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FIFA to again explore 'goal-line technology' after blown World Cup officiating (updated)
Maybe it's just us, and by "us" we mean the US -- a country accustomed to using technology as a means to validate human officiating during our professional sporting events. As such, it came as a shock to Yanks, many of whom were watching international soccer football for the first time, to learn that FIFA had no such system of checks and balances in play at what is without a doubt the Earth's most important sporting event: the World Cup. In particular, the USA, England, and Mexico teams suffered severely at the hands of FIFA referees... and the tournament hasn't even reached the quarter-finals. Today, FIFA President Sepp Blatter apologized to England and Mexico for refereeing mistakes that helped eliminate the teams from the competition. Importantly, he said that FIFA would "reopen the file" on the use of video technology when the rule-making panel meets in Wales next month, adding that it would be "nonsense" not to consider such changes. Let's just hope that a solution can be applied to keep the game beautiful without turning it into some kind of stuttering bureaucracy played by men in short trousers. Regardless, surely it's time to inject a little proven technology into the game instead of relying upon the hand of god to guide FIFA's officials? Update: The New York Times has a more detailed account of Blatter's statement that specifically excludes consideration of "video replay." According to the NYT, Blatter said, "The only principle we are going to bring back for discussion is goal-line technology. For situations like the Mexico game, you don't need technology." Okaaay, then what's the solution Sepp? Afterall, it was the video replay that instantly showed the world that Argentina's Carlos Tevez was offsides when scoring against Mexico, something your officials on the field missed completely. [Image courtesy of iA]
GOAL! EyeTV filters out the vuvuzelas at the World Cup
Just in time for the US to advance to the round of 16 in the World Cup (sorry, Algeria), Elgato offers a special edition of its EyeTV software that does what just about everybody (who's watching the World Cup) wants: filter out those horrible plastic horns while you're watching the games live through your EyeTV hardware. [If you're one of the people who actually went and downloaded an iPhone app to simulate the dang noise -- you know who you are -- knock it off. –Ed.] You can call me culturally insensitive, but it's a plain fact that the vuvuzelas create that constant, loud buzz behind the games, drowning out everything else like a massive swarm of angry bees. The EyeTV filter can be quickly switched off from a contextual menu in EyeTV. The constant drone is at a pretty narrow frequency that you can "duck" (notch filter) easily, and I assume that's what this edition of EyeTV is doing. If you have your EyeTV setup running on a TV, you suddenly have an even more enviable setup, and should immediately let all of your friends know that the next game is at your house. I've been trying to pull this off myself with some line filters ... now I know I should have had my Mac mini media center up and running before the tournament started. The software is free to EyeTV users, but only available for a limited time (the length of the Cup). If you update your software right now, it will be there. It will be gone just as quickly with the next software update, but if you're an EyeTV user who'd like to be more annoyed with bad calls and disallowed goals than with the headache-inducing background noise, here's your answer. Catch a demo clip here.
Samsung 3DTVs put to the test with World Cup, Monsters vs. Aliens and... iCarly?
Of course we've talked 3D to death and back, and we've seen several reviews and previews, but Technologizer took some time out to grab a more "man on the street" impression of the technology. With a mini focus group intact they checked out the Samsung Experience in NYC, taking time to focus on the top of the line 55-inch C9000 LED LCD HDTV. With not much 3D content (the initial viewing was before the world Cup started) they checked out some regular 2D content converted by the display into 3D, while viewers were surprisingly receptive to The Daily Show and Transformers 2 that way, iCarly and American Idol didn't fare quite as well. Still, viewers seemed excited by the 3D Blu-ray movie pack-in, and a short time later, some German 3D fans were impressed by the World Cup presentation, though like our impressions the effect varied based on the camera angle. Ultimately, none of the people asked seemed ready to buy a 3DTV yet, citing lack of content and prices as their main reasons. click through for the full impressions, we'll wait a week or so and see if there's a followup when there's two or more 3D channels and Blu-ray 3D movies to watch.
ITV HD fails to show England's first World Cup 2010 goal to the home fans (video)
While ESPN's World Cup presentation has improved by leaps and bounds over the 2006 effort, UK watchers got a nasty surprise on the high definition feed of ITV during yesterday's highly anticipated United States / England match. At the exact moment England scored its first goal, ITV HD inexplicably switched to a commercial (archived on YouTube after the break) ruining the first great moment of the tournament for many fans. Apparently this isn't new for ITV, which had a similar mistake last year when it made an automated switch to commercial just in time to miss the winning goal in the FA Cup. In this case, what's done is done and the network has already apologized for the "transmission error" (sounds familiar) let us know in the comments -- especially those outside the US -- how your network of choice is handling the beautiful game.
