College Football...in 3D?

As the college football season rolls into full swing this week, the one item that I am choosing to address is the live 3D showing of the USC versus OSU game on September 12th. The game will be the first time that ESPN has tried to air a live game in a 3D format. The reason for this airing will be to gauge the effectiveness, cost and availability of the format to users and ESPN as a whole. The game will be filmed simultaneously in 3D, with seven separate 3D cameras, as well as in standard 2D. The game will be aired in locations in Columbus, Ohio, Hurst, Texas and Hartford, Connecticut. If plausible, this emerging technology could have a massive effect on the standard viewing of sports, but at what cost to the viewers? The use of this technology will require way more man power and resources in order to be aired in a viewable fashion and that cost will have to be covered by some entity. The other question that comes into play is whether sports viewers want to watch sports programming in such a way. Through the use of focus groups and other audience feedback tactics, I feel that ESPN will be able to answer these questions and more. The future of television will no longer be of quality importance but rather how the viewing audience experiences the programming as whole.