HDTV Expert - 3D: Amazed, but Not Interested

[720pete]

A new NPD Group survey says that 20 percent of consumers are amazed by in-store 3D. So, what about the other 80%?

[url=http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/columns/2010/10/hdtv-expert-3d-amazed-but-not-interested.php]Read Column[/url]

[dgmeansit1]

I am interested in going 3D but so far the only content I have been able to see has been animated. I don't care about sports at all, so I want to see what the things I actually want to watch look like in 3D. I've seen 3D in Imax theaters and have been impressed. But when I go to the local electronics outlets, the viewing choices are extremely limited. The animations look cool, but it's not enough to make me want to plunk down an additional $2000+ dollars to upgrade to that medium...

[jordanm]

I could not care less about 1080p 3D. I want 4K, and if that was 3D, I'd buy it.

[hharris4earthlink]

I'm probably what you might call a nascent 3D TV enthusiast. In high school I was enthralled with 3D comics. I was sure that 3D was the future. When I first heard about 3D TV I just knew the future was here. Now, after months of being put off by stores who claimed their glasses were broken, I finally saw one. I was allowed only a few minutes to watch, only one pair of glasses you know, and so many, many people interested. My reaction was crushing disappointment.

I still believe there's 3D TV in our future, just not THIS 3D. The problem is 3D is not just a technology. It's also an art. James Cameron did it brilliantly because he's that rare combination of artist and technologist. The TV demo I saw featured objects suspended in space in front of a fairly dark screen. There's was a lot of things wrong I could list, but the central crucial mistake is 3D has apparently been developed by hacks who look at 3D as a gimmick rather than something that enhances the art of television. It was almost like someone decided to reinvent human vision. Wrong and wrong

My advice is, rather than throwing away the technology which is the danger here, hire an artist (as opposed to a technologist) to create 3D standards for television. Put the picture inside the frame rather than hovering in front of it. Make the picture brighter. Hire James Cameron as a consultant. And do it quick because otherwise 3D might not come around again for another twenty years.

[jordanm]

Meanwhile, last week Japan with the help of NEC, scheduled the release of Ultra HD (8K) in a year or two, while the US gets this 3D tech few want.

[Richard]

Pete, I would be really interested how 3D in it's first year compares to the roll out of HDTV in it's first year.

[gfenton1]

The biggest problem I see with 3D - The glasses are not consistant. Some glasses have the reddish color on the right and some have it on the left. Depending on how the show/movie was done, the glasses may not work correctly. Also for us who wear glasses anyway, to see, the 3D clip-ons I have tried are not large enough.
3D looks like a great idea to me, but they still have a long way to go to satisfy me.

[film11]

Pete, I would be really interested how 3D in it's first year compares to the roll out of HDTV in it's first year.

Or DVD for that matter! The biggest problem right now is no content. But that will be changing. Movies such as RESIDENT EVIL, PIRANHA, and others are now scheduled for disc release starting in December. The output will increase in 2011. Depending on how those turn-out, 3D may be the big 2011 Holiday wish.