PlayOn adds ESPN3 streaming for your World Cup viewing pleasure
PlayOn's apparently been hard at work to make sure it's worthy of the new premium pricing, and now is ready to offer ESPN3 among the channels it shunts from PCs to connected TV devices including the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. That means if you have a provider who offers ESPN3 and a TV that doesn't have a cable box on it for some reason, but does have one of the supported devices, you can stream the game live or watch archived videos from the site whenever you please. Of course, ESPN3 and PlayOn's other notable service, Hulu have both been the subject of rumors indicating they'll be available directly on consoles. Any announcements are potentially due in a few days at E3 2010, but the 14-day trial period should give plenty of time to see if any new deals appear on the horizon -- or if your team doesn't make it past the initial group phase.
Exclusive: a look around ESPN's 3D Master Control room
Not sure if you knew, but today marks the launch of ESPN's first dedicated 3D channel, predictably titled ESPN 3D. For now, the channel will only be active whenever 3D sporting events are being aired, starting with a full 25 FIFA World Cup matches from the Republic of South Africa. It's a pretty monumental launch for the world leader in broadcast sports, and it's obviously taking a pretty big leap with only a smattering of 3D sets available and an obviously limited amount of content at its disposal. That said, there's hardly a better way to enjoy 3D content than to see sports in the third dimension, which makes the appeal of this new station that much stronger. We're here live at the company's kickoff event in Bristol, Connecticut, and we'll be bringing you lots of coverage from behind the scenes. One important piece that has yet to be revealed to the public is exactly how this material is getting from the field to the consumer, with Comcast, DirecTV and AT&T (U-verse) signed on from day one. During our shooting for The Engadget Show (don't worry -- we'll be cutting it up and getting it live as soon as possible!) we were able to stop by ESPN's 3D Master Control room, a box no larger than the average American kitchen but infinitely important in the grand scheme of things. Amazingly enough, the room pictured in the gallery below didn't exist six weeks ago, and in an insanely short period of time ESPN has managed to create a control room that sucks feeds in from all over the world, adds graphics (along with a specialized ESPN 3D "bug"), ensures that everything is aligned properly and then pipes it out to the aforesaid carriers. %Gallery-94971%
ESPN 3D officially launches with FIFA World Cup coverage: live from Bristol
It's official, one of the most popular networks in the US (if not the world) kicked off its 3D branch in style today, and we made the trek to ESPN's campus in Bristol, Connecticut to experience it first hand. Put simply, the campus is any gadget or sports nerd's paradise; technology is oozing from every corner of every building, including the one we gathered with other press today in order to witness the start of a monumental three-dee journey. At the front of the large conference room was a 72-inch Samsung DLP, which was delivering the 2010 FIFA World Cup kickoff in 3D from Johannesburg, South Africa. It should be noted that none of the 25 World Cup matches that'll be delivered in 3D aren't being shot by ESPN; instead, FIFA has contracted HBS to shoot and distribute a "world feed." We didn't notice too many glitches during the opening match, but ESPN assures us that native transfers will look even better once they kick things off here in the homeland with the MLB Home Run Derby from Anaheim on July 12th. As for the tech side of things, ESPN was taking in the 1080i50 side by side 3D signal and converting it to the US-friendly 1080i60 side by side, and since DLP sets expect the checkerboard 3D format, a RealD POD was used to make the link between the cable set-top-box and the TV. The glasses were supplied by XpanD, but not the same universal shutter glasses that we expect to be available at retail soon. Afer we took in the setup, we sat down to enjoy the match, which was opened with a handful of pristinely shot 3D commercials -- of course. A Sony spot kicked off with a soccer team practicing, and naturally ended with a goal exploding in slow motion; without a doubt, this was one of the more spectacular uses of 3D that we've seen, though we're guessing that the budget for the ad was somewhere near the stratosphere. The other commercials weren't any less impressive, with another trio concerning a Gillette razor, Toy Story 3, and a downright comical 'This is SportsCenter' ad where Niel Everett gets a little too close to a pricey 3D camera with his trusty Louisville Slugger. We'll be bringing you more coverage from here in Bristol as the day continues, with the grand finale coming in a special Engadget Show segment that should go up next week. For now, head on past the break for a few impressions from the 1-1 draw. %Gallery-94968%
Looking for ESPN 3D on Comcast? Get an MPEG-4 cable box first
We're just minutes away from the first match of the 2010 World Cup, and the first match broadcast on ESPN 3D. If you're on Comcast and not yet seeing the channel on your guide, it will probably be helpful to know where to look. A few posters on AVSForum have pointed out where to find the guide number for your area, and also that this broadcast is different from the previous Masters 3D event in several ways. First, not everyone will get the channel automatically, while it's provided at no additional charge, it will require a call to add the package to your service, and in some cases, a new cable box -- TiVos won't work this time. Give the FAQ a once over to make sure you're ready to go, then slip on those 3D glasses and enjoy the kickoff match between South Africa and Mexico. Want to know how things are going? Check @bjdraw on Twitter for live updates on the 3D broadcast straight from ESPN's headquarters in Bristol. Update: We've confirmed with Comcast that the suddenly restrictive cable box requirements are because ESPN 3D (and future 3D content) is being transmitted in the MPEG-4 format, instead of older MPEG-2 compression. That should ease up any bandwidth concerns, but unfortunately means most people will need to swap their cable box to get the new channel. Is living in the future fun yet?
