2010 MLB All Star Game in 3D - Exclusive on FOX / DirecTV

i thought it was the home run derby only. cool i hope so for the allstar game.

YES, DirecTV Team on 3D

Panasonic to sponsor two Yankees broadcasts in July
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/5/2010 11:56:14 AM
Regional sports network YES and pay-TV operator DirecTV announced a 3D programming initiative Wednesday (May 5).

DirecTV is launching four 3D channels, including ESPN 3D, in June, and had already said it will air the 2010 All-Star Game in 3D, in partnership with Fox Sports.

Wednesday it announced that it will team with YES Network and FSN Northwest to present the first-ever Major League Baseball telecasts in 3D on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 when the New York Yankees take on the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field in Seattle.

DirecTV and Panasonic will be presenting sponsors of the two 3D telecasts, which will be made available to DirecTV HD customers who have 3D TV sets and live within the YES "home team footprint," which includes all of New York State and Connecticut, north and central New Jersey, and northeast Pennsylvania. The 3D telecasts will also air live within the FSN Northwest footprint, including the entire states of Washington, Oregon, Alaska and parts of Montana and Idaho.

The Saturday, July 10 game telecast will begin at 10:00 p.m. ET, and the Sunday, July 11 game telecast will begin at 4:00 p.m. ET. YES and FSN Northwest will both also produce their traditional HD telecasts of both games.

"We're extremely excited to enter into this partnership with DirecTV," said YES Network COO Ray Hopkins, who said the companies have been in discussions over a 3D production for several months. Hopkins said the 3D effort is a natural followup to the interactive TV initiative that YES and DirecTV teamed on in 2006.

The two games will be produced separately from YES' normal HD coverage, with 3D camera rigs from 3D specialist PACE and NEP Broadcasting's SS3D truck. That is the same technical set-up that supported ESPN's 3D production of The Masters golf tournament last month, which was carried on a special channel by Comcast and several other cable operators and also made available as a live Internet stream to 3D-capable laptops and PCs.

Hopkins said that the 3D broadcasts of the Yankees will also be made available to other YES affiliates, though he provided no details about other potential carriage deals. He added that Panasonic will be coordinating public viewing events of the games but that it is unlikely there will be one at Yankee Stadium. That makes sense, as the Yankees have a close business relationship with rival set-maker Sony Electronics and Sony HDTV monitors are installed throughout Yankee Stadium.

Fox Sports already shot some test 3D footage this spring in Anaheim with some high-school baseball players, noted Eric Shanks, EVP of Entertainment for DirecTV, and the YES production and All-Star Game should provide further guidance as to how to regularly produce baseball in 3D. Shanks said he was impressed by the visual effect 3D's depth of field gave in the test footage.

"There are some interesting shots from the center-field camera, looking at the runner on second base," he said. "You actually feel you're in the stadium looking at that shot."

Shanks didn't announce any further MLB 3D broadcasts past the All-Star Game, but said that early 3D adopters could expect a steady flow of 3D sports content on DirecTV, with much of it coming from ESPN 3D.

"Through the course of 2010, 2011, there's probably not going to be a week that goes by without some 3D sporting event for our subscribers."

will this be shown by any providers in canada?

The commercials on n3D on Directv advertise the broadcast of the All Star game. After watching the World Cup, I am excited to see a baseball game in 3D.

squee!

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/art...For_3D_MLB.php

I just noticed that the Yankees/Mariners game will be broadcast in 3D on D*.

Press release

DIRECTV, Major League Baseball and FOX Sports to Deliver Historic National 3D Broadcast of the 2010 All-Star Game

The Mid-Summer Classic will be Available Exclusively on DIRECTV’s 3D Channel ‘n3D™ Powered by Panasonic’

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DIRECTV, Major League Baseball and FOX Sports, continuing to lead the industry in sports programming innovation, will offer the 2010 MLB All-Star Game in 3D exclusively on DIRECTV’s new 3D channel, n3D ™ powered by Panasonic (Channel 103).

The telecast of the mid-summer classic from Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., next Tuesday will make sports TV history as the first national broadcast of an MLB game in 3D.

“We are excited to be the exclusive provider of this history making broadcast of the MLB All-Star game in 3D and working on this pivotal TV event with Major League Baseball and FOX Sports, our long-time partners in innovative sports programming,” said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development for DIRECTV. “Though we’re still in the early innings of this amazing technology’s evolution, we continue to believe 3D, like HD, will fundamentally change the TV landscape, and offer viewers a new and totally engaging way to watch sports, movies and other entertainment programming in the home.”

