Monday, April 11, 2011

Breakfast (and stereoscope) at Wimbledon: Tournament to air in 3D

3D is coming to the All England Club.

For the first time ever, the later rounds of Wimbledon will be shot on 3D cameras as part of an agreement between the club, Sony and the BBC. The live broadcasts will be carried by the United Kingdom's national network and in select movie theaters worldwide.

Last year's French Open became the first tennis tournament to air in the medium.

"Wimbledon is renowned for its heritage and sense of tradition. At the same time we are always looking for ways to improve the presentation of The Championships by successfully blending that tradition with innovation. We are delighted that our 3D partnership with Sony will not only guarantee we are at the cutting edge of live sporting television, but also deliver a compelling new viewing experience for our global audiences, especially amongst our younger supporters."

The 3D will undoubtedly look beautiful; everything at Wimbledon does. Yet the prospect of paying $10.50 to go to a dark movie theater where you can't flip channels on commercials, won't be able to pause your DVR and might have to put up with some loud talkers isn't enough to get me interested. I can buy my own Jujubes and watch on my couch, thank you very much. (Plus, who in America is going to want to get up at 9 am to go to watch tennis at the movies? The best part of Wimbledon is stumbling downstairs to the TV as the match begins.)

Only the men's single semifinals and both men's and ladies' finals will be given the special broadcast treatment.

What, no women's semifinals? That seems like a missed opportunity. In 3D, it actually looks like Serena is saying she's going to shove the ball down your f------ throat!

Vanessa Minnillo Katie Holmes Victoria Beckham Missy Peregrym Sarah Gellman

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