Oh what a wonderful week it is now that baseball is officially over -- enjoy it while it lasts though as we heard that spring training was going to start in December this year. Big college football game this weekend as two top ten teams meet in Alabama and we'll all get to see if Alabama deserves its number three spot. Also this week are a few NFL divisional games as the Ravens take on the Bengals and Dallas travels to Philly, both of which are playing really good right now.

CFB
# 9 LSU at #3 Alabama CBS 3:30 Sat
# 16 Ohio State at #11 Penn State ABC 3:30 PM Sat
#24 Oklahoma at Nebraska ABC 8:00 PM Sat

NFL
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM CBS Sun
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles 8:20 PM NBC Sun
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos 8:30 PM ESPN Mon

NHL
Los Angeles Kings at Chicago Blackhawks Vs 8:00 PM Mon
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins Vs 7:00 PM Tues

NBA
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers TNT 8:00 PM Thurs
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers ESPN 10:30 PM Fri

We've said it before and we'll say it again, sports, not movies or video games is 3D's killer app, and this prototype camera from Sony is designed specifically to help bring the two closer together. Set to debut at CEATEC next week, the HFR Comfort-3D records at 240 fps through just one lens instead of two thanks to a new half-mirror system that takes left and right eye images at the same time, better for capturing fast motion and providing viewers lacking polarized glasses a 2D picture with minimal blurring. One of our few complaints during last year's BCS National Championship 3D experience was occasional benefits caused by fast left-right motion which this system could make a non-issue. Check after the break for a detailed (in Japanese) diagram that should help make things clearer -- for those that can read the language -- the rest of us are waiting for ESPN or someone else to tote a few of these down to the Super Bowl in 2010 and make magic happen.

[Via AV Watch thanks Derek for English PR]

Any real geek will tell you that the best sport in HD is football and with the kickoff of the '09 season we've partnered with our friends at HDSportsGuide.com to bring you what we think is the best HD sports that will be on this week. In addition to the big games of the week, we'll be covering what regional events will be covered and where. What we won't be doing is creating a comprehensive list of all the HD sports, but you already know where to find that.

First up this week -- yes our week starts on Thursday right along with football -- is the very first real football game of the season, and one that is near and dear to a member of our team. On the same night, but way too late for any east coaster, is the first ranked CFB matchup of the season with Oregon vs Boise State -- also happens to be the only tough game on Boise's schedule, gotta love CFB. Now if you want to see if college kickers can kick as high as those in the NFL, you might want to check out BYU vs Sooners which will take place in Cowboys Stadium, home of the biggest HD screen in football. Then of course there is the labor day college football tradition of Miami vs FSU, where all the parties involved hope it won't be a battle of the mediocre, again. The NFL closes out its pre-season on the NFL Network where the Eagles will face the Jets and we'll get our last look at Vick before he finishes his three game regular season suspension. And of course baseball is still on as the Red Sox play the White Sox for what is probably their 20th meeting this season.

College Football

• South Carolina Game Cocks at NC State Wolfpack ESPN, Thurs, 7:00 PM
  
• Oregon Ducks at Boise State Broncos, ESPN, Thurs. 10:15 PM
  
• BYU Cougars Vs. Oklahoma Sooners, ESPN, Sat. 7:00 PM
  
• Miami Hurricanes at Florida State Seminoles, ESPN, Mon. 8:00 PM
  

NFL

• Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets, NFL Network, Thurs. 7:00 PM

MLB

• Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox, TBS, Sun. 2:00 PM
  

3D will take another big step forward this week with the one week only appearance of X-Games 3D The Movie. ESPN promises it's the first full-length sports 3D flick and has gone to great lengths to make sure it's an incredible experience. It already screened in L.A. during the summer X-Games, but in case you didn't catch it there peep the trailer (2D) embedded after the break.

We love the NFL in HD, and have often wondered why we've paid $300 for the NFL Sunday Ticket in HD, and then spend 90 percent of the time watching the RedZone Channel. So you can imagine how excited we were to hear that thanks to the NFL renegotiating its contracts with DirecTV, Fox and CBS; that the RedZone channel would be available to every provider in the US instead of just to DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers. But the more we learn about the new channel, the more annoyed we felt. There is just something fundamentally wrong about a full time cable channel that only broadcasts 119 hours out of the 8760 hours a year. This is especially true when you realize that this is the very same 119 hours a year when the existing NFL Network broadcasts almost nothing at all. There simply is no other reason then pure greed to have two separate NFL channels. So as much as we'd love to enjoy this channel during the season, we completely respect all the providers out there refusing to sign a carriage deal -- Comcast is the only one that wil carry it at the moment -- at least until the two channels are combined, and then the programming can't get here soon enough.

Looks like Verizon's not the only one to have beef with Cablevision's treatment of its MSG HD channels, now that AT&T has also petitioned the FCC to compel the cabler to sell the high definition feeds to its competitors. AT&T cites stats showing high definition is a big deal for consumers, with 45% saying they'd switch providers for a superior sports package, claiming it can't compete in Connecticut without the networks. Just as before, Cablevision claims it can do as it likes, that it already sells them every single game (in SD format) and that AT&T is a bigger company that doesn't need a bailout. We've had plenty of summertimes squabbles about who was and wasn't playing by the rules that ended with one side claiming they'd take their ball and go home, but we usually didn't bring the FCC in to settle it. The FCC is still on a five month clock to consider the complaints and the "terrestrial loophole," 'til it responds we can't guess how this one will end.

