Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Racing In 3-D On TV? Not Just Yet
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races could be broadcast in 3-D at some point....
Bob Pockrass  | http://www.scenedaily.com  |  Posted March 13, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Kyle Busch (Right) is interviewed before the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
The NCAA Final Four in a few weeks will be presented by CBS in 3-D coverage for theatergoers. Fox has produced a 3-D Bowl Championship Series football game, and Major League Baseball's All-Star game will be in 3-D carried by DirecTV. ESPN presented the Ohio State-Southern California football game in 3-D and showed it in a handful of theaters and is expected to launch a 3-D channel soon.

So could NASCAR end up in 3-D? It's possible but there are several hurdles. Network executives from NASCAR's television partners have recently said they couldn't predict when there would be a 3-D production of a NASCAR race.

The biggest hurdle is trying to get it to the fan base. Fox Sports Chairman David Hill wonders if enough NASCAR fans would have 3-D sets to be able to watch a 3-D production.

"HD sets have not reached critical mass yet and folks that just bought an HD set, they've got to turn around and buy a 3-D," Hill says. "There's a whole bunch of questions all to do with the chicken and the egg. So the answers [to NASCAR in 3-D questions] are we will have equipment to do a 3-D race, yes it will look fantastic and I don't believe anyone will be able to see it."

Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith believes that 3-D is the wave of the future and hopes the networks continue to work on it.

"You've got a whole industry of television manufacturing that think that flat screen you just bought, it's time to get something new - and they're going to work it," Smith says. "They're going to make it so compelling."

ESPN Vice President of Motorsports Rich Feinberg says he is fascinated by 3-D and helped make a 3-D movie last summer at the X Games.

"There are some technical challenges that need to be overcome," Feinberg says. "The size and scope of these productions in terms of the number of cameras and all the stuff with the pit cams and crew-cam guys, that technology doesn't exist today for 3-D.

"What we want to do in working with NASCAR is when we get there, we want to make sure we can do it right. There is a whole lot of technical knowledge that has to be acquired and experimented and tested in order to do that. We don't serve anybody, including our NASCAR fans, by doing a show that is underwhelming in 3-D because of the technical limitations. We've got to wait until we're ready."

ESPN will do 60-plus events this year in 3-D, Feinberg says, adding that sports played a role in HD technology and sales - and could also possibly do the same for 3-D.

"Sports in general led this country in the proliferation of HD television," Feinberg says. "We just want to make sure we examine every single sport before we do it to make sure that we can put out a product that is not a step backwards from where we already are. "

TNT produced a telecast of the NBA Slam Dunk competition in 3-D for cinemas a year ago.

"We have talked about it and it is something on the radar at Turner, but we don't have any plans right now," says Turner Sports Executive Producer Jeff Behnke. "We have tested the waters with our partners in the NBA. [The technology] is all still developing, just like it took years to develop the whole HD."

SceneDaily.com • Fans invited to join racing legends celebrating NASCAR champion Rex White

Play! SPEED Fantasy Racing and Super 7 Sweep
bob_pockrass's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Pockrass

SceneDaily.com

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.