James Sherwood of RegHardware was in the UK so he took off to the local Railway Tavern this weekend to check out Sky’s first ever live sporting event broadcast, Manchester United against Arsenal. It was an interesting event, full of pros and cons. First con: Sky only put in a single 42″ LCD Television for the 150 attendees. Thankfully, it didn’t hinder the experience:
Nonetheless, I put on my 3D glasses – the polarized type you get in cinemas – and gazed in wonder at the Sky HD logo hovering before my eyes. I was standing 15 feet away from the screen and, despite its size, the 3D effect was clear – just like going to the cinema.
Players seemed to float before me as they walked and the physical distance between, say, Rooney and Scholes was clear to see.
“It looks like Rooney is walking right at me!” one Manchester United fan called out.
After a while, tho, the initial novelty wore off.
Close-ups of players, managers and assembled fans was what made 3D great. But the effect was totally lost while watching the pitch action in a widescreen at-a-distance shot. Players didn’t stand out from one another and I didn’t feel as though free kicks would hit me in the face.
None of Manchester United’s three goals managed to convince me that 3D football is the future.
So, it sounds like a positive experience but I’m still not convinced it warrants the extra outlay of cash to put it in your home.
