There will be "no 3D broadcasts of the Stanley Cup final this year" on the CBC, and CBC GM of Media Operations & Technology Fred Mattocks said that he is "no longer as confident in broadcasting in three dimensions, due to the 'exorbitant' cost and low viewership numbers," according to Michael Oliveira of the CP. Mattocks "still believes in 3D and was pleased with how the CBC's first two 3D hockey broadcasts turned out." But he said, "At the end of the day right now, I'm not as bullish on 3D as I was a year ago." Mattocks added that the "massive costs to stage those productions and the poor ratings so far ... makes it untenable for the CBC to go gung ho with 3D." He said that producing 3D content is "almost twice as expensive as a standard broadcast ... with a need for twice the staff, twice the equipment, twice the bandwidth and then there's the added complexity of the production." Oliveira noted the "pace of 3D adoption has been slow." Mattocks: "When it comes to people actually using 3D that level is very, very low, so until that level starts to grow we can't afford to move massively into 3D production, it just doesn't make any sense." Mattocks believes that the biggest problem with 3D adoption is the "need to wear glasses while viewing." Mattocks: "My own view is until the glasses problem is solved we won't see the kinds of adoption we saw with other high-quality forms of immersive experiences in the living room" (CP, 5/19).
MORE THAN WAS INTENDED: In Toronto, Sarah Millar notes a woman "flashed her breasts" during Wednesday's Game Two of the Sharks-Canucks Western Conference Finals, and the CBC "broadcast everything ... on its 'Hockey Night in Canada' telecast, which airs the game live, without a delay." Canucks Sports & Entertainment Coordinator of Media Relations & Publications Jen Rollins Thursday in an e-mail said the fan was "evicted from the game without incident." Rollins: "We are following up with her today to help ensure incidents of this nature don't happen again." Versus VP/Communications Meier Raivich noted that his net "did not broadcast the flashing" (TORONTO STAR, 5/20). CBC Head of Media Relations Jeff Keay said that the footage "was picked up by an in-house camera that the broadcaster doesn't control." Keay added that the net has "'no plans at this time' to institute a tape delay to prevent similar images hitting the airwaves in future" (VANCOUVER SUN, 5/20).
DAN THE MAN: The GLOBE & MAIL's Bruce Dowbiggin reported NBC is "bringing back Dan Patrick to host Games 5-7 of the Stanley Cup final." However, the net is "not bringing back" analyst Jeremy Roenick (GLOBESPORTS.com, 5/18).
