Sony Electronics is teaming with FOX Sports and a roster of technology providers to deliver the first live 3-D presentation of next month's college football FedEx Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game between the University of Florida and University of Oklahoma. The announcement was made during the Sports Video Group annual League Technology Summit.
The January 8 game will be shot using 3ality Digital's image-capture technology and transmitted live via Cinedigm's CineLive satellite distribution network from Dolphin Stadium in Miami to an event sponsored by Sony in the Paris Hotel and Casino's RealD-equipped Theatre des Arts in Las Vegas, where more than 1,200 invited guests will view the game live in 3-D during the annual Consumer Electronics Show in New York City.
Sony is providing its SXRD 4K projection technology at the Paris Hotel and Casino for this special 3D presentation, which will be broadcast in conventional HD by FOX Sports. RealD is a co-sponsor of this theater presentation with Sony. RealD's 3-D system in the Theatre des Arts -- including eyewear, screen and filtering technology -- was specifically built and customized for the SXRD 4K projection system.
The Sony projectors' 4K resolution is derived from a pixel matrix of more than 4,000 horizontal pixels, delivering more than four times the resolution of high-definition televisions used in home theater systems. The projectors have a strong track record of success in live 3-D theater presentations, delivering similar simulcasts in 2007 for the NBA All-Star Game as well as an NBA regular season game.
For the broadcast, 3ality Digital will employ Sony HD cameras specially modified for stereoscopic production and transmission of the game. According to the company, the 3ality Digital technology allows a camera operator to shoot in a style similar to traditional 2-D with pan-tilt-zoom control, and provides continuously self-correcting software to deliver high-quality stereoscopic imaging.
3ality Digital's image capture systems integrate with existing broadcast equipment for pixel-perfect 3D imagery, and its image processing software enables accurate 3-D image transmission through existing satellite systems, the company said. The feed is then transferred to the Cinedigm satellite network, which will broadcast the signal nationally to Cinedigm-enabled theaters. In the theater, RealD's 3D stereoscopic Cinema System will enable the audience to view the game in 3-D.
"Sports broadcasts are ideal for 3-D presentation, especially in a theater, where fans can gather and participate in the atmosphere of the event with the feeling of truly being there," said Sandy Climan, CEO of 3ality Digital. "This game may end up being a landmark in college sports history."
In addition to the theater at the Paris hotel, Cinedigm will broadcast the game to its network of 80 additional digitally enabled theaters across the United States.
Gamecreek Video will provide its high-definition mobile video production unit for the game, working with the 3ality Digital camera rigs and image processing systems on-site in Miami.
