Mark Cuban: 'Future of 3D is Not Sports'

I agree that the future of 3d does not lie in sports... I think diehard fans who want to feel more immersed in the game would prefer to find a way to attend the event in person.

I expect that 3d will find instead its place in gaming consoles, and in movies. And I mean *new* movies that are shot with 3D in mind as the director's medium of choice; I have no desire to see a 3d version of Star Wars or any other film previously released in 2d. And further, I think it won't truly take off in this area until someone demonstrates that it will work for something other than action flicks or animated features. Yes, Avatar and Coraline proved that 3d could be viable in the cinema, but until the technique jumps genres, it will still be pigeon-holed into the realm of "gimmick".

I mean, when widescreen productions became the norm in the 50's, directors didn't suddenly put all the action at the edges of the screen just because they could. And yet with 3d, this seems to be the temptation: as much eye-popping, screen-jumping, explosive action as possible. Imagine instead if someone were to create a film along the lines of "Pleasantville" or "What Dreams May Come" that made good use of 3d (and note, I'm *NOT* saying that these movies should be redone in 3d), with tasteful depth that did not detract from the story. It would highlight the possibilities of what could be a valid technology and an artistic medium.

I cared... I hope next year's Super Bowl is.

I watched the BCS Championship in 3D. That was cool. I would have watched the Super Bowl in 3D if they had offered it, but it didn't disturb me greatly that it wasn't. The 3D made a difference in many areas, but it also took away in many areas (no first down markers, etc).

In the case of the BCS game, ESPN and ESPN3D had a different feed with different announcers and different commercials. All of the commercials were in 3D. That was great at first... then you realized that they only had about 5 commercials for the entire game and you saw a lot of repeats. The plus side was that they also stayed with the game through several breaks to avoid showing commercials. Normally that alone would be enough to sell 3D! But in an event like the Super Bowl where the commercials get more attention than the game, then that wouldn't work.

I agree with thebard above that the future would not lie in sports, but I don't completely agree with the reason. At least, not for me. The 3D capability *is* my way of feeling like I'm there in person, but I know I'm in the minority. Still, I do believe that while sports are great in 3D, it's not the Killer App for 3D. If I had a house full of friends over to watch the game, then 2D would be the only choice unless everyone had glasses.

Gaming is very similar. I have enjoyed as many 3D events in games as much as I have watching 3D movies, but I still wouldn't buy everyone glasses if they came over to play Rock Band. But the 3D-enabled games really do add a layer of immersiveness that don't exist in the 2D world.

The future of 3D is porn.
Think about it.

to me, as long as i need to wear glasses to see 3D, this is painful... considered I already have a pair of glasses, I certainly don't want another one. So, until glassless 3D become mainstream, I think 3D will be for commercial theaters only.
Also, there got to be time that you just want to watch plain 2D... so, there should be a switch or something to go back and forth easily.

this the same guy who said "the internet is dead", and said online streaming video would never work?

3D is being forced on everyone now...movie studios are being forced to make 3D movies, not because of the director's vision or for the overall betterment of the movie but because they are being pressured into it...only 2% of homes currently own a 3DTV, the mass public is not demanding more 3D and it needs to go away

yes, 3d is being forced to the public now, as we speak, 3dHDTV are very low on sales, specially worldwide, i see the only potential for 3d is at the cinema, where you have a large screen, for me nothing beats that!
I'll say it again: 3d is not for sports, nor for games... it's for the cinema!

I definitely think 3D will remain a niche market. That is, until they invent 3D not requiring glasses!!!

Ronn Owens on KGO Radio (out of san francisco) also said that he doesn't plan on buying a 3D set (even though he's rich and could easily afford it), and thinks it will not catch on until it no longer requires glasses. He noted that no one wants to worry about whether they have their 3d glasses handy when they're watching TV or a movie at home!

I agree with Ronn.

--Brian

I disagree live events like sports and concerts are an inexpensive way to bring the experience home. I would have watched it in high def if available and I suspect given the choice all those with 3D TVs would have as well. Since all TVs sold in the coming years will have 3D built in, the temptation to watch something like the superbowl in 3d will be too much for most.

The future of everything is porn.

The future of 3D is video games. My kids go nuts for black ops in 3D. I love it, too.

3D is about immersion. Movies in 3D are great, but I don't feel the impact is as great to be immersed into a movie in the same way that it is for a video game. You aren't controlling a movie - you are more of a spectator.

Reluctantly I must admit that the same argument would apply to porn, now that I think of it :-)

Yeah, I dunno. 2D is good for a voyeuristic perspective, like if you were peeking through a window.

I'm not sure if everyone wants to feel like they've been put in the same room with random people going hammer and tongs.

LOL!!! Why exactly do we have to pay attention what he has to say on this subject?

He's just wrong. Tennis in 3D is nothing short of amazing. The shots from up in the stands make you feel as if you're at the event, but the shot from behind the receiver makes you feel as if you're actually in the game. You sense the power, speed and spin just as if the ball were coming right at you. When the ball is coming from Nadal, that can be down right scary!

unless you have a 80"+ screen size the 3D immersion will not be there...otherwise it loses its appeal and should only be enjoyed in a movie theater

I admit I saw that tennis demo on a 152 inch Panasonic plasma at the CES show, but from about 40 ft away. I think it could work on a 58 inch from about eight feet or so.

He was the first to declare the HTPC dead and a thing of the past like 3 years ago. I think interest has only grown.