MSG’s 3D Hockey Telecast Receives Rave Reviews

Now that the first ever live 3D sports telecast has been delivered through cable pipes thanks to Madison Square Garden and Cablevision, it’s time to survey the reaction.  In addition to a handful of Cablevision subscribers who have already bought a 3D TV, a rambunctious crowd of more than 2,500 fans, advertisers, and media members took in the stereoscopic 3D experience at the Theater at Madison Square Garden as the New York Rangers blew out the New York Islanders 5-0 last night.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir was less than thrilled with the theater experience at MSG, saying that the extra dimension of the 3D broadcast was not consistently apparent and that the camera at center ice “felt more like 2.5-D.” However, Sandomir adds that the monitors set up for the media at the Garden revealed the true impact of hockey in 3-D. The picture on these monitors was clear and made the strongest argument for what the game looked like at home to those few early adopters with 3-D television sets, according to Sandomir.

Glen Dickson of Broadcasting & Cable details how the event came about last minute, with MSG seizing the opportunity to use 3ality Digital’s gear between a Black Eyed Peas concert it produced earlier this month and the NAB show in Las Vegas next month. According to MSG Media President Mike Bair, the short prep time made securing carriage of the 3D game with other operators difficult, though MSG was open to it. Cablevision was the lone carrier of the 3D telecast.

Jeremy A. Kaplan at FoxNews believes that he has seen the future, and it requires special glassesNHL FanHouse writer Christopher Botta expresses similar sentiments, saying it looked good. It looked really, really good.

Perhaps the biggest long-term revelation from Wednesday night is that camera placements for 3D will be closely considered when the Garden is renovated this summer following the conclusion of the NBA and NHL seasons. The early plans for these renovations were unveiled this week.

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