Twitter gets behind World Cup as rest of America fiddles
While the US has its annual World Series competition representing oh, two countries, the rest of the planet looks forward to the World Cup. An event so magnificent it can only be held once every four years for fear of causing economic collapse as businesses shut down to watch their nation's sons play soccer football. Twitter gets it, and has launched a special site that aggregates tweets on a global and per match basis allowing you to voyeuristically share in the human drama via a real-time twitter feed. All without risk of getting punched in the eye. Twitter's also making it easy to connect with players and teams, at least those of whom have not been restricted from using the service, right Holland? Check it out as the first match between host South Africa and Mexico begins shortly.
Samsung announces Adidas-branded N150 Plus netbook
The big technology news out of the World Cup this year may be 3D broadcasts, but any sporting event of this size wouldn't be complete without some product tie-ins, and it looks like Samsung has now come through on that front with a little help from Adidas. They've announced this new Samsung N150 Plus Adidas Special Edition netbook, which is apparently identical to Samsung's regular N150 netbook, with the exception of an Adidas design on the lid, and the addition of a Bluetooth 3.0 module -- not to mention a matching mouse and "gift pouch." No word on pricing or availability just yet, but we have a sneaking suspicion it will be limited to places that play "football" instead of "soccer."
Japan proposes holographic 3D broadcasts for 2022 World Cup
While we're limited to merely 3DTV depictions of the 2010 World Cup, Japan is letting its freak flag fly in a proposal to host the 2022 matches with a concept envisioning matches captured by 200 HD cameras, then projected as fully 3D images onto real fields in other countries. Just in case technology hasn't advanced that far in the next decade plus, there's also the possibility of positioning mics underneath the playing surface to catch every sound, with all of this powered by solar panels plus the kinetic energy created by a stadium full of fans. Even committee director of technology Jun Murai admits the proposal "smacks of science fiction" but seriously, this is Japan we're talking about -- if the beautiful game is still being played by non-augmented human beings and not a squad of robots we'll be surprised. Either way, someone should put Wolf Blitzer and Will.I.Am on standby just in case.
Sky+HD issues limited edition 1TB set-top boxes for World Cup watching
Sky just can't quit with the limited edition set-top boxes, issuing its latest edition in honor of the 2010 World Cup. these Sky+HD boxes feature a 1TB hard drive inside and prints from fashion designer Wayne Hemingway, illustrator Gerald Scarfe and actor Phil Daniels on the outside. The pricetag is £249, plus installation fee, but we guess the real question is you can afford not to have a box celebrating 1966 when the games kick off June 11. Think about it. %Gallery-93210%
ESPN 3D will be on Comcast in time for the 2010 World Cup
Count distributor number two (after DirecTV) and the first cable affiliate for ESPN 3D, now officially coming to Comcast when it launches June 11. That follows up on the Masters 3D event broadcast last month and will give 3DTV owning subscribers with digital cable their first linear channel and VOD package (albeit part time, at least for the first year) starting with the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Not into soccer action? The Winter & Summer X-Games are on deck as well as the 2011 BCS National Championship game next January, and whenever someone catches a football star behaving badly in a bathroom on their new 3D cameraphone, you'll know where to go for the highlights.
Sony and FIFA release more details on World Cup 2010 3D broadcast
Sony and FIFA have just released a list of World Cup 2010 games that'll be broadcast in 3D, with ESPN taking care of the US audience, Sogecable for Spain, and more partners to come (including eight matches for selected 3D cinemas around the world). Out of all ten stadiums, only five of these -- Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth -- are chosen for the 3D broadcast, which sadly leaves out Rustenberg and its England-USA match that most of us here anticipate. Each venue will have seven 3D-camera positions with three above the pitch and four on pitch level, and don't forget the two "3D Outside Broadcast" trucks that'll be busy shuffling between stadiums to process the footage for us all. If you end up totally loving the 3D experience, a Blu-ray 3D compilation disc will be available within 2010. This souvenir should go nicely with the updated PS3 by then -- we were told by Sony that its console's expecting its 3D upgrade around the same time as the launch of its 3D TVs, which just so happens to be around E3 as well. Boy, June sure going to be a fun one this year.
