3D for the BCS means another long, worthless hike for SoCal viewers

A deal that puts Burbank-based 3ality Digital with Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. to present the Jan. 8 BCS national championship game between Florida and Oklahoma in movie theatres translates to another far drive for anyone in L.A. who really cares to see this contest in the new, improved 3D.

Cinedigm Digital (website linked here) is the company (as we researched in a Dec. 10 blog posting here) distributing the NBA with its All Star Saturday Night theatre coverage, and the company has about 80 theatres in 35 states. But the closest to L.A., as we pointed out a few weeks ago, is in Apple Valley or San Bernardino.

A private test on Dec. 5 by 3ality and Beverly Hills-based RealD was done last month on the Chargers-Raiders NFL Thursday night game (blog story linked here and column linked here), which makes the BCS game and the NBA All Star Saturday festivities the first commercial exposure, where fans will be buying tickets to wear the glasses in the theatres.

3ality will do the camerawork for this BCS game, but RealD is not distributing it, otherwise it could be available in places as the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Tickets are supposed to be available as early as today and will be available online for most locations. Ticket prices are set by exhibitors but are expected to range between $18 and $22.

Still, theatres within a five-hour drive of L.A. that will show the game if you're interested:

UltraStar Apple Valley 14: (760) 240-9661
Cinema West 13 in Livermore: (925) 443-7403
Cinema West Boulevard Cinemas 12 in Petaluma: (707) 762-0800
Galaxy 12 in somewhere called Riverbank: (209) 863-9012
UltraStar Del Mar Highlands 8 near San Diego: (858) 259-6619
Galaxy 10 in Tulare: (559) 688-9006
Galaxy Fandango 10 in Carson City, Nev.: (775) 885-9500
Rave Town Square 18 in Las Vegas: (702) 362-7283
Galaxy Cannery 16 in North Las Vegas: (702) 639-0363