Entries from January 2009 ↓

Because many computer generated movies (Toy Story) and video games (Halo) are already completely designed in three dimensions, it’s easier for them to be converted to 3D than regular video.

We’ll continue to see 3D animation movies at theatres and the introduction of 3D gaming as the equipment becomes affordable.  Soon we’ll be seeing deluxe desktop packs with 3D goggles at Best Buy (not Circuit City — deadpool)…

I’m still waiting for my first experience without the glasses…

Ok, before I show the article, let me get my rant out of the way.  First, 3D TVs are not going to save the struggling TV market.  The manufacturers are only complaining about TV sales because of the economy.  Second, Digital TV hasn’t even taken hold yet.  Until everyone switches to a digital TV, the jump to 3D is just not going to be pervasive.  Sure early adopters will check it out, and then the tipping point will occur.  But seriously, there’s no way the tipping point will happen for 3D TVs that require goggles.  So which industries will drive 3D TV sales – the usual ones, Porn and Gaming.  The major players will begin introducing 3D video….however just wait a second.  The real barrier to 3D is not the technology of the TV set like everyone believes.  Shaking the 3D glasses will not be hard and in fact many manufacturers are not even considering a ‘glasses’ solution.  The real challenge is in the content.  It’s extremely expensive to convert an old film into a 3D film.  Therefore, the video long tail won’t be there.  Can you imagine a world where the best films are buried because they’re not in 3D…it’s crazy.  So, 3D cameras will have to infiltrate the studio market, which means affordable technology.  And consumer 3D?  Who are you kidding?  3D is already going to make people dizzy and get headaches.  Can you imagine video shot by an amateur in 3D?  Makes me nauseous just thinking about it….anyways, here’s an excerpt from the article.  This is one of the better articles so far, but more or less the same content we’ve already seen.

”

Three-dimensional TV is coming to a living room near you. But will the technology spur a consumer spending spree like digital and high-definition TV did before it? Or will 3D end up being the next big flop?

One thing is clear, TV manufacturers need something new to get people buying TVs. Over the last couple of years, TV manufacturers have experienced a sales boom as consumers upgrade to digital TVs in anticipation of the government’s mandated switch to digital TV broadcasts in February 2009. Eager shoppers have also been upgrading to high-definition TVs as movie studios, cable and satellite operators, and TV broadcasters have begun offering more programming in HD.

But as the economy worsens, the forecast for the TV market is looking grim. The LCD TV market is only expected to grow about 17 percent in terms of units shipped in 2009, according to research firm DisplaySearch. This is down from growth of about 29 percent in 2008. Plasma TV growth is also expected to suffer with the market only expected to grow by about 5 percent in 2009 compared with a 24 percent rise in 2008, DisplaySearch said.

As a result, TV makers are looking for the next hot thing to attract new consumers. And some are hoping 3D TVs could be it.”

See the rest at CNET

Sony Says New 3D Technology Will Soon Become Standard Feature Across the Industry

Las Vegas—Sony chairman and CEO Howard Stringer showed off big-screen 3-D video as part of his CES keynote address Thursday, and said the technology is “closer than you think” to becoming a standard feature of the entertainment industry.

The first 3-D clip he showed was a short from Pixar Animation Studio’s Cars, followed by highlights from last week’s Orange Bowl pitting Virginia Tech and Cincinnati. “It’s paving the way toward the national availability of 3-D,” Stringer said. “This is a lot closer than you think.”

Sony’s demo used RealD’s 3-D imaging system and glasses, and is primarily aimed a movie-theater releases for now rather than home TV viewers.

Stringer brought to the stage DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who said 3-D is the next major technical move forward after sound and color.

“The movie industry is entering the third great revolution” with three-dimensional movies, Katzenberg said. “This is not my father’s 3-D.” Katzenberg then showed a clip of DreamWorks’ first 3-D movie, Monsters vs. Aliens, featuring a gigantic robot attacking San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

At the start of his keynote, Stringer said that one of Sony’s guiding strategic philosophies in developing new products is that closed systems are a dead-end. “Consumers expect choice,” he said. “They expect services to work with any device.”

Sony has set a goal that by 2011, 90% of its product categories will connect wirelessly to the Internet and to each other. “Until we transform ourselves into a fully service-based industry, we are in risk of obsolescence,” Stringer said.

For the full article, check out the source:

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6627768.html

I was so excited when I saw the trailer for this.  ‘This is it, this is the moment” was all I was thinking.  That moment, is when the world finally understood the power of 3D.  I’m still waiting for this moment and unfortunately, this movie won’t do the trick.

I really thought a good horror film would make 3D finally seem possible and entertaining unlike the red and blue 3D of old.  This movie is not the one.  Let’s hope another movie will be that catalyst, where the public gets excited about it.

For now, settle for this fairly good remake of an old slasher, My Bloody Valentine.  It comes out later this month and will definitely be a blast for some Valentine’s Day couples.  It will however, not make you excited to see more 3D.  I dunno, prove me wrong…

Cmon Peter Jackson or George Lucas….you’re still waiting for the right moment.  If you’re waiting for the full penetration of 3D across theaters, you’ll be waiting a long time.

Check out the Valentine movie in three dimensions at your local 3D capable theatre.

http://www.mybloodyvalentinein3d.com/