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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]
Univision going HD in time for the 2010 World Cup
Just when we were wondering about Univision's plans for HD, comes word that it is rolling out high definition throughout the 2009-10 broadcast season, ready in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. also to be in HD? Video on-demand packages, as well as broadcasts on the Telefutura group, but if soccer / football isn't your thing, don't worry, there should be plenty of telenovelas and other entertainment specials in the coming year as well.[Via Multichannel News]
South Africans to see 2010 World Cup in HD after all?
We were completely and utterly dismayed after hearing that South Africa -- the host nation of the 2010 World Cup -- would not be able to catch the action in high-def in its own backyard. Thankfully, it seems that someone with some clout was able to change all that, or at least that's what we've gleaned from a recent writeup praising the country's sole HD channel (DSTv). Put simply, the writer states that "all [2010] World Cup games will be televised in high-definition," and he also states that locals can catch said HD action "on big screens at one of the many fan parks that will be dotted about the country." We're sincerely hoping these fan parks come to fruition -- can you imagine the excitement of a people experiencing HD for the first time as they watch the beautiful game?
Sony shows off curved multi-panel HDTV display at FIFA event
There's not really a practical in-home use for the display array you see pictured on the right, but it sure demands attention at trade shows and special events. Demonstrated at the FIFA Confederations Cup Final Draw at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa, the highly unique display consists of nine individual HDTVs mounted on a curve aluminum structure. The whole lot was coordinated to form a single image via Sony's Ziris Canvas HD technology with split visual HDTV renders running on a "proprietary PlayStation 3 hardware solution." According to the report, this is just the fourth time ever that this tech has been used, and it's the first time in South Africa. Man, would 3D material be trippy on this or what?
South Africa to host 2010 FIFA World Cup, not see it in HD
What, is this some sort of sick joke or something? The host nation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa, will be unable to watch the action happening in its own backyard in high-definition. According to a recent report from Johannesburg, the SABC "has no plans to broadcast the 2010 FIFA World Cup in high-definition for South Africans." Instead, Switzerland-based Host Broadcasting Services (HBS) will film the games in HD for other countries. The trouble is that an overwhelming amount of South African citizens would need to procure a digital set-top-box in order to view the content in high-def, and considering that HD adoption in the nation is already low, it's simply not a high enough priority to bother with. Of course, political pressures could lead to change in all of this, and for the sake of the locals yearning for more high-def (and technological progress in general), we certainly hope so.
FIFA to trial chipped soccer ball in Japan
The referees at the upcoming Club World Cup in Japan will likely be taking a little less flack from the fans if a ball manages to come dangerously close to slipping into the net, as FIFA is deploying a type of "goal-line" technology that more precisely indicates whether debatable shots really crossed the line. At the heart of the system are four sensors that are placed around the goal and a single microchip within the so-called smart-ball; if the ball does indeed cross over the goal line, an encrypted message is instantly beamed out to a referee's watch, leaving no doubt as to whether or not a point should be awarded. Apparently, the system will be widely used at the 2010 World Cup if testing proves successful, but unfortunately, this same technology can't be used to embarrass the multitude of players who will inevitably take a dive in order to draw a card.[Via AFP / Yahoo, image courtesy of FIFA]
Live Earth delivers 24 hours of HD concerts July 7th
Satellite heavyweight Intelsat is shaking up the summer programming schedule from its usual list of reruns and walking dead cancelled TV shows by sponsoring Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. The 24 hour concert scheduled for July 7th, will be its largest HDTV undertaking ever, eclipsing even the World Cup, with uplinks from 8 stages around the world sending high definition feeds of artists including Snoop Dogg, Madonna, The Police and others to an estimated 2 billion viewers. The only channel with the full event in high def will be Universal HD starting at 4 a.m. on the 7th. We can't decide which is the better cause, environmental awareness, or something in HD to watch this summer, but with this we don't have to choose.[Via Multichannel News]
Wii goes online with Mario Strikers Charged
Move over, Pokemon. Another Wii game is receiving the Wi-Fi Connection treatment: Mario Strikers Charged. The world's favorite sport can now be played virtually by players all over the globe. A Mario-themed World Cup now seems inevitable.According to the UK official site, "Players can also utilise Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to take on players from across the globe! Multiplayer modes include Ranked mode where players can compete to climb up leaderboards and Unranked mode where they can quickly select and play friends."Charged hits UK Wii systems on May 25th. Unfortunately, a US release hasn't been announced yet.
SABC unveils HD broadcast unit for 2010 World Cup
While the World Cup in Germany led to skyrocketing HDTV sales, additions of channels, and worldwide recognition (South America notwithstanding), things have remained up in the air regarding the HD status of the next go 'round. While we've found that HD would be coming to South Africa at least partly in response to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we still weren't exactly sure if everything would pan out so smoothly. While Sony's hoping to get into the football madness itself, SABC -- the host broadcaster for the matches -- has officially (and finally) acquired its first "outside HD broadcast unit" featuring "the latest in high definition technology." Moreover, the nearly $15 million unit is said to be "the first of its kind" on the entire continent, and will hopefully deliver the crystal clear picture and sound we HD sports lovers crave. If you're troubled that such a luxurious unit must wait three agonizing years to be put to good use, take heart, as SABC is already broadcasting "international cricket matches" with its newfangled toy.
360 sells out ... in Japan?
See that red sticker? Know what it says? Yeah, neither do we, but according to Kotaku the gist of it is this: "SOLD OUT." That's right, a single, solitary Japanese store, known as Bic Camera, has managed to sell all of its Xbox 360 stock (except for the special World Cup ones, anyway). The fanboy in us hopes beyond hope that this marks the beginning of Japan's acceptance of the 360, thus sparking a flood of wacky Japanese games that just never saw the light of day on the original Xbox. The realist in us, however, knows better. As our tipster points out, this is more likely a sign of the impending Robot Apocalypse®. "A Japanese store is sold out of Xbox 360s! Run for your lives!!!!"[Thanks, Lorul2]
Robo-One Robot Battle Ball -- heck yes
Sure, that crazy idea of soccer bots besting the human World Cup champs by 2050 will be plenty fun 44 years from now, but how about a bit of entertainment in the here and now? Robo-One has just the thing with their new Robot Battle Ball competition, which mixes the tried and true dynamics of soccer, but throws out all the lame rules like "no hands" and "no head-butting." The result is a rather entertaining game, and though the contestants are currently remote-controlled, we're sure these little bots will figure out the necessary maliciousness on their own before long. So peep the read link, watch the related video of Robot Battle Ball action and get ready for the next big thing in sports. At least until NFL starts back up again. Oh wait, nevermind.