Today might be the day television as we know it heads into a new dimension. 3D is gaining significant buzz with the release of Avatar in theaters this winter, and the momentum is bringing the technology into your living rooms. ESPN announced that they are going forward and launching a 3D TV network with plans to air a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, starting with the 2010 World Cup this June.

ESPN has committed to the 3D network for one year. The sports network, owned by the Walt Disney Company, has been testing 3D for more than two years, even showing a USC vs. Ohio State college football game in select theaters.

But, ESPN isn’t the only one taking the big step.

The channel, which has an expected 2011 start date, will be a 24-hour channel broadcasting a variety of programming. The ESPN network will only operate during scheduled 3D broadcasts.

I can’t wait for Shark Week 3D!

Sports in 3D could be very interesting. To really achieve the desired effect, I imagine the camera positioning will have to change from your typical broadcast. Cameras will have to be immersed in the playing field, with people coming to and from the camera. A football soaring through the air into your living room could be a spectacular effect. A running back charging down the field, toward you could put you right in the game. You’d be that last DB, bracing for a tackle and then "BOOM!" a teammate comes out of nowhere to keep your bones intact.

When ESPN 3D goes on the air at the World Cup this year, how will we see the goals? Will there be a camera placed in the net? Will we still watch everything from the sidelines? and how will that affect the desired 3D effect? As the resident hockey fan, I have to ask how an NHL broadcast could even work in 3D.

In December 2009, The Dallas Cowboys partnered with HDlogix and brought fans the first ever 3D broadcast. The result: a demo that lasted only seven minutes. 80,000 people in attendance were given the glasses necessary to view the game in 3D and a majority of them didn’t even bother putting them on. Without the glasses, the image on the screen looked blurry - which fans booed loudly - and after only six minutes and fifty seconds the 3D broadcast was halted.

Many people know what 3D can do, but remember, everything in Avatar was strategically planned and manipulated over years of testing and developing the technology. 3D works very well with pre-produced programming and it could become the next great advancement in video games. How will the 3D technology translate to live broadcasts? I’m eager to find out. 

Let me clarify that I am a big fan of 3D technology. It serves its purpose in theaters, IMAX, and could be the next great tool in corporate communications. However, I am skeptical about 3D TV. I feel there are some drawbacks and the first that comes to mind is wearing the special glasses.

Two hours at a movie theater? No problem. Every time I walk into the living room? Not so sure. Lets not forget you’ll need a new 3D HDTV (or a conversion box), so the big screen you bought last week won’t work. Paying a premium for 3D on top of my monthly cable bill? No thanks.

As exciting as this is, lets not forget that it has taken years to get the majority of the public to make the switch to HDTV, which was the big talk of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) just six years ago. When HDTV was unveiled, it changed the way we watched television. Now, the public is supposed to commit to another drastic change in broadcast television? As great as 3D is, it’s going to take just as long for the general public to be convinced as it did for HDTV; and by that time, there’ll be a newer, bigger, faster, better technology that will change the way we watch television...again.

An unconventional way to make your stills stand out...

Have you seen the Gatorade commercials over the past couple of years? Notice how they used photos, but there was something different about them? They almost looked...like they were moving? Well they were.... view it here (As a huge Blackhawks fan, I couldn’t resist using the hockey one).

It’s a technique gaining momentum in the commercial world that strays from the norm for how editors use photos in video. It creates a 3D effect using 2D elements and it is usually all within the same photo. It takes precision, accuracy, and a little creative manipulation.

This Is Not a Test - A Quick Overview
Using clipping paths, each element (i.e. person, basketball, hockey puck, background, etc...) is cut out and separated into layers. Using animation software, the layers are aligned in a 3D space with separation. This gives the illusion of actual 3D because each element is on a different focal plane. Using pans and zooms, a 3D-like perspective is achieved with 2D elements.

Now...back to your originally scheduled program
It may not seem like much, but the movement catches the viewers’ eye.  This technique breathes life into a motionless photo and is an advanced replacement to the always popular, “Ken Burns Effect."

This trick looks easier than it is to create. It takes skill to understand which elements should be separated; and if a photo is not useable. There is an abundance of tutorials available online that go into great detail how to achieve this effect.

A person is only as good as the tools they have at their disposal, but the tools are only as good as the person putting them to work.

To view samples of Quicksilver's creative video and animation solutions, click here.

Dave Yakir is an editor and animator who works in Quicksilver's HD-capable edit suites. He has recently used the 3D effect in client videos.