The 3D broadcast will require a separate FOX Sports production crew using nine cameras to cover the game, offering viewers camera angles not normally seen in a regular 2D broadcast. Barry Landis will produce the 3D broadcast. Derek Manning directs. Chris Long serves as senior vice president of Entertainment for DIRECTV. The 3D telecast is available to DIRECTV HD customers with an HD 3D TV set and 3D glasses.

DIRECTV and Panasonic have been leaders in the delivery of 3D content, recently launching an industry-first trio of dedicated 3D channels including n3D™ powered by Panasonic, DIRECTV Cinema™ in 3D and n3D™on Demand, which is currently offering replays of ESPN’s 3D coverage of the 2010 World Cup Games. DIRECTV launched ESPN 3D on June 1 and will offer the network’s live 3D broadcast of the World Cup final on July 11 and the 2010 State Farm Home Run Derby on July 12.

DIRECTV also delivered the first 3D NASCAR race with TNT last Saturday featuring the NASCAR Coke Zero 400 in 3D and will deliver regional telecasts of the New York Yankees-Seattle Mariners series July 10-11, produced in 3D by DIRECTV with YES Network and FSN Northwest. For more information on DIRECTV’s 3D channels please visit www.directv.com/3D.

About DIRECTV

DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) is the world’s most popular video service delivering state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming, the most comprehensive sports packages available and industry leading customer service to its more than 25.6 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 18.6 million customers more than 130 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound (when available), access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, award winning technology like its DIRECTV® DVR Scheduler and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for nine years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay-TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to 7 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 65 percent interest in Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please call 1-800-DIRECTV or visit directv.com.

About Panasonic

Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC), which has been a leader in the creation of end-to-end standards and technologies to enable consumers to experience immersive Full HD 3D TV. Last year, Panasonic established its Advanced Authoring Center in Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory to work with Hollywood studios to develop the 3D Blu-ray Disc format. In January, Panasonic partnered with DIRECTV to debut three dedicated 3D channels, including DIRECTV's new linear 3D channel, n3DTM powered by Panasonic, which launched on July 1. In March, the company delivered its first Full HD 3D home Entertainment System for sale at Best Buy’s Magnolia Home Theater stores. And in April, Panasonic debuted a range of 3D video production equipment including the world’s first professional quality, fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorder that records to SD Memory Card media.

Yes.

Curiously I am trying to set my D* HD-DVR (HR24) to record the All-Star game for tomorrow, and it said (to paraphrase) "this may not record because your equipment is not configured properly."

When I recorded World Cup matches it asked me if I wanted to record even though I couldn't play it back on my current tv (it still gave me that prompt on baseball), but I had never seen the other prompt/warning before.

OK let's play some 3D baseball....Fox 720p looking pretty good so far....the clips they showed from the Mariners/Yanks weekend games were phenomenal!

OK, I think that side by side 720p looks far worse than side by side 1080i. You couldn't even read the word Panasonic on the n3D animation at 720p--and this is on a 65VT25. Also, the opening shot of the announcers looked like it had less resolution than the over compressed standard def channels on DirecTV. The field cameras appeared to be slightly better, but still the World Cup soccer had far more detail, even with the 50i to 60i standards conversion. Again, anyone that still has these events on your dvr, check out the Sony commercial during the soccer, and the same commercial during the home run derby. The 1080i version appears to have twice as much detail. I hope ESPN and Fox really compare the picture quality of 720p to 1080i. Perhaps 720p top and bottom would be better, but I'm disappointed in what I saw the past two days when it comes to resolution. As far as the 3D effect is concerned, I enjoyed seeing baseball in 3D, and I'm sure I'll enjoy other sports as well.

Does any one have any pics? Of this 3d broadcast?

I agree with you the 3D Fox presentation was terrible. Why was it broadcast only in 720P?

The World Cup was only slightly better!

Is this the best we can expect? WHY NO 1080P????????

I watched the game and was more interested more in how the filmed baseball the game rather then resolution. I thought the resolution at times was great. Definately got the "looking through a window" effect on my 65Vt25 @6ft away. As far as the angles went, I loved the view from outside the left handed hitter batting box. Great way to see the full pitch. They did not do a great job when the ball was in play (which was not frequent in this game) but that may be a function of how many cameras they had. Will be looking forward to any more Yankee games and also the World Series where I hope they really pull out all the stops

Remember Fox's "extended definition" 480P broadcasts that they tried to pawn off on us in the early days of HD? Looks like they're at it again, doing it on the cheap.

