. There were a number of 3D cameras in use to cover the event (details after the break) which featured the same announcers as the 2D presentation, but different cameras from different angles. Of those cameras, the most dramatic was the wireless handhelds that made us feel like we were doing the pre-game interviews ourselves. The only gripe was that the typical 50-yard camera up high and center was not part of the presentation, we found ourselves missing the typical perpendicular shots that are a staple of most football broadcasts. This did reaffirm one thing, though, we can't imagine there's a single sports fan in the world who has experienced their favorite in 3D and not become a fan of the technology.
ESPN's new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app
Just hours before the 2011 NFL season kicks off, the ESPN and the NFL announced a new eight year extension for Monday Night Football that runs from 2014 to 2021 and most notably to us, includes a provision for 3D broadcast rights. The new deal covers items from new studio programming (beginning this season) to availability of games on the WatchESPN mobile app to the Pro Bowl we still won't watch. According to the LA Times, the pricetag for ESPN -- before it's passed on to the cable / satellite company and eventually ends up on your bill in a rate increase -- is around $1.9 billion per season, up from $1.1 billion previously. While this should help quell ideas that ESPN 3D might be axed after its removal from U-verse, the bad news is it could still be a ways off, as we're told 3D broadcasts are expected when the extension takes effect in 2014. Sadly, 3D early adopters are probably used to waiting, with unbundled retail availability of Avatar still pending for 2012, this is just one more item to add to your calendar.
ESPN 3D doubles its college football coverage in year two
So far, college football is the jewel in ESPN 3D's broadcast schedule, and the network just released its broadcast plans for the 2011 season. The schedule for the 2011 season has increased to 20 regular season games and five bowl games, plus the BCS National Championship on January 9th. Things kick off with UNLV/Wisconsin on September 1st and Miami/Maryland September 5th, while some dates are still TBD. Hit the source link to see the full schedule, which will probably please ACC and Pac-10 fans, although we're not seeing many dates scheduled in the flyover states so most Big Ten (12?) fans should probably hold onto their tickets. Check out our review of last season's coverage, we'll keep some specs handy to see how things have changed in a year.
AT&T abruptly drops ESPN 3D from U-verse during the X-Games citing high price, low demand
Support by AT&T U-verse for the fledgling ESPN 3D channel always seemed halfhearted, while it was one of the providers to carry the channel at launch it was the only one at that time to levy a $10 fee for the privilege of viewing. The good news for subscribers is that $10 fee is gone, but the bad news is the channel has exited stage left along with it yesterday, before the last night of ESPN's big X-Games broadcast in 3D with no apparent warning. AT&T's reason for the move follows after the break, which lays out the case that even despite interested viewers chipping in their Hamiltons it has decided with there's not enough demand to support the "high cost" of ESPN 3D. Slow down on ringing the death knell for 3D everywhere however, since AT&T is still hanging onto its 3D VOD movies, for now. Its willingness to make the rare move of dropping one of the sports leaders offerings definitely speaks to the niche status of 3D, but experience suggests this comes down to a dollars and cents decision across the entire swath of the ever growing ESPN / ABC / Disney family. [Thanks, Larry]
ESPN 3D kicks off summer slate of Friday Night Fights tonight
Unlike Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas up there you probably don't have ringside accommodations at the Pechanga Resort Casino tonight, but if you believe coordinating producer Phil Orlins, having ESPN 3D is practically the same thing. After a dry run earlier this year that also served as a test for producing the 2D and 3D feed together, there have been several more nights added to the ESPN 3D schedule this summer and the Front Row blog has an interview with Orlins about some of the challenges and advantages caused by 3D. We'll tune in at 9 p.m., but 3D or not, we're thinking it'd all be more exciting if Haye beats Klitshcko or Mayweather stops ducking Pacquiao.
ESPN 3D gears up for year two with more college football, Home Run Derby and Little League
We had already learned a bit about ESPN 3D's summer schedule including X Games 17, but now that the NBA Finals are over, it's announced even more events as it moves into its second year of existence. VP Bryan Burns says we can expect 20 college football games to be aired in 3D this fall, up from 11 last year, including the BCS National Championship just like last season. also on the schedule is the MLB Home Run Derby (again) on July 11, some World Football Challenge soccer matches and a slew of Little League World Series games in August. As much as we enjoy watching the Danny Almontes and Terrelle Pryors of the world, we're all about the amateur sports, but it's been a year -- queue up some pro football and regular season baseball ESPN.