DirecTV will have ESPN 3D at launch, next to its own N3D channel
Not that we ever doubted they would, but DirecTV and ESPN have made official plans to make ESPN 3D available to the satellite broadcaster's millions of customers as soon as it launches June 11 with the South Africa / Mexico World Cup game. Better news? There's no additional charge for ESPN 3D, at least for now, though of course you will need a 3DTV to make any use of the signal. The only other new news is a name for DirecTV's native Panasonic-sponsored linear 3D network, now dubbed N3D (Get it? In 3D? ...Yeah, we didn't either.) Now the only wait is to see if DirecTV can shove its own 3D exclusive in the competition's face (doubtful) or if we hear about any other carriage announcements between now and NAB 2010.
Toshiba HDR5010 marries Freeview HD to a PVR in time for the World Cup
When Humax introduced the UK's first Freeview HD set-top box last week, quite a few of you were understandably disappointed that it didn't come with PVR functionality. Well, you can now strike that off your list of worries, as Toshiba has just gone official with its own Freeview+ HD PVR box that packs a healthy 500GB of internal storage alongside two HDMI inputs and one output, a duo of USB ports and Ethernet connectivity. Equipped with dual tuners, it'll allow you to record a pair of simultaneous broadcasts, while the internal hard drive -- good for storing 120 hours of video -- should be augmentable with external variants. Toshiba makes sure to include DivX and MP3 playback support in the HDR5010, so it should also make for a decent media streamer when it makes its admittedly distant debut in June for £349 ($545).
Castrol builds freakishly large robot to kick a soccer ball, break legs of silhouette defenders
Soccer players are generally such crybabies that we can understand why you'd want to replace them with robots, and sometimes that's done with great success. We don't think we'll be seeing this latest player on the pitch anytime soon, though. It's something of an exhibition robot, a creation sponsored by Castrol to beat the legendary leg of Cristiano Ronaldo, who can kick the ball at 130km/h. This bot from Castrol can top 200km/h, which is mighty impressive -- until you see the size of it. We're pretty sure we saw limos smaller than this out in Vegas, and we're positive that even they are more useful than this thing. Still, check out the video after the break, and watch that plywood defender's leg go flying.
ESPN 3D launches in June with World Cup soccer -- our football to follow later
Need any more proof this is the year of 3D? USA Today is reporting ESPN 3D will start broadcasting this summer with a World Cup soccer match, with additional content coming from the Summer X Games (we won't have to wait for the flick to hit theaters this time) NBA games, and college basketball & football. DirecTV still hasn't confirmed its rumored plans for 3D, but CableLabs CEO Paul Liao is quoted calling the level of engagement 3D sports presents viewers as "unprecedented." More details on exactly how 3D in the home will happen are sure to come throughout the week -- we've already been blown away by 3D sports, it looks like everyone else will have their chance in just a few months.
Univision & Telefutura en HD starting Monday
Spanish speaking HDTV owners in the U.S. can expect the other shoe to drop this week, with Univision and Telefutura stepping up to high-definition broadcasts starting Monday. The cutover will be staggered, with New York and LA going first at 12:02 a.m. Monday morning, followed by other markets throughout the week. The network's first all HD program will be the Tournament of Roses parade broadcast January 1. As promised, it's followed Telemundo to higher quality in plenty of time for the World Cup next year, sadly now we're just wondering when they'll switch over to 3D. [Thanks, Andres]
Sony and FIFA team up to make the World Cup 3D
It's no secret that plenty of companies are hoping that 2010 will be the year of 3D, and it looks like Sony has now gotten a big boost by lining up a partnership with one of the biggest events of the year: the FIFA World Cup. As the pair have announced today, the new arrangement will see at least 25 World Cup matches produced in 3D using Sony's 3D cameras, which will be viewable through a variety of means. That includes special public viewing events in seven cities around the world (none in North America, unfortunately), an "Official 3D Film" that will be previewed at Sony Stores and other retail outlets and, last but not least, a Blu-ray of said film that will be made available at some point following the World Cup. This won't be the first time a soccer match has been broadcast in 3D, however, and it looks like it won't be your only option for catching some games in 3D next year either. [Thanks, Matt]