I don't believe there is any 1080p broadcast.

There is no 1080p broadcast content, in HD or 3D.

The comparison is between 720p & 1080i.

3D Cheap? Hardly.

The explanation is very simple. You have two major HD providers, ESPN & FOX, that both are satisfied with their success using 720p for HD. It's only logical they continue to use 720p for 3D, at least initially. Give them a chance to develop the technology and format before condemning it. If it's not adequate, we'll have to see if they make a change.


If you want to talk money, HDNet General Manager Phil Garvin was recently quoted as saying live sports in 3D cost as much as seven times to produce as conventional HD. ESPN is hoping to limit manpower costs to an additional 50% over an HD broadcast. Eric Duke, president of All Mobile Video, a mobile TV production unit company, said the cost to his company and to clients could be two to three times more expensive than HD because of the manpower required. George Hoover, chief technology officer for NEP Broadcasting, another mobile TV production unit company, said overall building a 3D truck is 2.5 to 3 times more expensive than a typical HD truck.

No matter how you slice it, 3D is a lot more expensive than HD.

That's not the point. Is 720p cheaper than 1080i? If it is, than that's what Fox will use. I know that 3D is more expensive than 2D. All the more reason for Fox to try & keep it as cheap as possible. You LIKED it when they tried to pawn off 408p as HD?

I just watched it a little while ago.
I was very disappointed at first but after the fifth inning or so the picture seemed a lot better.
I wonder if the lighting had something to do with it.

The videos from the beach and marina were unbelievable bad and appeared to be 480i sourced.

You're confused.

From a broadcasters perspective, 720p isn't any less expensive than 1080i. As a matter of fact, initially ramping up for 720p was more expensive, because hardware was less available and what was available was more expensive.

I suppose you also think Disney/ABC/ESPN is cheap too, because they use 720p........


I never, ever thought Fox 'Widescreen' (480p 16:9) was acceptable as an alternative to HD. Check the AVS Archives; I was as vocal with my objections as anyone. I actually received back channel communication asking why I was so against Fox Widescreen.

Having said that, FOX never tried to 'pawn off' 480p as HD. Until the fall of 2004 when they introduced HD, they did consistently say Fox Widescreen (480p 16:9) was as good as was needed for Digital TV. Obviously this turned out to be dead wrong.

I can tell you for a fact that FOX using 720p for 3D has nothing to do with being cheap. If they were cheap, they wouldn't even be involved with 3D.

I think that 720p full screen is OK for the most part. I still like the spacial resolution of 1080i better, and I don't think that motion takes that big of a hit in 1080i. No one has ever complained that motion on a CBS football game is any worse than motion on a Fox or ESPN game. I understand the theory that 60 full frames per second is better for motion than 60 interlaced fields, but the increase from 1280 to 1920 horizontal resolution is a bigger factor. And for side by side 3D, these horizontal numbers are halved, which makes 720p look a whole lot worse than 1080i.

I thought that Fox was going to use 3D TnB 720p for the All-Star game so that horizontal movement would be in full 720p 60fps and not in 1/2R Side-by-side. I suspect the real difference between the formats will show up in the small sports venues such as Hockey rinks and Basketball courts.

Thanx to all including the moderator. Just one more reason why I really enjoy this forum.

I knew that my eyes weren't deceiving me and we were not getting the very best HD picture.

I remember saying this a few years ago why watching football ( why do we Americans call it football; Soccer is played with the foot) on Fox and their poor HD picture; just wasn't sure of what I was watching regarding an HD signal.

Yes Frank the lighting at the All Star Game was a major factor...the game started at ~ 5:30 PDT in Anaheim so the 3D camera folks were having to deal with a very bright setting sun which was enveloping much of the field at game time. As you mentioned above once the sun set and the stadium's lighting kicked in the PQ improved dramatically, though considering FOX uses 720p SBS we weren't going to be blown away necessarily (certainly not like we have been with your 1920x1080 home 3D flicks )!

I thought the best shots during the telecast were the slightly angled behind home plate shots where you could see the ump, catcher, and pitcher all within the same frame..this shot effectively showed the elevation of the pitching mound in relation to the home plate area. Another favorite of mine was the behind home plate shot centered entirely on the pitcher....the detail in the background images behind the pitcher was phenomenal to my eyes (again all the more remarkable considering this was a 720p SBS broadcast)...