Skip to Content

New to the Mac? Check out TUAW's Mac 101
AOL Tech

3Ality posts

NFL in 3D: Good technology overcomes bad entertainment

by Thomas Ricker posted Dec 5th 2008 at 2:01AM


Simmer down athletic supports, we didn't just call your beloved NFL boring. But Thursday night's matchup between the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers wasn't going to generate this much interest on its own. As described by the LA Times who attended the 3D broadcast of Thursday night's "football" game at Burbank's 3ality Digital cinema,
"The experience wasn't jaw-dropping, but it was noticeably better than a conventional broadcast. The game was drama-free, yet the novelty of 3D made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen... The effect was subtle at times, but just as compelling as in "U2 3D," 3ality's concert film of the Irish rockers. The most striking thing in both cases was how much more you could see in three dimensions than in two."
The event wasn't glitch free, however. Two hiccups caused the satellite feeds to go black in Boston, New York, and LA. and a few quick camera pans and poorly executed transitions had viewers convulsing behind their polarized glasses. As a proof of concept though, viewers generally seemed impressed which means more of this in the future.

[Via Yahoo]

DreamWorks CEO participates in live transatlantic 3D broadcast

by Darren Murph posted Sep 16th 2008 at 5:59PM

While it's not quite a hologram interview, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg still managed to wow onlookers in Amsterdam by being the subject of a live 3D broadcast originating in Los Angeles. This isn't the first of its kind, mind you, but those involved are still patting themselves on the back and dubbing it the "first transatlantic HD stereoscopic 3D broadcast." Part of the demonstration was to showcase the bigwig's belief that 3D is the future of cinema, as he stated that it was "the most exciting thing to happen to the visual experience in 70 years." Over at IBC2008, 3D HD was being pumped up by firms such as 3Ality and Quantel, and as much as we doubted that this stuff could ever catch on, we can't say the marketing teams aren't doing their darnedest to make it so.

[Image courtesy of PhotoBucket]

Real-time 3D HD teleconference demo scheduled

by Steven Kim posted Aug 8th 2008 at 10:55AM

R2D2 hologram
AT&T may be missing out on this "reach out and touch someone" opportunity, but Dreamworks SKG is there to score on the first real-time 3D HD broadcast. SKG CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will be interviewed in stereoscopic 3D HD glory by 3Ality Digital, and the resulting bits will be beamed by satellite company Arqiva to Amsterdam. The demo will be the first real-time 3D HD broadcast, and the "real-time" angle is definitely where the challenges are. The two HD camera feeds are muxed together at the source into a (very strange looking, we assume) 2D image, which is demuxed on the receiving end before being beamed out to Christie projectors. Neat stuff, and we're just waiting for the day this tech comes to distance workers all over.

[Image courtesy TMCnet]

3ality Digital performs live 3D broadcast at NAB

by Darren Murph posted Apr 15th 2008 at 3:25PM


3ality Digital, which played a huge role in the creation of U2 3D, successfully completed a live 3D demonstration today by beaming a performance in real-time from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada for viewers at NAB Show's Content Theater to see. The 30-minute program was a live feed of Howie Mandel and company showing off a new game show (dubbed Would You Rather?) that could eventually pass the muster and end up on NBC. Notably, the transmission occurred via a single stream using an existing broadcast infrastructure, and folks on the other end were able to see just how swell 3D broadcasts can be -- even when live. The demo was established in order to prove that live 3D airings (for sporting events, game shows, etc.) are indeed viable, but until folks start gathering at cinemas or ditching their current sets for 3D-ready versions, we can't imagine this (incredibly intriguing idea) having mass appeal.

[Image courtesy of Yahoo]

HD cameras helped make U2 3D what it is

by Darren Murph posted Feb 1st 2008 at 1:49AM


We'll be straight with you -- it's a touch difficult to describe U2 3D in words alone, but for those that have seen the extremely well received concert film, you may be interested in finding out exactly how it came together over at Sound & Vision. According to Catherine Owens, the film's co-director, the footage was shot entirely in high-definition in a digital format that proved much easier to handle than the reels used in years past. Additionally, the team behind the project had a Samsung HDTV shipped in to find out how the content translated from the big screen to one not so big, and results were described with adjectives including "phenomenal" and "insane." Yeah, we still think 3D in general has a ways to go before it shakes the gimmick label it has rightfully earned, but at least 3D in HD makes rocking those gaudy goggles slightly more bearable -- slightly.

[Image courtesy of 3ality Digital]




    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

    Joystiq
    Download Squad
    The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
    BloggingStocks
    Joystiq Xbox
    Autoblog
    Big Download
    Fanhouse NFL Blog