With the new technology making its long-awaited debut on Australian screens last night - during Fox Sports' telecast of the Socceroos match - even the producers were learning new tricks of the trade.
Limited to viewers with 3D-ready screens, the stereosonic showcase was largely a test for the industry, which will add another dimension to regular programming in the future.
But those early adopters of the technology were treated to a mind-blowing show that took the players from flat figures on screen to in-your-face, from all angles.
Have you watched 3D TV?
Fox Sports director Soames Treffry said the technological race was not just about boys and their toys, but increasing audience options.
"We wanted to have a crack at being first and football is the best sport for it. It's wildly different from the way we watch sport now and really is the way of the future," Mr Treffry said.
Bringing the pictures to life involved a small army of technicians, with 150 staff manning Fox Sports' coverage from the MCG.
Each 3D image required two cameras per rig - one shooting for the left eye, the other the right.
The footage was fed back to a central broadcast point (OB van), where it was "converged" to create a multi-dimensional shot.
The vision - which rushes images at the eye at about 100 times per second - is decoded by special battery-powered "shutter" glasses.
But the experience can create motion sickness in some viewers.
Sports lovers who don't mind a beer during big games, be warned: Samsung, the first to release 3D televisions in Australia, has issued a disclaimer recommending viewers not consume alcohol while watching 3D content because of the dizzying effect it can have on some.
From the kick-off last night the telecast set the new 3D standard, with the on-field combatants coming to life like never before.
Each player seemed to leap from the screen, with relevant statistics and impressive graphics zooming past the eye of the viewer.
Almost 95 per cent of the coverage utilised the 3D advantage, only pausing to return to standard 2D high-definition vision when officials and commentators checked offside plays.
The 3D revolution began in the UK this year, when 3000 punters piled into nine pubs for a screening of a Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal.
Channel 9 has promised to take the State Of Origin to new heights tomorrow night, using the technology in a world free-to-air television first.
Article from the Daily Telegraph
