Theaters in Baton Rouge and around the country are offering viewers a different perspective on the biggest events.Rave Motion Pictures at the Mall of Louisiana hosted two nights of live viewings for the NCAA Final Four in 3-D last week.And the showing is just the latest in a recent alternative viewing trend, as theaters nationwide are choosing to explore other uses for the big screen.Sporting events have been the most widely available so far. Since January alone the BCS Championship Game, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game and NCAA Final Four have all been shown in 3-D in theaters.Jeremy Devine, Rave Motion Pictures vice president of marketing, credited digital and satellite feeds in theaters for making sporting events, concerts and operas possible to show in the cinema.”When you get satellite and digital feeds established, it allows for a much greater live capacity and the ability to show these events in 3-D,” Devine said.And watching popular events in theaters provides several unique advantages for viewers — increased quality in both sound and video and the ability to watch in 3-D.Zachary Bourque, undecided sophomore, said there were advantages to watching a live viewing of the Drum Corps International Championships — which he described as “marching bands on steroids” — at Citiplace on Corporate Boulevard last summer.”The appeal of watching events like that in a huge theater is not only the size of the screen, but the sound system,” Bourque said. “It definitely makes for a better viewing experience.”Citiplace also regularly shows The Metropolitan Opera on its screens, the most recent being an opera version of Hamlet on Wednesday night.”People continue to go to movies for that communal experience, and it’s been made more immersive and more potent by the 3-D experience,” Devine said. “Nobody has it going on at that level in their homes.”Concerts are also prominently featured, allowing viewers to get a 3-D experience of their favorite artists’ performances.During the next two weeks, Rave Motion Pictures theaters across the United States, including both Baton Rouge locations, will show “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D,” which will feature live footage from his latest tour, the Sun City Carnival.Tickets go on sale Friday for “Phish 3-D,” which will show footage of popular cult jam band Phish in concert. “Phish 3-D” will only run for a week at a limited number of Rave Motion Pictures Theaters in the U.S. — including Baton Rouge.And industry insiders only expect this trend to increase.”You’re going to continue to see a lot more things being offered in 3-D or live or both,” Devine said. “Essentially, it’s niche programming, and I can’t see it replacing movie blockbusters, but it’s an increasingly important part of the business.”Airing FIFA World Cup soccer games this summer live and in 3-D is among future possibilities being “heavily discussed,” Devine said.”There’s great possibilities down the road for these special event airings, and 3-D and live viewings are only going to get better and increasingly available,” Devine said.–Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]