I admit that I had a strong bias against 3DTV. Well, I finally got to actually try 3D instead of just making fun of it. No, I didn’t buy one, but I did get to look cool in the glasses at my friend’s house. And the technical aspects of it don’t stink. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty not to like, but it still looks cool.
I thought 3D was a gimmick pushed by the movie industry. Much of their revenue comes from post-release movie sales: DVD’s and those Blu-Ray discs they throw in the package for free. Don’t get me started on that one. Well, if they release a movie with no compelling plot, but awesome 3D animation, who is going to buy the disc if the movie is boring and there’s no way to see the 3D? Think Avatar. Sorry, hated it.
I still think that’s the push behind 3D in the living room, but it isn’t a gimmick, as I thought.
The Good
It’s really pretty amazing to see things come to life in your TV. This isn’t like the WebTV or Google TV for that matter. It actually works. We saw Monsters Vs. Aliens. It was as lifelike as an animation can be. Make sense? I didn’t think so. But it did look good.
The Bad
Let’s say you put a 3D movie in the Blu-Ray player. You and the kids sit down to watch a movie on your Samsung 3DTV. Wait a minute. The TV only came with two sets of glasses. Child size 3D glasses for the Samsung are $180. Hope their friends don’t want to watch it too.
Alright, let’s say you bought the glasses for your kids. Now you have a few friends over and want to watch a 3D movie. You have four pairs of glasses, but those extra two are child size. Extra adult 3D glasses are only $149. Or you can get the rechargeable ones for $199, but don’t forget to recharge them before each movie viewing!
The Ugly
Yes, ugly. That is how you look in those glasses. Sorry, but it’s true. You look like an idiot sitting in the dark with sunglasses on. And ugly is how the movie looks if you try to watch it without the stinkin’ glasses.
3D is also called stereoscopic film. Two versions of the movie are filmed and projected; one for your right eye and one for your left. The Samsung glasses are so expensive because they have a shutter within each lens that opens and closes 120 times per second, letting your mind complete the picture between the movie seen by your right and left eyes.
Without the glasses, both eyes see both versions of the movie all the time. It looks like bad… ugly.
So What?
Well, if you like shooting your own home movies, and really want to go all out there… JVC just unveiled a 3D consumer camcorder! For $1999 you can reach out and touch someone. Grandma can feel like she’s really playing with the kids from the comfort of her own living room. Discovery and ESPN have also decided to plow ahead with their own plans for full time 3D programming.
Lastly, for all you ever wanted to know about 3D but didn’t think to ask: http://www.3duniversity.net/
So, if you went out and spent the big bucks for a 3D TV, you can watch 3D Blu-Rays on it (with the proper glasses), you will soon be able to watch 24 hour 3D programming on a few networks, and you can shoot 3D home movies starting this April. Just be prepared to shell out even more big bucks for all those pairs of glasses for your guests.
Comments on this entry are closed.