BBC picks Wimbledon for its first 3D broadcast in July
More than three years after testing out 3D production during a Rugby Six Nations match the BBC is ready to send out its first 3D broadcast during the men's and women's singles finals at Wimbledon. UK viewers can catch 3D tennis via the BBC HD feed on Freeview, Freesat, Virgin or Sky, July 2nd and 3rd. Here in the US ESPN 3D has already announced plans to air those matches, plus the men's semifinal, both live and reaired at more convenient local times. While Panasonic featured its 3D tech last week during the French Open at Roland Garros, Sony is going to be working the dials at Wimbledon along with the BBC as the network undertakes "a 3D TV editorial experiment." 3D Focus TV has more details like the channel listings and a behind the scenes look at a 3D promo shot to advertise movie theater screenings that will also be available during the event. So far Sky has been way out in front of the 3D push in the UK while the BBC is taking a more cautious approach, but since Wimbledon was one of the first sporting events aired in color on the BBC, it's no surprise this pops up as a test event in the run up to new broadcast technologies emerging during the London Olympics next year.
ESPN 3D preps for NBA Finals, adds new Friday Night Fights to the schedule
The NBA Finals kicks off tomorrow, and while the games will air in high definition on ABC, they will also air for the first time in 3D on ESPN 3D. If you prefer your sporting events sans-glasses there's plenty to look forward to: 32 HD cameras, six Super Slo-Mo cameras, a SkyCam and additional tweaks like ESPN Axis graphics. We'd still prefer to swap Mike Breen for Marv Albert and whatever intro music they have planned for John Tesh's Roundball Rock, but that's just us. The 3D broadcast will be held down by Mark Jones and either Bruce Bowen or Tim Legler calling the action. Of course, the fantastic playoffs we've experienced will come to an end eventually, but to fill in the summer sports slate until the X Games, ESPN 3D has also plans to air five Friday Night Fights matches over the summer. Check the press releases after the break for the dates and details, we'll be hunting down our 3D specs.
ESPN X Games 17 returns with more than double the 3D coverage, takes rally racing to the streets
ESPN has released some of the broadcast details for Summer X Games 17, scheduled to occur between July 28th - 31st, and it's increasing from eight hours of 3D coverage last year to a planned 18 hours this time around. Interestingly, the HD schedule has been shortened slightly from 31 hours to 25, but there's still plenty of sports action to catch, including a new Enduro X motocross competition and a move to the streets of downtown Los Angeles for the Rally racing competitions. Check all the details currently available in the press release after the break, we're going to go find and wash our Travis Pastrana jersey.
ESPN 3D exec explains why golf is such a good fit for the network
With the second consecutive year of the Masters Tournament being broadcast in 3D, if you're wondering why golf and 3D are such a good match look no further than ESPN 3D coordinating producer Phil Orlin's post on the new Front Row blog. He points out the varying terrain of the golf course and the ability to accurately read greens as reasons why 3D works so well at Augusta, and that watching it that way is the closest thing to seeing it in person. You can see for yourself when 3D coverage of the tournament kicks off today at 5 p.m., and while we're sure more people will be watching than did last year the question is still how many?
AT&T Masters Tournament coverage includes Multiview and mobile devices
For the 2011 Masters Tournament AT&T U-verse has a Multiview app of its own to compete with DirecTV's offering, that can watch up to four different holes at once as well as pull up various background info on the golfers and leaderboard. One thing AT&T brings to the table that DirecTV doesn't is live viewing on mobile devices through U-Verse Live TV or computers with U-verse Online, to go along with the 3D coverage, standard channels and VOD highlights. Check out a quick demo of the interactive channel and how to use it above before the tournament gets under way tomorrow.
ESPN 3D will launch on Verizon FiOS April 5
After being the first with 3D pro football Verizon's 3D lineup on FiOS was looking pretty thin, but that changes next month when it will finally start offering ESPN 3D. We've been anticipating its launch since last October, but after ESPNNetworks online streaming it was apparently next in line. The early adopting 3D-capable TV owners near you who subscribe to the Ultimate HD package will see it added to their lineups for no charge, but like U-Verse, it's a $10 add-on for all others. Make decisions regarding those Hamilton's quickly, next on the schedule are the Masters and NBA Playoffs, check the press release after the break for all the details.
ESPN 3D airs its first news story tonight with E:60
While the season premiere of newsmagazine E:60 won't air in HD until April 12, a segment featuring Jeremy Schaap and the fastest knife thrower in the world will air shortly on ESPN 3D. Set for 6:40 p.m., apparently since E:60 was the first show of its type in HD, they decided to jump on the 3D train as well. One of the big questions about 3D has been whether or not it can add anything to genres outside of movies, nature documentaries and large events, this would appear to be one of the first tests.
