The French Open 3D production is finally making the leap across the pond. Tennis Channel will broadcast more than 20 hours of 3D action from Roland Garros on the weekend of May 28. But 3D is only part of the story for the network\u2019s French Open coverage, which will feature an Inertia Unlimited xMo super-slo-mo system under its full control and a new telestrator, the Point System, to enhance analysis.<\/p>\n
\u201cClay is such a visceral and tangible surface, and the new xMo will be fantastic,\u201d says Larry Meyers, executive producer\/SVP of production for Tennis Channel. \u201cWe will also use it to break down the players\u2019 games, getting in tight and showing how their grips change, where they make contact with the ball, and their footwork and movement along the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n
While xMo and the Point System will enhance the broadcasts technically, the biggest change for viewers may be on the talent side. Mary Carillo will host the network\u2019s coverage and work alongside John McEnroe for some play-by-play. She will also be on hand for the US Open in New York in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting because Mary transcends tennis, and it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if research found her to be the most recognizable woman broadcaster, given the work she does for NBC Olympics and HBO Sports,\u201d says Meyers. \u201cShe is truly iconic and also is a great writer and has a great head for the story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven Live Hours a Day in 2D<\/strong> During the first week, seven courts will be covered, and Tennis Channel has access to all of the camera feeds in its three-story broadcast cabin, outfitted by Presteigne Charter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will also have four full-time cameras [for ourselves on center court] and two more cameras [on court two],\u201dsays Meyers. \u201cA full-time RF camera will also roam the grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n He notes that each tennis major has its own personality within a compound. The French Open, he points out, is a great experience because it is the only tournament that is not natively English-speaking.<\/p>\n On the 3D side of things, Tennis Channel will have its own 3D control room, where it will augment the feeds with graphics and its own commentary. The world 3D feed provides the actual coverage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe world 3D feed is going to be the real model for 3D going forward, and, even in 2D, it can be difficult to craft a world feed,\u201d says Meyers. But the nature of 3D technology makes a world feed a must.<\/p>\n New Camera Angles<\/strong> \u201cTennis brings a lot to 3D, and it is the perfect 3D sport,\u201d adds Meyers. \u201cIt has two things: one is, the cameras can get close and low, and the other is, the playing field has [objects] located near, middle, and far [away from the camera].\u201d<\/p>\n The network will drop in its 2D graphics package, with some enhancements to create spatial presence.<\/p>\n Although Tennis Channel will carry the 3D action only during the weekend of May 28, the production, put together by Eurosport, Panasonic, and the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Fran\u00e7aise de Tennis (FFT), will actually have 3D coverage of center court every day from May 22 to June 5.<\/p>\n Into the Mainstream<\/strong> Eurosport Chairman\/Chief Executive Laurent-Eric Le Lay considers running a live 3D broadcast from Roland Garros \u201cthe best way to demonstrate how the combination of compelling content and new technology greatly enhances sports viewing.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds that the partnership with Panasonic and FFT will help \u201cmake 3D sports viewing across Europe a mainstream reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Laurent Abadie, chairman\/chief executive of Panasonic Europe, believes that 2011 will be the year the \u201crevolutionary\u201d 3D technology goes mass market.<\/p>\n \u201cTo make sure there is sufficient content available to meet consumers\u2019 demands for high-quality 3D programming, Panasonic is working in close partnership with Eurosport and broadcasters across the world,\u201d he adds in a statement. \u201cThe French Tennis Open is a perfect example of how these partnerships can work to deliver exceptional content. We are the official suppliers for the tournament, and our end-to-end 3D-product suite will be showcased, from our 3D broadcast products to our state-of-the-art 3D Viera screens, which will be on display across the site so visitors to the tournament can try out the 3D tennis experience.\u201d<\/p>\n The combination of 3D, Carillo, and compelling storylines has the 2011 French Open shaping up to be one of the best in years.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is familiar with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and now here comes Novak Djokovic, and he hasn\u2019t lost a match since late last year,\u201d says Meyers. \u201cSo the news is hitting everywhere, and, on top of that, the sport is fortunate because all three of them are fine people and great ambassadors and role models. They transcend international boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The French Open 3D production is finally making the leap across the pond. Tennis Channel will broadcast more than 20 hours of 3D action from Roland Garros on the weekend […]\n More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[1110,4901,2160,116,2308,155],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27653"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nTennis Channel will serve up plenty of 2D action, broadcasting more than 75 hours of live or first-run matches, including at least seven live hours a day for the first nine days. At night, French Open Tonight<\/em>, hosted by Bill Macatee, will take to the air at 6:30-10:30 p.m. ET, and the show\u2019s set will again be perched above the French Open\u2019s Musketeer Plaza, right in the heart of the crowd.<\/p>\n
\nThe French Open has been produced in 3D for the past two years, but this year\u2019s coverage adds some new camera positions, making it much more attractive for the Tennis Channel to carry.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn the past year, a wide range of 3D technology has become available, an increasing amount of content has been created, and new broadcast 3D channels have been launched,\u201d says Laurent Abadie, chairman\/chief executive, Panasonic Europe. \u201cIt is clear that 2011 is the year this revolutionary technology will become mainstream.\u201d<\/p>\n