The 3D Revolution - Will You Be On The Front Lines?

Copyright (c) 2010 Titus Hoskins

No other technology has had more kicks at the can than 3D. Since the earliest form in the late 1890's when a British film maker named William Friese-Greene patented the first 3-D movie process, through constant re-births in the movies of the fifties, eighties and nineties... up to the latest flood of 3D movies currently hitting theatre screens - 3D has proven it has more lives than your local alley cat. And now with the advent of 3D TVs and broadcasts, 3D is on the verge of entering mainstream media like it has never done in the past, but will it succeed?

Despite all the attention and marketing hype, the success of 3D still remains one big question mark?

Why 3D has caused so much overall confusion or doubt in its eventual acceptance has to do more with its past lives than anything else. Most older folks see it as a recurring fad which comes around time and again, like a popular dance that keeps re-inventing itself. 3D has suffered through one debut after another, only to fade from the spotlight.

Now with the overwhelming popularity of recent 3D movies like Avatar and Alice In Wonderland, 3D is once more on everyone's radar. Especially with recent TV broadcasts, such as the Masters in 3D, this newly re-invented technology is entering our homes for the first time. And it is in the home entertainment arena where eventually, the 3D battle will be won or lost.

Many major manufacturers are counting on 3D to be the next big thing in this arena, much like HD or High Resolution. Actually, they are probably hoping the combination of HD and 3D will get consumers opening their wallets for these high ticket products. Sony, Panasonic and Samsung all have 3D TVs on the market, betting 3D is not just another passing fad.

Personally, operating several web sites on high tech products, I couldn't let the whole 3D argument continue without trying it out myself. Recently, I went shopping for a big screen 3D TV. Now, I knew from all the reports from the last CES show, Panasonic 3D scored the highest praise from most critics and I had to agree with them.

In my own evaluation, Panasonic has the best looking 3D TVs, with Samsung coming in at a close second, then Sony. Now in the past, I have always bought Sony products for my own enjoyment, but lately Samsung has been catching my eye and I finally settled on the 46 inch C8000 3D TV. I would have gone with the Panasonic but it was only available in a 50 inch version which was simply too big for my small living room, even the 46 is over stretching it a bit.

My cramped living quarters aside, the Samsung C8000 is a spectacular TV with bright images that simply pop. Truth be told, I really bought this TV for 2D viewing because I knew any real steady 3D content would be years away. The C8000 has so many features, it is somewhat mind-bottling, I especially like the different picture formats and the game mode. It also comes with Internet@TV which is handy as the web is currently running my life.

Now, this rather expensive TV set came with a Free Samsung 3D Blu-ray player and a Free 3D Kit which included two pairs of really lightweight comfortable 3D glasses and the Monsters and Aliens Blu-ray disc. Watching this 3D movie on the C8000 is novel and fun, the images do pop and one can see where 3D does have more than a few drawing points.

However, converting 2D content up to 3D obviously doesn't produce the same 3D effects, as I knew it wouldn't, but for me this conversion was still more enjoyable. Over the years, I have never been sold on the eye-popping effects of 3D movies... not in the 80's when I saw my first 3D movie, not at Disneyland in Florida where I saw the Terminator production, nor the latest 3D movie which I saw this summer which was an "over the top" remake of an 1978 film. I am talking about Piranha 3-D, which was directed by Alexandre Aja who did The Hills Have Eyes. It should be noted Piranha was shot in 2D and later converted to 3D in post-production, the first such film to receive wide acceptance by critics and audiences.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed these movies and the special 3D effects but being a former visual artist, I long for a more blended realistic 3D effect. One that is exactly the same as looking out your window or what you would experience walking down the street. Currently, any 3D technology or image I have viewed, fails short of the real thing; this is not so with HD or High Resolution images or viewing, and until 3D technology and products can produce that same blended, seamless images and viewing... it will always be only an entertainment gimmick that will come and go.

What I am really saying, 3D technology (at least what I have seen) has not achieved the visual equivalent of a home run. It's just not there yet, the 3D images are too disjointed with a foreground, middle ground and background... you are constantly being reminded that it is a 3D image or movie. For example, one of the comments after viewing Piranha brings home this point, "It was really gory but because it was in 3D, it didn't seem real so it didn't bother me."

Now, if this movie had TRUE 3D effects, total realistic viewing - we would probably be throwing up instead of laughing our heads off. Realistic in the sense, that you're actually watching it unfold before your eyes as if you were one of the characters in the scene, rather than a viewer sitting in the audience with stupid glasses on watching body parts float towards you in an unrealistic manner. Ironically, current 3D movies and products are the most unrealistic images you could possibly watch - they just come across as too manipulated and forced, not to mention, downright silly.

In order for 3D to become part of the mainstream it has to overcome some very challenging obstacles. First, it has to produce a more realistic blended image that totally places the viewer into the action without drawing attention to itself. Second, those silly glasses just have to go. They are simply too awkward and cumbersome, and one of the major reasons 3D is not currently more popular. 3D of the future will probably not require glasses and the first manufacturer (Sony's Nintendo 3DS system doesn't really count) who produces a viable glass-less 3D system will probably clean up in the marketplace. Lastly, there has to be more 3D content for viewers to enjoy. Currently, there is very little content and programs available for home consumption but this will change if 3D becomes more popular and users demand it.

Which brings us back to the original question, are you part of the 3D revolution? Do you go to the latest 3D movies at your local cineplex? Do you have a 3D TV yet or are you waiting for the prices to drop as they did with HD televisions sets? Or are you waiting for more 3D content to become available before you make the plunge?

In my opinion, the proving ground for 3D will probably come from 3D gaming systems and products. Sony is already betting on this point with its 3DS system. Gamers want pure entertainment and enjoyment from their games, if 3D gives them a better experience, we will see 3D become more popular. We already have 3D gaming laptops and the Nvidia 3D Kit which makes 3D gaming possible. I believe, the search for the ultimate gaming experience will bring 3D further into the spotlight and help bring it into the mainstream.

Besides, playing Call of Duty on the Samsung 46 inch 3D TV upped the adrenaline level for me and pointed out the pure entertainment value of going 3D. If future 3D movies and TV programs can ramp up the same excitement and enjoyment, one can easily see where 3D finally has a major shot of entering the big times, better late than never.

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