We've always loved the Roku Video Player, and it's getting even more flexible over time -- in addition to Netflix and Amazon video rentals, the $99 box can now play, pause, and rewind live HD baseball games in 720p from MLB.TV, as well as play archived games from the previous week on demand. You'll have to pay the one-time MLB.TV subscription fee of $35, but that's not terrible, especially if you're an out-of-market fan looking to catch your favorite team without having to trek out to a bar. Now if only the NFL would let anyone but DirecTV carry Sunday Ticket, we'd be all set.

Get ready for more curling, archery, judo and other Olympic Sports, if Comcast and the U.S. Olympic Committee get their way and launch a new network after the 2010 Vancouver Games to broadcast Olympic Sports coverage all the time. Of course, the International Olympic Committee and its $2 billion partner NBC are none too pleased about the news, especially given it already has Universal Sports for this very purpose. as proposed, the U.S. Olympic Network would air archived Olympics footage, education and coaching shows and eventually regional and Olympic Trials competitions. There's no specific mention of an HD feed, but if its anything like every other dedicated sports network that's popped up over the last few years, we don't see how it could go on without one. While the USOC and IOC work things out, you think there's any room in the program guide for this channel?

Read - U.S. Olympic Committee plans to launch own cable network
Read - Comcast, USOC Eye Dedicated Olympic Service In 2010

It doesn't appear to be coming in time for everyone to enjoy C-Webb and The Glove's studio antics during the NBA Finals, but now that Comcast closed a deal to bring NFL Network to its many digital classic subscribers, working out an agreement to add NBA TV (home of the pioneering all-SkyCam broadcasts & silent game) as well was the only logical followup. No word on exactly when the switch will happen, but hoops fans should keep an eye on their (soon to change drastically) channel lineup with the long term deal slated to shift the channel off the sports tier and into mass availability ahead of the 2009-10 season, bringing along plenty of VOD and streaming content to Comcast.net. Unfortunately, NBA League Pass is still a pay add-on, but we guess that would be asking for just a bit too much, right?

DirecTV subs may not notice the company has been spun off, but they might have peeped the new ScoreGuide, letting sports fans watch one channel while keeping scores and start times of live events posted on screen, then letting viewers switch to the appropriate channel easily. Accessed by tuning into any one of DirecTV's sports channels then punching the red button on your remote, it can collapse to show just one game or stay open to show all daily events. Want to avoid clicking over only to find the boxing match is already over two rounds in or you missed a great Kentucky Derby comeback, or yet another triple overtime thriller? We can see how this could be useful.

Ever since FSN made it's 24/7 HD for 2009 proclamation futbol fans have wanted to know if that applies to them too, and the Goal soccer blog on the New York Times has the news on what to expect as the UEFA Champions League comes to Fox. Fox Sports International VP David Sternberg let it be known that Fox Soccer Channel isn't going to be high definition until the end of this year, so don't expect any FSC games in HD until February 2010. The good news? After the wait, we can expect broadcasts of proper HD feeds, rather than upconverted widescreen SD feeds seen sometimes on ESPN.They do plan 16 live games on FSN, plus the 2010 final on FX, while broadband viewers can expect streaming from Setanta, so if FSC isn't on your lineup yet, there can still be some HD of the Beautiful Game in your future.

This Hatfield & McCoy-like dispute has been going on for years now and it might be ready to come to a head. In case you haven't seen the ads, the NFL Network could leave Comcast altogether May 1. As always, the NFL wants to be on the basic tier in every subscriber's house alongside ESPN and, less popular, Comcast owned channels, and Comcast wants to keep it on the sports tier, where only those willing to shell out extra will see what it claims is the 4th most expensive channel it has. We like the NFL, but we also hate higher basic cable bills for stuff not everyone wants to watch. Of course, an 11th hour reprieve is always possible -- see Viacom, Big Ten Network and more, but next month Comcast subs may have to choose which large, greedy corporation they love more.

Read - NFL, not Comcast, is behind dispute over NFL Network
Read - I Want NFL Network

Want to get a look at the new MLB.tv, and don't want to spend any money to do it? Two spring training games tonight and three games tomorrow afternoon will be loosed on your Adobe Flash equipped PC, complete with the high definition video, Live Game DVR functionality, Multi-Game viewing, picture-in-picture and more. Go ahead, give it a shot and let us know if you're satisfied.

It's still up in the air whether the New York Mets will have a solid 2009 season, but one thing is for certain: locals are stoked to see Citi Field open up on April 13th. Sharp has just pushed out a press release that gives baseball loving HD junkies even more reason to go check out a game in person, as we're told that over 800 AQUOS HDTVs will be littered about the new venue. There will also be a gigantic 108-inch Sharp LCD in Citi Field's main lobby, which ought to complement the 12,000 square-feet of Daktronics HD signage quite well. Man, stuff like this really makes us rethink the whole "stay home vs. see it live" debate. Full release is after the break.

Make no mistake -- legions of cube-dwellers will be tuning into March Madness On Demand this Thursday, but those lucky / unlucky enough to be sitting at home in front of their U-verse TV DVR can enjoy one other luxury: an interactive application. AT&T has partnered up with Yahoo! Sports in order to add in a free college basketball U-bar app that will give March Madness fans the ability to view tournament brackets, their personalized completed bracket, game summaries and box scores, and video clips of game analysis / commentary with a simple remote click. Nah, it's no DirecTV-like four-screens-in-one, but it's definitely better than anything offered up on cable. Check out a simple video demonstration here.