Last week, thanks to Comcast’s Shauna Causey, I got the chance to watch part of the Masters golf tournament in live 3D. I know that 3D has been around since the 50s, but I’ve never heard of anyone doing an entire live sports broadcast in 3D.
Here’s a quick interview I did with Shauna:
Now, I know what you’re thinking — golf in 3D must have been pretty lame. That’s what I thought going in, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The 3D effects were actually very striking. All those long, panning shots of the rolling hills and babbling creeks were extremely vivid in 3D. You could actually see the breaks in the green during a putt and anticipate how the ball would move around a dip or ridge. I can’t wait to see what ESPN and other broadcasters do with football and basketball!
Now, it’s worth noting that the TVs cost thousands of dollars and that you also need special battery-powered glasses to view them in 3D, but I do envision a scenario in which this could catch on. Imagine high-end sports bars installing one of these giant 3D TVs in a VIP room that sports fans can rent out for an event. Those rich sports fans then see the vivid picture and install one in their man caves.
For the common man, however, these 3D sets are going to remain out of reach, not to mention the cost of the special glasses and the cable package needed to view any sports in 3D.
But, then again, I only spent 10 minutes or so watching the 3D TV at the Comcast open house. Who’s to say that anyone can watch an entire sporting event without bleeding from their eyes or getting a mind-altering headache?
Just for fun, Shauna interviewed me too.
My name is Micheal Foley. I'm an ex-journalist, content editor at Waggener Edstrom, hyperlocal news fan, content strategy n00b, geek wannabe, libertarian and provocateur. I'm trying to get journalists to look past "how to save journalism institutions" and instead think about "how to save society after journalism institutions are gone." 
