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Must See HDTV for the week of February 17th: Winter Olympics, Daytona 500 and Strider
This is the final week of the Winter Olympics, with the closing ceremonies scheduled for Sunday night. Bob Costas is back (with less creepy demon-possessed eye infection stare) plus plenty of action including bobsled, short-track speed skating, hockey finals and of course, curling. Game of Thrones season three will hit the shelves on Blu-ray, so whether you're looking for a recap or just getting your first look in 1080p, now is the time. Racing fans can also look forward to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, while gamers can enjoy a remake of the classic game Strider on current and next-gen systems this week -- although honestly, many of us are just trying to finish off House of Cards before the spoilers become impossible to avoid or filter out. Usually we don't point out the late-night weekly shows, but tonight Jimmy Fallon takes over the Tonight Show chair from Jay Leno. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
World's largest HD screen makes its debut tonight during NASCAR All-Star race
Keep your (reasonably sized) HDTV tuned to Speed Network this evening to check out the world's largest HD screen for yourself, when it makes its debut during the festivities for the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race. According to a tweet by the Charlotte Motor Speedway the debut should happen at about 6:50 p.m., and the main event race is scheduled to start around 9 p.m. Panasonic and CMS partnered on the new screen and are paying for it by splitting advertising revenue including ads that will appear during the race and promotions like the History Channel's sponsorship of a NASCAR Nationwide race next week. We've already seen virtual racing on the screen when Dale Earnhardt Jr. played some iRacing on it but tonight is the first time the 16,000 square foot 720p LED screen will see real racing action.
NASCAR upgrades Coke Zero 400 to 3D July 3 on PC and DirecTV
It's time to add another 3D sporting event to your calendar, now that NASCAR and Turner Sports have gone public with plans for a 3D broadcast of the Coke Zero 400 July 3. Viewers can watch on DirecTV or online via TNT RaceBuddy. The hardware requirements for PC viewing are similar to those from the Masters broadcast, and we don't expect to hear DirecTV is in a more sharing mood than cable companies were then, so it will probably be the only option to watch this on TV. NASCAR is promising two custom feeds for the 3D broadcast, with one consisting of strategically placed track side cameras, and another focused on pit road. We're really waiting for a 3D Gopher Cam, in wall cam, and roof mounted cameras, but those can probably wait for the second race that airs in 3D.
