After a time out, the blog is back! And there's been a lot of sports television happening since the last post. Amidst the great games, drama, and back stories, there is a new technological development in the works - and it will be here for everyone before you know it - 3D.
At the Masters at Augusta this year, ESPN treated us to a 3D broadcast of the tournament. They had piles of glasses on tables in the media center, and anyone could stroll up, don the glasses, and be mesmerized. Or nauseous. Or ambivelant. 3D golf actually looked pretty cool, although not perfected just yet. Certain objects featured a very pronounced 3D look, such as overhanging tree limbs, deep bunkers, and grandstands - while others were barely noticable. Graphics were kind of wacky to watch as they appeared on screen, seemingly floating in space about 100 yards in front of anything else. And they wiggled up and down very slightly, which would get old pretty fast, especially after viewers were a few pints deep at their favorite sports watering hole.
Still, 3D is the future of sports television. Rumor has it that the technology is also being developed to eliminate the need for the goggles at all. Before you know it, we'll all be watching our favorite sports in full, vivid, in-your-face 3D. Except for Texas Hold 'Em. For the love of God, we do not need to see poker in 3D.
