The YES Network joined forces with DirecTV to broadcast the first-ever 3-D telecast of a Major League Baseball game when the Yankees played the Mariners over the weekend, the New York Daily News reports.
The 3-D broadcasts took place on Saturday and Sunday and were more complicated than HD, requiring seven 3-D cameras (five stationary on the field, one hand-held and one fixed on the announcers), an extra sound and video truck and a second crew of people.
A viewing party was held at Helen Mills Theater in Chelsea on Sunday, where Yankee fans watched the game wearing 3-D glasses. Representatives from Panasonic told the Daily News that the goal was to make the viewers feel like they're really at the game.
"In a movie, it's sort of an 'Oh my God!' effect," YES Network CEO Tracy Dolgin told the New York Post. "This actually makes you feel like you're there. That's a leap forward, as opposed to a step forward."
The 3-D game broadcast technology is still in the beginning stages of its development, and the games ended up costing seven times more than a regular HD broadcast.
"It will always be more expensive, but it won't be seven times more expensive," Dolgin told the Post.
According to The Associated Press, the games were also broadcast by DirecTV in conjunction with the Mariners' broadcasting partner, Fox Sports Northwest.
