Whats the the best Sport to watch in 3D?

04 August 2010

In Depth: The A to Z of 3D TV sport in Pubs: What looks great and what falls flat? Sport is expected to be a major driver of 3D take-up, why else would Sky have invested so much in to its 3D football matches at numerous UK pubs?

Sport events create exactly the kind of buzz that 3D will thrive on. You get to witness all the excitement and tension of an event without having to endure poor weather, extortionate prices and a nightmare journey home.

It's not exactly the same as being there – we'll have to wait a few years till holographic 3D arrives for that level of experience – but watching sport in 3D is pretty amazing.

However, the technology is young and TV sport producers are still honing their 3D skills. It's also already clear that while 3D really works for some sports, others have not fulfilled their potential and fall a little flat - literally and emotionally.

So which sports do we think are made for 3D and which aren't?

3D Football

Despite being the fans' favourite in boozers across the land, football is not the perfect 3D fit you might have been led to believe it is. The natural side-on view doesn't add much extra depth. Matters improve when the camera is placed behind the goal in terms of seeing the players but strangely the most compelling shots seem to be of the crowd.

As with all sports where the onscreen logo and score banner are placed has a strong influence on the depth of the image and these can be highly distracting when they stick out too much. Sky is working on it.

3D rating: 3/5

3D Boxing

Imagine sparring with Floyd Mayweather in your own living room without suffering any resultant bruises from the inevitable pounding. 3D boxing can't quite deliver that but as early Sky experiments have shown you get to really enjoy a virtual ringside experience as every punch, duck and swerve swoop through the screen. You may even need a brolly as a blood and sweat shield.

3D rating: 5/5

3D Cricket

Sky will be showing its first live cricket match soon on its 3D channel. It'll be an interesting experiment as the sport is well suited to 3D with its natural viewpoint over the bowler's arm. Some of the wider shots might fall a bit flat but a lot of the pleasure in watching cricket comes from the slow-motion close-ups of great batting, bowling and fielding and these should all deliver the 3D goods with ease.

3D rating 4/5

3D Darts

For atmosphere you'd be hard pressed to beat the experience of sitting in the crowd at the Lakeside. As you'd discover, it's not about the view, it's the frenzy. A 3D view behind Phil 'the Power' Taylor's elbow on the oché would be fun, and the dartboard close-up would be just like being in the pub.

3D rating: 3/5

3D Golf

Ever wanted to stand behind Tiger Woods teeing off at St Andrew's or whisper in Lee Westwood's ear as he putts the winning shot at the Ryder Cup? We reckon the 3D experience would be highly effective, probably not any better at seeing a driven ball when the camera tilts and pans but it would transport you to some of the most beautiful sporting scenery on the planet.

3D rating: 4/5

3D Racing (F1)

It seems certain that Formula 1 will be seen in 3D fairly soon, possibly in cinemas only though. Daniel Webber, MD of SuperVision Media who nabbed the rights to show the World Cup in 3D recently told 3D Radar: "We think there's tremendous opportunities with sport and 3D on the big screen. It lends itself so well. We're now actively looking for other sports to trial, including F1." The scope for excitement is endless with cameras placed trackside, in the pits and on the cars. Overtaking manoeuvres could look sensational as you get to witness the thrills and fear of being an F1 driver for yourself from the safety of your sofa.

3D rating: 5/5

3D Horse Racing

The drama of the Grand National magnified ten-fold. That would be the result of a 3D day at Aintree with some clever camera placement and a herd (yes, that is the right collective noun) of horses hurdling the famous fences at a hundred miles an hour. An angled tracking shot in the home straight with the animals in full pelt and the jockey going bananas to get your 80-1 sweepstake across the line would be pretty stunning too.

3D rating: 4/5

3D Rugby

Sky's already taken up the 3D mantle with live broadcasts to pubs and cinemas and plans to feature rugby on its 3D channel in the autumn. Like football, the best scenes work when the camera isn't side-on but placed at the ends with players coming towards your point of view. You also get some tasty scrum action that almost leaves you feeling winded whilst line-outs are great fun too.

3D rating: 4/5

3D Snooker

The largely static nature and naturally deep viewpoint of snooker lends itself perfectly to 3D. Seeing the table stretch away in to the screen with the the potter's shoulder or elbow coming out of the screen would make a nice composition. It would be fun to see the balls heading towards your coffee table. There would be some good opportunities for crowd views too, recreating the atmosphere of the crucible in your home.

3D rating: 5/5

3D Tennis

The French Open this year was shown in 3D by Eurosport. The strange thing about watching tennis in 3D when everything projects in to the screen is that although it's quite compelling you feel like you're Gulliver watching miniature people.

The ball and players move too quickly for the cameras to show outward-projecting action without giving you an unbelievable headache.

3D rating: 2/5

3D Athletics

The UK will have whipped itself up in to a running frenzy by the time August 2012 arrives along with a rather important 'meet' in east London. The BBC has said it will film a lot of the Olympics in 3D. Those wonderful 110m hurdles side-tracking shots won't come off as 3D doesn't look so good side-on but we reckon there should be some corking moments such as Usain Bolt's knees thrusting into your sitting room or Phillips Idowu spring-boarding through the screen to end up in your lap. You might find yourself reaching down to pick up the baton that's landed at your toes after a disastrous relay hand-over.

3D rating: 3/5

Soucre: taken from 3D Radar- The Complete Guide to 3D TV