NBA to broadcast All-Star game in high-def 3D
Yes, you need glasses.
3D cinema might be considered a corny 1970s gimmick these days, but the National Basketball Association is hoping you'll be willing to shake off that attitude in time for the NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas this Sunday. The league has partnered with digital-cinema group PACE for live 3D broadcasts of Saturday night's pre-show event as well as Sunday night's game. And, yes, you do have to wear special glasses to see it in full. Thankfully, they're a little less geeky than the red-and-blue lenses so frequently associated with 3D cinema (they're almost indistinguishable from normal sunglasses).
I was able to check out a press preview of the 3D HD technology, and I can tell you that it's pretty darn cool--and nowhere near as gimmicky as you might think. Unfortunately, right now attendance at the All-Star Game broadcasts is limited to an invite-only guest list at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Vegas. But reps from both PACE and the NBA are hoping that the phenomenon will eventually catch on in cinemas as well as more sporting events.
Will this lift 3D cinema above its Jaws 3-D reputation? We'll see...