It's Try-Day Friday! July 9, 2010

Product: NVIDIA® 3D Vision™


Website: NVIDIA 3D Vision http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-main.html

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For the first time in history, last Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the Coke Zero 400 from the famed Daytona International Speedway, was broadcast in 3D to race fans lucky enough to have a TV or home computer equipped with the latest 3D technology.


Under normal circumstances, I would not have been one of those lucky viewers. But thanks to a generous offer from NVIDIA, I was provided with an amazing computer set-up equipped with NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ to check out the race broadcast in 3D for myself!

My loaner notebook computer and 3D glasses from NVIDIA,

already programmed with the latest technology for 3D viewing.

I received my loaner notebook computer with 3D glasses a few days before the race so that I had time to familiarize myself with the technology. There were some sample 3D videos including one of the Master's golf tournament and another of a previous NASCAR race on the Infineon road course, as well as a slide presentation of photos from a classic car show.


If you haven't seen the latest 3D glasses, don't equate them with the older style red and blue filter types you might have used in the past. The new glasses resemble a pair of sunglasses that actually darken as you look at the 3D screen and lighten automatically if you look away, producing a flash of white light that takes a little getting used to. An NVIDIA representative explains: "They will flicker because they are no longer receiving a signal from the emitter. In essence, they were turning off and on every time you looked toward the screen. The emitter sends a signal to the glasses so that the glasses and the display are in sync with each other. The glasses 'shutter' 60 times per second per eye, alternating between the left and right eye. This is what delivers the 3D effect."

When the race started Saturday night, I logged onto TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.com. There were two camera views to choose from for the 3D broadcast: the "Action Cam" view of the racetrack itself, and the "Pit Cam," which was supposed to "bring the mayhem of pit row into the third dimension creating a one-of-a-kind visual experience," according to Turner Sports.

The best way I can describe the experience of watching the Coke Zero 400 in 3D is for those fans who remember seeing "NASCAR 3D - The IMAX Experience" back in 2004. There is an added sense of realism watching in 3D, though understandably not as pronounced on a notebook computer as it was on a giant IMAX screen. Viewing the race at home, I noticed the 3D effect primarily in scenes that highlighted depth perception and dimension, such as during the pit stops, when the crew members pitting the front of the car looked close enough to touch and the pit road signs really popped off the background as they bobbed up and down. Certain camera angles emphasized the high degree of banking at Daytona in a way that cannot be perceived on a 2D monitor.

Signs like this really popped off the background!

(picture taken through the 3D glasses)

Someone asked me whether I had any problems with dizziness or motion sickness watching the race in 3D as is sometimes experienced in an IMAX setting. Fortunately, I did not, and I am very prone to motion sickness. I believe the small screen size compared to an IMAX theater makes the difference in that regard.

While I found the 3D race viewing enjoyable, I believe that the 3D experience, like most modern technology, will improve with time. Perhaps the glasses will be lighter, the flickering light effect will be minimized, and the overall appearance will become even sharper and more well-defined. One criticism I had was not regarding the 3D technology itself, but the camera work. Contrary to the "mayhem" of pit road as described in the Turner Sports promo, the Pit Cam often spent an inordinate amount of time showing unimportant and uninteresting scenes, such as Kyle Busch's war wagon being packed up and wheeled away after Busch left the race. Many of the Pit Cam shots showed groups of random fans or NASCAR Officials milling around on pit road, except when pit stops were actually taking place.

Kevin Harvick's No. 29 car being pitted

(picture taken through the 3D glasses)

A non-action shot along pit road from the Pit Cam view.

(picture taken through the 3D glasses)

Be sure to check out NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ technology for yourself on their website or see an in-person demo at your local Fry's Electronics store!